Any athlete should have a natural course of training to be provided and that should be taken care by school or government if there’s potential in one’s sport.
Think about a regular student who pays tuition and works a job. College sports are supposed to be part of school, not a job. Paying athletes would just make it all about money, and I don't know, it feels wrong.
I guess helping athletes train is fair, I'm not sure how to argue that. But imagine a school where every club wants a paycheck too. It just turns into a business, and that feels off to me.
But the school doesn’t have to pay them it could be company sponsors that give them the money and company will only give them money if they see ROI. Moreover, the school can help provide for very little things that get them started.
Why should school sports turn into another job? You make a fair point that deserving people should get paid, and I cannot really argue with that. It still just feels like college is for learning, not for salaries.