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Should College Athletes Be Considered Employees?

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann on Unsplash

College athletes spend countless hours balancing intense practices and traveling alongside keeping up with their academic responsibilities. They help generate billions of dollars to the universities they are playing for, yet, they are not given the title of an employee. The question remains a hot topic of many debates, should they be considered employees of the universities?

Everyone's favorite times of the year are when their favorite sports season has finally commenced. Colleges make millions of dollars off fans buying tickets, food and apparel to support their teams. Fans go to these games to watch and root for their team, or more specifically, the athletes that play on that team. Without the athletes, colleges could not make money off sports games. In 2022, college athletics earned a total of $13.6 billion off of ticket sales, television rights, post-season championships and more. Showing how much the athletes help generate for the colleges, it is only fair for them to be compensated and recognized as employees.

Being a college athlete is like having a full time job on top of being a student. Athletes often spend hours devoting their time each day to their sport which includes practicing, traveling and competing, while also trying to keep up with their studies. These schedules are strictly enforced by their coaches and athletic departments; there is a lot demanded of a college athlete. This level of commitment forced on them can replicate the dedication employees are asked of for their full time jobs.

Even though college athletes put in an immense amount of work, they are still students. The main purpose of attending college is to prepare and learn for future careers, not be considered a paid employee of the university. Sports are supposed to be a part of the college experience and social life, like clubs or social activities. Paying athletes like employees would degrade them from the main reason they are there. If the focus shifts to the money, the meaning of being a student athlete would be changed.

The question of whether college athletes should or should not be considered employees of the university does not have one answer. Finding a way to improve support for student athletes without dismissing the core meaning of who they are could be the best solution to the ongoing debate.