I&#x27;m of the opinion that there are two things that colleges owe their revenue-generating athletes:<p>1) Insurance policies. These people put their bodies on the line for 4 years and serious, life-long injuries can be sustained. In the event that a player is hurt in this way, they should receive compensation (an annuity, to ensure it lasts their entire lifetime). Insurance seems like a good way to handle this.<p>2) Financial education. This works for both the 2% that go on to professional careers and the 98% that don&#x27;t. What goes along with being broke is not having basic financial skills like budgeting or even opening a bank account. There&#x27;s a reason that the majority of professional players are broke only a few years after retirement despite making millions during their playing careers. ESPN&#x27;s documentary, Broke, did a good job of dissecting it, but the moment that left the biggest impression on me was when one player admitted to taking his $500k signing bonus to a check cashing store.<p>I agree with you about creating a minor league instead of using colleges, but it will never happen. The two popular college sports are the ones where the pro league has no minor league (the D-League is a very recent development, so it remains to be seen whether it survives.) Baseball and Hockey have minor leagues and neither is popular. The college equivalent is also unpopular. But Football and Basketball have found a way to put an inferior product on the field&#x2F;court and make it incredibly popular&#x2F;lucrative. It&#x27;s unlikely they&#x27;d be able to replicate that success with a minor league.<p>So given that the current setup is too profitable to discontinue, I think the only conscionable thing to do is to give athletes who don&#x27;t pass the admissions process an alternate education. Paying them will, for the vast majority, not make them well off given what we see of athletes paid in the professional leagues. Paying them in a practical education that prepares them to make the most of what they do have once their fame expires with their athletic eligibility seems more appropriate and maintains the mystique of the amateur athlete.<p>Also, as an aside, I think Universities and football programs are missing a huge opportunity. Football coaches should be required to teach a course in the spring in football theory. As it is now, the only people who become Football coaches are ex-players. But Universities have access to some of the brightest minds in the country and most would love to learn about Football. Offering elective courses could open up the coaching field to a much wider field and make teams much more successful. We saw what happened when the Baseball nerds were allowed to influence how players were valued (Moneyball)...there&#x27;s no reason to believe that bright and motivated Math&#x2F;CS nerds couldn&#x27;t do the same to other sports as well. From analyzing the tendencies of opposing teams using statistical analysis to designing new plays based on computer simulations, we have the tools today to revolutionize these sports if we&#x27;re only allowed access to their insular communities.