A running back slides across the line, breaks a couple of tackles, and runs down the sideline for a big gain. The point guard stops for a jump shot over his defender and nails it as the clock expires. Both of these descriptions can be used to describe a college athlete or a professional athlete. Both are attending a sporting event where fans will pack into the stadium or arena. Money flows into both the college and professional organization. That's where the similarities end. In professional leagues like the NBA or NFL, athletes earn millions of dollars with lucrative contracts and an abundance of endorsements. They can earn as much money as possible. In college, athletes are limited to the type of scholarship provided to them by the college they attend and the money they have saved. It may not seem like this is not a serious problem. However, there is an obvious difference between these two sides. While professional athletes are paid to play and can earn a lot of money, college athletes are not allowed to receive money or other benefits of any kind, even if they acquire this money legally and correctly. This has been the rule for centuries, but many people are starting to challenge it. There are people who believe that college athletes should not be able to receive benefits of any kind, including money. On the other hand, there are people who believe that college athletes should be able to earn money and support themselves. People who are on the side that believes they shouldn't be making money usually point out the fact that they are in college and should be more focused on their studies. The other side provides many good ideas for h...... middle of paper ...... me how much to pay each player in different sports. However, it seems completely unfair that a college athlete can neither accept gifts from anyone nor even sell their possessions to make money. If a normal student can sell something he owns on a website like Ebay, why isn't an athlete allowed to do the same with something he owns? It also seems crazy to me how something as simple as "Dez Bryant [a former Oklahoma State wide receiver]... having lunch with Deion Sanders" (Rogers 2) could cause the NCAA to issue harsh suspensions on the athlete and school. The NCAA has bigger things to worry about than who student-athletes dine with and whether or not they sell the apparel they wore to a game. Hopefully they realize this and college student athletes finally have a fair shot at getting the money they deserve.