olleges and universities are using their athletics programs, football and basketball in particular, to draw enormous amounts of publicity and attention to their institutions. Moreover, the revenues paid by television and radio for broadcast of major sporting events bring considerable monies into the university, not to mention the residual effects that tourism has on the communities at large ("An" 13).
Professor Sage also points out that every other supporting member of intercollegiate sports; from coaches, trainers, athletic directors, to announcers and publicists, are paid salaries some quite lucrative. Yet, the actual producers of the event, the student athletes, are not paid, and should receive just compensation. Furthermore, the athletes should receive at least minimum wage for their time and efforts, and those who excel should be paid substantially more. "Any other industry that tried to limit payments to its employees would be considered an illegal labor market cartel. . . . After all, [wages are] what the free enterprise system is all about salary based on job and merit" ("Should" 56).
Furthermore, the argument that college athletics is the last vestige of amateurism is considered nonsense by supports of paid athletes. Those who espouse the notion of amateurism base their views on the idea that if one is paid for an activity, he or she is no longer doing that activity for the value of the activity itself. This view holds that compensation would be somewhat immoral or unethical ("Should" 56).
Since athletics are the only way in which some members of societ
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