There is a major storm brewing in the world of college athletics.
Here on the eve of the college football season two sides are arguing about a problem that has plagued universities around the country.
On one side you have those that think college athletes should be paid for the services they bring to their respective university.
It is no mystery that collegiate athletes bring in millions of dollars per year and there are many who think they should be receiving a percentage of these funds. On the other hand, there are those who believe it is a privilege to receive a free education and the scholarships and life lessons learned during the college years are more than enough.
If the NCAA decided one day athletes should be compensated, many problems could arise from this decision. The majority of colleges around the country, including Memphis, are losing money on their athletic programs due to huge athletic department budgets even with their athletes receiving just scholarships. It is possible this decision could cause some campuses to go bankrupt and be forced to drop athletics.
Another problem with this decision is, who to pay?
Do the women receive less pay? Questions like these are what David Algea, a recent graduate of The University of Memphis, wonders about.
"It's hard to tell what to do about who gets what without making a lot of people mad," said Algea. "Either way you are going to have someone saying they deserve more than the other for one reason or another."
He said he believes the chance for an education is a great thing and that only professionals should receive pay.
"If you want to be paid, drop out of school and try to go pro," Algea said.
There are some who do believe that athletes should receive some sort of benefits. Many different ideas have been passed around for some time. Some of these ideas range from a pay-per-game system to a percentage of income resulting from your specific sport.
Amber Jordan, a Memphis fan, said that she agrees with one of the more popular ideas.
"I think that they should get a weekly income, everybody the same," Jordan said. "I've known a lot of athletes and some of them aren't allowed to have jobs. They are working 40-hour weeks on the field for their school and can't go out on the weekends because they are broke."
Sarah Logan, a senior at the University of Mississippi, played two years of college athletics and still doesn't believe athletes should receive any pay.
"It should be enough that they are receiving a free education," Logan said. "Plus there are all kinds of problems that could arise if you decide to do that. Just leave well enough alone."
Well enough alone may not be enough for some of the student-athletes that believe they deserve a cut of the millions they create.
This is a problem that will not be solved easily, and the storm is just getting bigger.
