In the world of sports, there is no doubt that American football is the most popular in our nation. In the past I had heard arguments made by college athletes, that suggested that they get paid for playing for their school. For the select few that go on to play college football this is not a problem and they are destined to make more money. When someone plays for a team like the University of Alabama, who is a historically great college football team, they want to go to the next level and make money doing what they love. So for the players who we already know are great, and are recognized nationally, why can’t they be sponsored.

The number one rule for an athlete in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), or any other sports association/conference in the U.S., is that no player is allowed to advertise anything at all or accept any money besides the free scholarship to their desired college. I am sure that Nike would love to have the Heisman trophy winner this year sign a contract and become the face of Nike football products. I think that if a player works his tail off and people admire that player, they should be allowed to sponsor whoever they want.

The argument that the NCAA makes is that the college that the player is attending is already paying for that player’s education and that player should not be paid for anything else that gives ties to them. For example, let’s take a potential heisman trophy winner, Lamar Jackson. The University of Louisville’s record breaking quarterback is almost guaranteed to go to the draft in my opinion, so we know that he is going to be making more money than his college degree was worth, and he won’t be needing his college degree once he’s making big bucks in the NFL (National Football League).

I believe that college athletes who are nationally recognized and are destined to be great are entitled to being able to sign with companies and advertise for them. After all, once that player gets recognized more and more for their advertising, the school they attended gets recognized too. A player deserves the money that they are working for, so why not give it to them a year or two earlier?