Quote Originally Posted by Extendedcab View Post
Wow, you are still missing the whole point of college. The only reason reason colleges existed in the first place was to get a higher level of education over and above that which is obtainable in high school. It was a means of educating the populace so they could innovate and make the human condition better - to solve problems. Sports was merely an after school or extra curricular activity that provided a range of activities organized outside of the regular school day, curriculum or course intended to meet learners' interests.

Note first you had to be a student in good standing - have a C level grade point average or you did not qualify to participate.

Initially there were no scholarships, students played for the fun of it. Scholarships came about to help college athletes who demonstrate outstanding academic and athletic achievement a means to pursue additional educational opportunities .

The intent was never to be a semipro or farm league for the pros. This is what is turning the average fan off of college sports.

Now the focus is not about education but about how do I train and prep to be a pro athlete. This is not the place of a university, its place was and still should be, education - training the mind!

You make it sound like student athletes are not getting paid when in fact, if they take advantage of a FREE education and FREE Room and Free Board, yes they are getting paid. When I attended MSU in the 1970s, I worked for the university on a research project, 1/2 time - 20 hours/week, and I did not get the benefits that student athletes get. I earned minimum wage ($2.50/hr) and that was it! I did not complain, nor did my coworkers, that we were underpaid and we wanted more money or a full ride scholarship since the university was making good money off of our research! We were glad we could contribute and we were proud of the work we did!

Today, with college athletics, it is pure greed as they smell money and they want their perceived share! Universities are today in a business they were never intended to be in. Athletes who want to go pro need to skip college, even though I think it is dumb to do so, and go directly to pros and take their chances - even though at 18 years old they do not, for the most part, have the physical skills or game intelligence of older athletes that are pros.
I think it's needlessly restrictive to say college can only be ONE thing. For some, college is a way to explore and expand their minds- pure academic interests. For some, it's a way to make more money- they don't care about learning, they want the degree for a job. For some, it's a way to party and delay becoming an adult.

I'd say athletes fall into the 2nd group. They're there for money. But not the money from a degree, rather the money they hope to get in the pros. I don't see the moral difference between "I should go to college so I can get a better job" and "I should go to college so the NFL will draft me". Neither is interested in anything but selfish monetary gain.

And why should getting money be delayed till after college? If a company wants to hire me my Sr year while I finish classes, great! And if the BI wants to pay me NIL while I play a sport, great! Neither are immoral.

If you want college to be about pure academics, then we should do away will all team sports and just let the do pickup or intramural.