College athletes <i>are</i> paid. I&#x27;m not just talking about getting free school. They get free housing, free food, and lots of other free benefits that are all completely allowed by the NCAA. That&#x27;s without any of the shady booster money.<p>The athletes I knew (two large division 1 schools) got considerable housing and food stipends. They were quite a bit more than what most students were paying for rent in the area and these athletes had much more disposable income than most of the regular students I knew.