Hard Working Athletes Deserve Pay The NCAA has been taking advantage of college athletes for quite some time now in the fact that everyone except the athletes gets a lot of money. What would you say if they spent most of their time training and working hard physically and mentally just to have other people take the credit and get more money for their hard earned money? It wouldn't be fair, would it? So my question then would be why is it okay to do this to NCAA athletes. NCAA athletes work hard physically and mentally for an average of 43 hours a week, more than the average American worker, and they don't even get paid. It's time these workers are compensated for their contributions to college campuses. The NCAA's argument is that athletes are just students, but they cause students to miss school to travel and play on national television which brings in more revenue, including nearly $71 million in surplus for the 2012 fiscal year, according to a certified financial statement issued by the association. On average, a full Division 1 scholarship is worth just $25,000 per year, compared to $71 million. If the school were really that important to the NCAA, its athletes wouldn't miss class for just one game. Maybe it would be acceptable if the money went back into the classrooms, but the fact is that a handful of that money goes to administrators, athletic directors and coaches. Yes, it's true that some players get full scholarships to their university, but even if they do, what time do they have to get an actual paying job just to have some money for gas or food? Nobody. It is nearly impossible for an NCAA athlete to play their sport, focus on school, and hold down a job at the same time. Athletes don't ask for... middle of paper... ool proceeds they give to their athletes, mostly because of good grades, so the athletes work hard in school to get that payment from the school.When regarding the NCAA organization, there is no doubt that the people who work there would not have jobs or make the large amount of money they do if it weren't for college athletes. Giving athletes a little extra money is the least they can do to give something back. College athletes are what run the show and provide many job opportunities for other people. There are many options for how the NCAA could help these athletes get just a small reimbursement to help them with everyday expenses. Times have changed and so have college sports. People are realizing this and starting to have a say in what is right. These athletes deserve some sort of compensation for the entertainment they bring to the rest of the world.