Athletes dedicate 20 to 40 hours per week to sports. In return, they receive a scholarship, which is up for yearly renewal at the coach’s behest. This absolutely binds athletes for fear that their aid might be dropped — even though coaches can and have backed out of contracts for opportunities at better schools, without any repercussions.

Athletes can’t advertise themselves or receive compensation, though the school can place advertisements around the stadium, on uniforms and market its teams and player’s likeness for financial gain.

For athletes in revenue-generating sports, the majority of whom are black, they are expected to perform at their own personal risk for a scholarship that’s not guaranteed. Meanwhile, NCAA officials, school officials and coaches, the majority of whom are white, reap enormous benefits.
In terms of Title IX, 88 percent of universities are currently not in compliance, though they have had 40 years to do so. Any argument made against paying athletes that refers to Title IX is a disgrace to an equal rights directive, which the majority of universities don’t follow.
Paying athletes may not be the answer, but the collegiate model is a modern form of colonialism that must be addressed.