Who are those people? That's a big roadblock to all the 'make the players employees' crowd. It's not that simple. Is it the school president? AD? Coaches? Staffers? All these folks are salaried. At best, the head coach is the only one you can claim is getting rich. But these are schools - nonprofits - there's no big George Soros boogeyman out there. The only reason many of these players have an NIL worth is because BOOSTERS want to win. That is a big fact that is being left off. I'd say 1% of college athletes have a true NIL brand that commands commercial money.
Boosters have always paid players, for $50 years. If you make them employees, the system will change into something nobody wants. Perhaps the answer is just a raised stipend from the TV money - but you're still going to have boosters out there paying players above and beyond that. But maybe it'll curb it to an extent.
You're talking about 2 fundamentally different systems. All levels of sport are different. The NFL is meant to produce the best football product there is, and it does, due to the draft, salary cap, etc. It's 'fair' (as fair can be, anyway). College has never been that way, it's always been about stockpiling better players than the other guy. Keep going down to high school, and it's 'sorta' like the NFL, where at least you have defined school districts, even though that can be corrupted. Then you go down further, you have youth travel sports, which is about like the current college format - just a free for all, and stack as much talent as possible. The old rec system of sports, with a draft, was much more like the NFL - and better.
So in conclusion, it appears to me it's obvious what has ruined the systems that are on the brink of collapse (which is the college system and the youth sports circuit) - it is the absolute, no holds barred, never-ending will to win. To do whatever is necessary, with no regard to what competition is really about. It's devolved into hatred type levels. Now, here we are, and the money follows that drama. Look at the Real Housewives.
So how did it happen? Bad system and bad leadership I guess. So blame the NCAA like everybody else? Maybe, but the system was always rigged from the beginning. But in the infancy of college sports, you at least had regionality and travel constraints that imposed a semi-geographical 'draft' on programs and conferences. Not anymore. Total free for all, and there's really no prize for winning at this point. All just entertainment.
It was slowly going downhill, but they broke the dam gate with this legal NIL shlt and the portal at the same time. I remember the passion we all had in 2021 when we won that natty. One week later they did this crap, and it's never been the same. We likely will never have that feeling again. It'll be fun from time to time, but not like before.
