Month: September 2019

Do you think college athletes should get paid? I agree with many college officials, whom many people extol, I think college athletes should not be paid. The process of getting college athletes paid would be feasible but difficult and risky.

There are many cons of athletes being paid. Financial irresponsibility for amateur players would put athletes in jeopardy because they wouldn’t know how to manage their money. These players would have to start paying taxes, they could be high enough that the player is not able to cover tuition.  There could also be fights because of unequal amounts of money certain players have or do not have. College athletes who are adroit and are getting paid could possibly ruin their passion and competitiveness for the game because their only motive would be money. The athletes could be the ones who lose something. The athletes might also prioritize sports over academics and in the long run that could lead to failure because they wouldn’t have anything to fall on if sports didn’t work out for them. Overall athletes would have the biggest loss in getting paid. 

This legislation has some benefits and would help college athletes be successful. One benefit of college athletes getting paid is them not having to work outside the campus. If college athletes didn’t have to work, it would help them focus on the sport they play and academics. That would lead to them being more successful. It would help families financially because they wouldn’t have to worry about student loans. This legislation would also make college athletes want to stay in the program longer, and them wanting to stay longer leads to them getting their college degree. It would also stop the corruption of recruiting. The coaches who pay athletes to play at their school would no longer be a problem because the athletes wouldn’t need the money. If college athletes got paid, it would leave a benevolent look on their faces.

When you scrutinize the pros and cons of college athletes getting paid, I think college athletes should not be paid and even with some of the pros listed. I say that because some of the pros listed cannot fix problems brought up by the cons. So, therefore, I think college athletes getting paid would lead to a higher chance of failure and therefore should only be played for fun with no pay. Academics should always come first, these students need a back-up plan if they do not make NFL.

Waitresses work very hard and get almost no recognition. Their pay and hours are very tentative, mostly dependent on tips, and there’s a chance that these “Tipped Workers” will not even be needed in the establishment that day. In Alabama, all “tipped employees” have a base pay of $2.13 per hour, one of the lowest in the US. The other $5.12 per hour that makes up the $7.25 per hour minimum wage should come from tips. The truth is that these waitresses are trying to provide for their families, and work as hard as they can and try to show fortitude and must work through their shifts while they are treated with lackluster pay, with rude customers who gibe at them, overwork, and  go through general mistreatment.

In Low Wages, Sexual Harassment, And Unreliable Tips the authors use pathos to get an emotional connection from the reader and “control the mood” of the article to achieve their goals. As outlined in Thank You For Arguing by Jay Heinrichs, controlling the mood “Is the most persuasive emotions at your service.” They start by demonstrating the story of a single mother, working as a waitress, to better her family. This is intended to “grab” the reader and pull them in emotionally. Then, the author proceeds to get to “the meat” and main points of their article, that includes pointing out minimum wage and other workplace issues, such as sexual harassment. Ending the article, we go back to the waitress, and her hopes to give her daughter a better life, and the authors restate their thoughts on tips and the minimum wage.

The authors approaches make this a very effective method of pathos and genuinely the reader consider how they treat waitresses. It makes me feel bad for them. They’re trying, and it’s tough for them, but it’s better than doing nothing. Waitresses deserve better treatment, and if the reader feels like they can help contribute to that, so be it. But, a singular person like me can’t do much. Our people need to step in, as a whole, because we’ll probably be in a waitress’ position at some point or another. Show them some kindness, tip them well, and be a good person. It might make their day and show them that they are appreciated.