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Essay / College Athletes - 874
College athletes are manipulated every day. Student-athletes work day in and day out to meet academic standards and maintain their competitive level of play. These athletes should be rewarded and credited for their achievements. Not only are these athletes not rewarded, but they also live without money. Because athletes live without money, they are very vulnerable to money from promoters and others willing to help them. The problem is that not only are the athletes putting themselves in trouble, but so are their athletic departments. Recently, college athletes were granted permission to work by the NCAA. Even with this authorization, their work remains regulated. One regulation applicable to working athletes is that they cannot work for the school's alumni. The NCAA has this rule because it believes that if athletes work for people with close ties to the school, they will receive special benefits while working. These special benefits include, but are not limited to, athletes being paid when not at work and higher wages than other workers doing the same job (Anstine 4). Another constraint for working college athletes is the time constraint. College athletes have very busy schedules, and once their schedule is over, they have very little free time left. Student-athletes must complete a minimum of twelve credit hours to begin the semester and must successfully complete at least nine credit hours by the end of the semester. Because this standard must be met, athletes spend hours studying and taking classes. In addition to studying and attending classes, athletes then have to go to practice. Going to practice and participating takes up about four to seven hours of the athlete's day. Once all of this is over, athletes only have a few hours to hang out with their friends or even just relax and watch a movie. But since these athletes are students and do not receive money for their commitments, they are expected to dedicate time to their work. If athletes apply for a job, they are limited to only a few hours a day to work. Additionally, a large number of jobs require their employees to be available on weekends..