A recent issue with the NCAA that has made the franchise come under scrutiny is the failure of the organization to get with times and allow their players to be paid for their image, name, and other qualities. Because of this failure, certain states have decided to either establish new bills to be enacted in a few years, or spark discussion for bills to be passed. Regardless, the national government has gotten involved, with congress discussing creating a bill that could come into effect.
Since I am a big believer in getting paid for a talent, and not working for free unless it is volunteering, I think it is unjust that the NCAA does not currently allow their players to be paid. If the congressmen and women did not get paid their massive salaries from the government, I think they would do an even worse job than how they already do. Likewise, bringing money into the NCAA would make it more competitive and would bring an incentive for players to work hard and earn what they have worked for. The national government is currently focused on issues that are not relevant to what the people of the United States care about at the moment, and are instead focused on crushing their counter-party affiliates. The impeachment issue going on in the Democratic house is causing issues like NCAA players getting paid to be compromised when it needs to be more in the spotlight.
Since the states are passing bills now about this issue, it is more important than ever for Congress to take a significant stance on this issue as soon as possible. Due to the Supreme Court being able to declare laws unconstitutional, most of these State laws won't go into effect unless Congress makes a bill for all fifty U.S. states. With state legislatures coming up with different rules and regulations on how players should get paid, the NCAA could face a lot of confusion in this realm and frustrate organizations, coaches, and players alike. Overall, it is significant that Congress takes a firm look on this issue, and resolves it in favor of the players. Work has never been free since mankind has existed, leaving it unjust for collegiate athletes to not be rewarded for their efforts.
This does seem like a pressing issue, and I myself have had this argument and discussion with many people recently. As you said, there are many different opinions and reasons why each group thinks the way they do. There is a lot of money involved in sports, and it must be hard to be a college athlete and have your university make money off you while you are not allowed to do so. It is largely government as you say. There are many rules and contracts as to why players are not allowed to be paid. The main reason is that they are students just like everyone else. Many NCAA players are at their respective schools because they play a sport. They might be helped a lot by the school system to allow them to hone in their skills. I do not agree that it is in the national government’s interest to spend time on this issue. They have far more important topics to address. You brought up impeachment. This is a huge issue facing our country and of course, the national government should be focused on that, not sports. With President Trump facing serious allegations, and an impending impeachment, the news is obsessed with this issue and does not have any room to share the spotlight with the NCAA. there does need to be order and a clear line on what schools can and can not do, but this should come from states, the NCAA, and colleges alike, not the national government.
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