'College Athletes Should Receive a Living Stipend'

Reuters

In "The Shame of College Sports," Taylor Branch argues that college athletes should be paid. Agree or disagree.

Players should receive a living stipend, and there should be more flexibility for athletes to profit from endorsements and sponsorships. The concept of amateurism is anachronistic and needs to be eliminated. Traditionally, the problem for the NCAA is that granting the players more income sources creates a slippery slope that could eventually lead to the players having full rights, including the right to counsel to negotiate their contracts for their relationship with the university, as well as for ancillary income. I am cheering for the players to win these rights because only if such a "nuclear event" occurs will the NCAA undergo the radical restructuring it so desperately needs.