The scholarship they get is already a huge deal, covering tuition, room, and board, which most students can only dream of graduating without debt. The real value of college is the degree, not a paycheck. They are students first, and that free education sets them up for life.

Here's a stat that gets ignored: only about 1.5% of college athletes ever turn pro. For the other 98%, that free degree is the real prize. Paying them a salary just turns college into a minor league and misses the point entirely.

Less than half of college athletes even get a scholarship, and most of those are partial. So if we start paying them, we're talking about paying every walk-on and backup, not just the stars. That would bankrupt smaller schools and turn college sports into a pro league.