A heavily talked about and debated topic is the matter regarding college athletes: should they get paid for playing?

Regardless of my own opinions, I was curious as to what arguments and points others had in order to form a strong case for their beliefs. Here is what I came up with:

Reasons why college athletes SHOULD NOT get paid:

They are already entering college debt free.

In the case of those student-athletes that are on full scholarships, they will enter and eventually leave their College or University debt free. Tuition, room and board, meals, textbooks, and other everyday needs that most college kids pay out of pocket for, they receive for no cost at all.

It takes away the love for the game.

If college sports were to become more of a job than something athletes are passionate about, it could ultimately take away from the game. If athletes are getting paid regardless of how the perform, they have no incentive to push themselves to the absolute best of their ability. The minimum becomes all they have to offer.

No one is forcing them to play.

These athletes chose to play at the next level, fully aware of the physical and mental toll it could and can take on you. Free college is their "payment".

Not all sports bring in money: so who gets paid?

Although a number of sports do bring in money for their schools, not ALL of the teams do so. So if getting paid as a college athlete were the case, who gets paid and who doesn't? do some sports team make a paycheck while others do not? How would that be determined and how is it justified?

Now on the other hand, here are some reasons why college athletes SHOULD get paid:

The large amount of money brought in by athletes.

The amount of money brought in by college athletes is an unimaginable amount, millions at some schools. the NCAA brings in 11 billion dollars annually, yet college athletes never receive a penny of those earnings. So you could ask, where is all of that money going?

Being a college athlete is a full-time job.

Whether is weights, conditioning, 2-a-days, or hours of practice, it is hard for athletes to have any type of life outside of their sport. Along with that, their demanding schedule makes it hard to maintain a job outside of their "job" as an athlete. If they aren't being paid for being an athlete, but they are unable to have another source of income, how can they make money?

College is the only way they can make it.

Although athletes come from all walks of life, for some, playing in college is the only way for them to get an education. If it weren't for scholarships, a number of athletes from all schools wouldn't be playing at the next level nor going to school. Paying them for their time, commitment, and talents is not only helping them further their education, but also giving them more opportunities in life.

Advertising and marketing of players.

A lot of schools often use popular or star players to market their program and to draw people in. Posters, tickets, commercials, all showing off the face and name of their best player. Using their name as a marketing tool to bring in fans, top recruits, and more revenue, all without giving credit or compensation.

With all that being said and the facts laid out, should college athletes get paid for what they do? You decide.