It’s now an annual debate.  Should college athletes should be paid? If they were to be paid, would the salary depend on the sport? Would salaries be the same for a star player and a bench warmer, or would statistics factor into the picture?

At present, the NCAA does not allow student-athletes to profit from their performance, but with increasing pressure to reconsider the issue, college officials are taking into account different viewpoints.

Even at the high school level, the issue is relevant. NASH has multiple future collegiate athletes in many different sports, and their perspectives on the topic vary widely.

“Athletes have to work very hard, but they often get scholarships and free textbooks,” said Joey Porter, Jr., who has committed to play football at Penn State.

Jake Lugg, who has been offered a football scholarship offer from the University of Nebraska, had a lot to say on the subject.

“[Many] college athletes already are paid a little [in the form of scholarships and stipends], but I believe they should be paid more,” Lugg said. “College athletes that play high levels of football are broadcast all over the nation, and TV companies make money based on the way they play. In other words, they are entertainers.”

Lugg also pointed to the fact that college athletes agree to sacrifice a tremendous amount of time.

“Participating in a college sport is a full-time commitment,” he said, “so those who play a sport are unable to acquire money from a job.”

For Rachel Martindale, who committed to play basketball at the University of Akron, the case for paying college athletes is founded on the enormous time commitment required of college athletics.

“I believe that college athletes should be paid while participating in sports,” Martindale said. “The sacrifice that the schools demands from each student-athlete in time is immense. The university uses the athlete’s skill in hopes of generating additional income for the school. It would be nice if the athlete had the opportunity to share in the financial success of the program.”

With the high risk of injury that could potentially ruin an athlete’s life, as well as the extra time and media advertising revenues that college sports entail, it’s perhaps no surprise that many high school athletes who are preparing to play in college support the idea of pay. Yet questions linger:  Would all athletes be paid the same, even if one sports brings in more revenue than another?  Would a college’s mission as an educational institution be compromised when it begins to pay certain students?