Poll: 64% Oppose Paying College Athletes

A new national poll finds Americans are overwhelmingly against paying college athletes.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted Feb. 27 to March 2, 33 percent support paying college athletes while 64 percent oppose.

In addition, 47 percent are “strongly against the idea” and “nearly every demographic and political group opposes it except non-whites, for whom 51 percent support.”

The poll found that the “breakdown among whites (73 percent oppose, 24 percent support) tilted strongly in the opposite direction.”

“We have long heard from fans that there is little support for turning student-athletes into paid employees of their universities,” Emmert said in a statement. “The overwhelming majority of student-athletes, across all sports, play college athletics as part of their educational experience and for the love of their sport — not to be paid a salary.”

Coaches, especially those in the SEC Conference, have suggested paying players in football and basketball, the two huge revenue-generating sports, stipends. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said he would pay his players out of his own pocket if the NCAA were to allow it so they have some spending money and could allow their family members to attend some of their games. 

The poll’s margin of error was /- 3.5 percentage points.