52 Percent of Voters: Pay Top College Athletes

Fifty-two percent of voters believe that college athletes who play for major revenue-generating sports programs should be paid. If the school sells merchandise with a player’s name or picture on it, 64 percent believe the player should receive royalties.

A ScottRasmussen.com national survey found that many voters believe it’s already happening. Fifty-one percent think most successful college sports programs cheat by finding a way to pay top athletes under the table. Only 10 percent don’t think this happens.

While voters think college athletes should get more money, they think coaches already get too much. Fifty-six percent recognize that coaches of elite sports programs are paid more than college professors. But only 19 percent believe college coaches should be paid more than professors.

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.