Is It Wrong For College Athletes to Be Paid For College Essays?

Is It Wrong For College Athletes to Be Paid For College Essays?A recent article in The New York Times was newsworthy for its admission that some college athletes are being paid to give college essay answers and admissions essays. In a nutshell, the NCAA was caught paying players to write and revise their official college admission essays. This comes on the heels of two years of allegations that many high school athletes are not getting enough money for performing their sports.Some would say this is a bit unfair, as college athletes could use the extra money. That's true. But it's also a bit hypocritical for critics to blast athletes who could do so much more to benefit society with all that free time. Isn't it rather telling that the same critics who are fuming over all this money for college athletes are the same critics who never had an opportunity to get any extra money?The simple fact is that athletes are paid to write and revise their college admissions essays. For many, this is a minor financial incentive. Some teams get paid more than other teams, but overall, most players are getting paid to give college essay answers and admissions essays. In any case, these people writing these essays can be and are being paid.There have been accusations that athletes are given a small amount of money to help them write their college admissions essays. This is certainly true. But the answer doesn't necessarily lie in the amount of money received. There is a significant discrepancy between what college athletes are getting paid and what a person like you or I would get paid to write a college admissions essay.Yes, you and I would get paid to write college essays, too. The differences between a college athlete and someone like you or me is that college athletes are usually given some type of incentive for their work. Sports coaches, instructors, tutors, counselors, and consultants get paid for their services as well. College athletes are no different. While they may be compensated in some cases, the majority of the athletes that participate in college sports are getting paid to do a very important job.Sports teams are valued by many people, and these organizations benefit from their participation. Sometimes, these employers do not pay the athletes directly for their work. In other cases, coaches and tutors get money to help their players prepare for the test or for an upcoming competition.All this said, those who criticize athletes for giving college essays often forget that everyone would be paid to write a college essay, too. Since so many writers are paid to write college essays, why aren't all writers paid to write college essays? And why is it only college athletes who are considered un-profitable, undeserving, or deserving of scorn when they are asked to rewrite and give college admissions essays?