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A big topic of discussion lately is whether college athletes should be paid. With all the exposure and revenue that the school gains from their games (mostly football and men’s basketball), those in favor of this say that the athletes themselves deserve a cut of the profits. While that is a fair and valid point, I am strongly against paying college athletes. I have many reasons for this: Inequalities between FBS and FCS schools and between revenue and non-revenue sports, the already shrinking budgets for athletics at many schools, and the multitude of benefits that athletes already get or have access to (catered meals, extra tutors, free clothing, opportunities for grants and loans, a FREE EDUCATION, etc). But, for this piece, I’m going to focus on my one main argument against paying college athletes: Pride and passion.

When a high school senior picks a college to attend, they decide what school they like the best and would feel comfortable attending. Picking the University of Arizona was a huge step in my life. I love my school, and I’m proud of the fact that I earned my degree there. The decision to attend UofA was mine and mine alone (and my parents’ wallet). Athletes have a bit of a different situation. They often choose the best school for them out of the ones that offered them a scholarship. Even then, they often feel a sense of pride when they put that jersey on, with the maize and blue, the crimson and cream, the garnet and gold, etc. This, and the raucous support of the alumni, students, and fans, pushes them to work hard to get the team to the Final Four/bowl game, and continue their tradition.

However, if an athlete gets paid to play, their motivation will naturally decrease. They know that whether they win or lose, they are getting a check. Suddenly it’s not about the maize and the blue. It’s about the green. Their focus shifts from the name on the front of the jersey to the name on the back. It becomes a job. Professional athletes get paid to play, but they earned that right (in college or high school).  No one is forcing athletes to go to college before turning pro. Just ask Brandon Jennings, who was all set to go to UofA, before deciding to play for money in Europe for a year and then coming back to the NBA (rumor has it he didn't pass his SAT). What is the difference between professional and college athletes if both get paid?

Here are a couple of case studies that prove my point:
1. Adam Morrison was a star basketball player at Gonzaga University before getting drafted into the NBA. In his last college game, the Zags blew a big lead and lost their 2006 Sweet 16 game against UCLA in heartbreaking fashion. (as a UCLA fan, I was jumping for joy) So heartbreaking, that Adam collapsed to the floor, in tears. He certainly wasn’t distraught over his personal future (he was drafted 3rd overall in the next draft). He felt a duty to carry the Zags all the way to the Final Four, and he fell short. Next basketball season he is playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, who didn’t make the NBA playoffs. You won’t find any pictures of him crying after that season (he had 6.25 million reasons not to).

If you haven't seen Gus Johnson's call of the end of that game, you haven't lived. It's worth the 5 minutes, I promise!

2. Dominique Whaley is a top running back here in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners. He is a walk-on, meaning that he wanted to play for the Sooners, with or without a scholarship. He worked his butt off to get where he is today, taking a scholarship at an NAIA school to eventually transfer to OU, where his pride for the Sooners is evident in his pushing for extra yards on a 1-yard up the middle run. Nothing shows more pride in your institution than being willing to play for free. Sure, the scholarship makes it more worthwhile and rewarding. However, just as easy as you can get a scholarship, it’s just as easy to get it taken away. Whaley's pride for the Sooners would motivate him to behave himself and keep his scholarship. Also,  if college athletes were paid, Whaley wouldn’t even be a blip on the Sooners radar. They would pay the top recruit to come here and run the ball for a year or two before leaving for the draft. Whaley would take the best available monetary offer to him, instead of working hard to play for his favorite team.

Paying college athletes makes sense on some levels, but it would take the pride and the passion out of the athletes. Pride and passion is what sells college athletics, and is the reason that I, and many of my colleagues are employed today.