As the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball “March Madness” tournament is winding down, the topic of students athletes getting paid also resurfaces.

I personally believe that these students athletes shouldn’t get paid for playing a sport because they are more than compensated with the benefits given to them by their respected college.

According to the NCAA website there is $2.4 billion worth of scholarships given to student athletes every year.

Student athletes are the minority in this case as well. What about the majority of students who don’t receive any kind of scholarship?

They are required to fund themselves to go to school which usually means taking out a student loan.

According to an article from TIME, more then two-thirds of students are graduating with debts averaging $35,000. This figure has tripled in the past twenty years.

These normal students are working hard for a degree and have to worry about getting a job as soon as possible after graduation because of the mountain of debt they accumulate.

According to the NCAA website, players have a 84 percent graduation rate. That means roughly 19,000 students don’t graduate whether they decide to go pro or just drop out of school.

That’s money the school wasted on athletes who didn’t even complete their courses.

I know a lot of students that would love to have an opportunity to use any of that wasted resource to get a degree with the possibility of not being in debt.

My cousin is still paying back student loans and she graduated about four years ago. So student athletes having the benefit of a free education should be taken advantage of.

Now, that’s just tuition alone. This is not including all the other perks and benefits these student athletes get.

Last year the NCCA made rules changes to allow an additional $160 million to major colleges for student athletes. This means student athletes get free room and board plus food that is fully paid for.

And we all know the cost of college living isn’t cheap.

On top of that, they get free team gear from the sponsors of that college they play for like Nike, Under Armour and Adidas. So in addition to free rooms and food; they get free clothing.

I understand student athletes don’t have a salary or get paid cash directly. But when you look at all the perks and privileges they are getting, it is more than fair to say they are being compensated for their time and effort.