NCAA student athletes ought to be recognized as employees under the Fair Labor Standards

For my argument I have two main contentions A) College athletes risk their bodies for the benefit of the school and B) The amount of time these athletes spend on these sports is harmful in many ways. A) College athletes, on average spending 40-60 hours a week on their sport, are putting themselves at huge risk of injury. College football players face a 34% chance of suffering one or more concussions and athletes in general are prone to repeated stress injuries and harm. This is all for the benefit of the school, with colleges earning a total of $1.1 billion in the 2014-15 school year from sport sponsorships alone; meanwhile, this does not compare to the amount they give in athletic scholarships each year. Also, if a student suffers an injury they can be held from all academics such as if they suffer a concussion they can not do schoolwork for some time and can put them behind their peers which will harm them later on in life when they graduate at the bottom of their class, all the while the school is bathing in they millions they earned while that player was on the court/field/etc. B) As I mentioned previously the average student athlete spends anywhere from 40-60 hours in a single week on their sport, this is when it crosses the line of being an extracurricular and becomes a job. Working this long actually qualifies them to receive full benefits of the Fair Labor Standards Act as it says that any full time student has the right to apply for a certificate that limits their hours to only 20 each week school is in session with a limited wage and if not they must receive at least minimum wage and this includes any form of employment through a college which is what we are arguing. Also, spending this much time on the sport makes them even more prone to injuries due to repeated tasking physical activity, which falls back into contention A. Next, working this many hours limits a student's ability to have free hours because of other requirements such as classes and homework, because of this they have no time to get money from a different job to supply themselves with essentials that scholarships don't provide, such as hygiene products or others essentials. This leaves them struggling to maintain a healthy living while competing in their sport. This will also harm them when they graduate as they have no money support to lean on when they graduate in that period until they find a steady job. Also, sports take time away from schoolwork, with this huge time commitment athletes often struggle to balance school and sports, this could often cause them to struggle in their classes and could put them behind their classmates which could harm their chances at getting the best job for them coming out of college. Overall, placing college athletes under the sanctions of the Fair Labor Standards Acts allows them to have a better life after graduation as well as limiting their risk for injury. In conclusion, we are facing a problem with the conflict of athletes being treated as workers providing a service for their schools and scholarships are not a paycheck, a paycheck would help them cover all that is necessary for them which right now is not happening. Overall, colleges are not doing their job if they are risking their students chances for future success for their own benefit. Thank You.