I remember working two part-time jobs in college just to afford textbooks and rent. Nobody offered to pay me for being a student. And that's the thing—college athletes are students first. They already receive scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars, plus tutoring, training, and exposure that can launch professional careers. Paying them a salary changes the entire dynamic. Once you put a price tag on an athlete, they stop being a student and become an employee. That shifts the focus from education to entertainment, and it opens a huge can of worms. Where does the money come from? Schools would have to cut non-revenue sports, Title IX compliance gets messy, and you create massive inequality between star players and walk-ons. I get the argument that they generate billions for the NCAA. But the solution isn't a paycheck—it's fixing the system so athletes share in the profits through endorsements or trusts, not turning college into a minor league.

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