KC

To be clear, the real issue re: the “paying college athletes” debate is about control. Old-school college coaches thrived on having total control over their broke players. Petrino (a great college coach, btw) made a big show every offseason of calling each player into his office to “re-sign” his scholarship. Even if you were one of his best players, he’d say something like “we need more from you this year, or we might have to give away your scholarship.” It was a motivational tactic, but he had leverage. Once NIL arrived, that control/leverage was greatly diminished. It’s why Petrino, Saban, Lou Holtz, and many more couldn’t stand coaching rich locker rooms in the NFL. It takes more nuance to motivate & unify wealthy players who have leverage. That’s what the entire bad-faith “save women’s sports” argument is all about. Coaches and AD’s want to regain their leverage over football and basketball players by reducing or eliminating their compensation.