The NCAA has very specific guidelines on what it means to be an amateur athlete. First, an athlete can’t be paid for any involvement in any sports. This means that they can’t take any prize money, even in simple tournaments having nothing to do with the NCAA. An athlete isn’t allowed to sign with any agent or take any gifts from anyone. They are also allowed to take only one official visit to every school during recruitment.
In my opinion, the NCAA is right to focus their energy on making sure that athletes stay amateurs in college, however the should be more lenient about some rules. Athletes should be allowed to win prize money outside of school. This would help them pay for some college expenses. I still however, stand by my opinion that athletes shouldn’t be payed in college. It would still jeopardize the integrity of college sports.
Sources: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CA408784638&docType=Article&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=LitRC&contentSet=GALE%7CA408784638&searchId=R3&userGroupName=salt89600&inPS=true
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