College Football

100% agree. Especially the revenue sports, but really all scholarship sports:

1. You have responsibilities outside your credited coursework
2. You have close management
3. You have time commitments
4. You are judged on your performance (though in the P5 you can't officially lose a scholarship due to performance if the effort is still there, even the effort level is judged by the aforementioned manager)
5. You receive valuable consideration for your services.

I know that scholarships are treated different than ordinary income for tax purposes, but that's not the same thing as it not being compensation. If it walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks' like a duck, then it's a a fuckin' JOB, lol. Pay them and make it work.

It's a half measure, but the one think I liked about the Booker et al NIL bill is it at least included provision for a lifetime scholarship. You might see fewer "communications" or "general studies" majors if the players at least knew that they could putter along with the minimum course-load and kick things into gear after their eligibility was up. Not that every player is an EE major waiting to happen, but you can't tell me everybody wants to do one of the three majors you see on the opening lineups.