Donald De La Haye, the kicker at the University of Central Florida, had a decision to make; YouTube or football. In the end, he picked YouTube and ended up being ruled ineligible by the NCAA.

De La Haye was ruled ineligible because he refused to stop making money off his football-related videos.

The money earned from the videos was not just extra money in his pocket; the money he earned was being used to help support his family back home.

This ruling by the NCAA has made the on-going debate about whether college athletes should be paid gain more following.

Do the athletes who bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year for their university and the NCAA deserve some of the money they bring in? Or is getting an athletic scholarship enough compensation for these athletes?

The NCAA makes close to a billion dollars in revenue each year. In 2016, they made $995.9 million in revenue.

The fact that student athletes don’t receive a single dime is disgraceful.

Yes, student athletes get scholarships for athletics, but it’s not like they’re the only people who receive scholarships. Anybody on a college campus can be awarded a scholarship, whether it’s for academics, their involvement on campus, etc.

Not to mention being a college athlete is like having a full time job. The number of hours they put into practices and games is comparable to the amount hours a full time job requires, yet they don’t receive any pay for it.

It’s also wrong that college athletes can’t make money off their own name.

Many college athletes, including former college stars Johnny Manziel and Todd Gurley were suspended by the NCAA for making money by selling autographs.

If a college athlete doesn’t have the time for a job because of practices, games, and classes, and they aren’t allowed to make money off their own name, then how are they supposed to provide for themselves?

The only way they can get the funds to provide for themselves is if the NCAA and universities start paying their student athletes.

The amount of money the NCAA and universities make from sponsorships, TV deals, etc., is more than enough and student athletes should receive their share of it. I mean they are the ones making them rich, so it only seems right for them to be rewarded.

I’m not arguing that student athletes should make seven figures or anything like that; however, they should at least be paid enough money to where they are able to provide for themselves.

Not only should they be paid but they should also be able to profit off their own name.

What logic is behind athletes not being able to make money by selling their autograph or memorabilia that they worked hard to get? If people are willing to pay money for these things, then a student-athlete should be able to profit off them.

In the end, I think student athletes will eventually end up getting paid. There are many current athletes, former athletes, legal analysts, sports analysts, etc., arguing that they deserved to get paid and Donald De La Haye is one of the many student athletes who has been taken advantage of by one of the NCAA’s absurd policies.

It’s only a matter of time before the NCAA and universities cave into the pressure and start giving their student athletes the compensation they deserve.