Paying college athletes has been a trending topic in the National Collegiate Athletic Association over the years. Many have strong opinions on this topic, and opinions vary. The discussion about paying college athletes began in 1991, when the famous Fab Five became a household name in the United States. The Fab Five are arguably the greatest recruiting class of all time; they all go to the same school (Baxter). The Fab Five first created controversy when they started questioning why the university and university officials were making millions and millions of dollars off their names, and they were simply starving, deprived college kids who didn't make a dime. Nike even made billions by copyrighting its famous black athletic socks, black athletic shoes and baggy shorts that made it famous across the nation. The issue has become a general and trending topic of discussion in recent years. College athletes should not be paid for their performances or to perform for their universities because they are there for an education, questions will be asked, and universities would not make as much revenue from the games. Across the country young men and women are losing priority for education. Attending a university should be a highly valued privilege, and it should be an even greater honor to participate in athletics for the university. Therefore, this writer supports the decision that “student” comes before “athlete” in student-athlete. Playing for money should be considered a “professional” job. In the rules, the NCAA views college athletes as armor. This statement sums it up best. When athletes go to college, not everyone enters with the mindset that athletics will be their future job... middle of paper... getting paid. Many people prefer watching college sports over professional sports based on the idea that money is not involved in college sports. They are competing and giving everything they have for the love of their teammates, for the love of their school and, above all, for the love of the game. Paying athletes would ruin this standard of intercollegiate athletics. For all of these reasons, college athletes should not be paid above and beyond their full-ride scholarships. Works Cited Baxter, Blake. “The best in college news and commentary.” The College Fix RSS. January 23, 2013. Web. May 18, 2014. Bokshan, Amanda. “The Odyssey”. November 2, 2011.Web.18 May 18, 2014.Daugherty, Paul. “College athletes already have benefits and should not be paid.” January 20, 2012.Web.18 May 18, 2014.Salvador, Damon. “Why shouldn't college athletes get paid?” April 20, 2013.Web. May 18th 2014.