“[The NCAA runs] a professional sports organization and I don't think it's fair for one class of people to be limited to spending only and nothing more. » - Jay Bilas. The NCAA has rules on amateurism that have been in effect for years, but they are now being challenged in the courts. On March 28, 2014, it was decided that college athletes at Northwestern University could unionize. Although Northwestern is a private school, the decision remains a major step in the fight over paying student-athletes. College student-athletes should receive a standard salary based on the sport and the quality of their play, and be compensated for injuries resulting from playing the sport. They should be paid because the NCAA makes a large sum of money as the employer of these athletes, while the athletes struggle through college on a perilous schedule mixed with both academics and athletics , and do not get fair treatment. The NCAA is a business. The NCAA makes $11 billion in revenue annually. More than the NHL and the NBA. These are both professional sports leagues, and players in these leagues have salaries and the potential to earn a significant amount of money. The average annual salary of an NBA player is $5.15 million and that of an NHL player is $2.4 million. The average salary for a college athlete is currently $0. This should change because the main reason the NCAA is doing so well is because of the athletes. The most essential elements (i.e. student-athletes) within the NCAA operations receive nothing other than an education in exchange for their effort, dedication and dedication to their school and their sport. Fifty co...... middle of paper ......s.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ncaa-college-athletes-should-be-paid (accessed May 3, 2014). Emmert, Mark. “Guest: Mark Emmert on unionizing NCAA athletes.” The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2023445064_markemmertcolumnncaa24xml.html (accessed May 3, 2014).NCAA. “Amateurism”. jcoram. http://www.ncaa.org/amateurism (accessed May 2, 2014). Edelman, Marc. “21 reasons why student-athletes are employees and should be allowed to unionize.” Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2014/01/30/21-reasons-why-student-athletes-are-employees-and-should-be-allowed-to-unionize/ (accessed 2 May, 2014).Miller, Ralph. "Finally, America's college football players are standing up for their rights." theguardian.com. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/15/northwestern-university-football-players-unionize (accessed May 11, 2014).