Just going to throw some knowledge in here before we get too many people lamenting that college should be about education and how money could be better spent elsewhere. Most universities pay for their athletics programs through tickets to events, money from wealthy donors, and sponsorships. In most cases, if you took away the athletics from a university you'd just be removing a source of entertainment for students, alumni, and fans. For most, there would be a net zero change in how much is spent on the university.
Another thing to remember is that 99% of all student athletes are never even going to sniff being a professional athlete. Most don't even really have professional leagues they can join. These athletes are getting a huge opportunity to get college paid for and, hopefully, gain an education that benefits them later.
The outliers - like Alabama, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, etc. - are just that. They make millions and reap those rewards at the expense of the smaller schools who can't keep up with the Joneses. This ruling, even though it is fair to athletes, will have major repercussions on the state of college sports, and without a major overhaul of the system we will see cutbacks in many programs as we saw when Title IX - another fair ruling - went into effect.
Another thing to remember is that 99% of all student athletes are never even going to sniff being a professional athlete. Most don't even really have professional leagues they can join. These athletes are getting a huge opportunity to get college paid for and, hopefully, gain an education that benefits them later.
The outliers - like Alabama, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, etc. - are just that. They make millions and reap those rewards at the expense of the smaller schools who can't keep up with the Joneses. This ruling, even though it is fair to athletes, will have major repercussions on the state of college sports, and without a major overhaul of the system we will see cutbacks in many programs as we saw when Title IX - another fair ruling - went into effect.