College football player = full-time job

This isn't something to which I've paid much attention recently but you're right -- it's the same principle. I do know, however, that grad student researchers/assistants, have successfully unionized in some schools (there have been pretty big labor battles over the issue at places like NYU and Yale). I fully support their efforts to be compensated fairly for the revenue-generating work they perform.

 

OK, so then not only are we creating departmental ghettos (here comes Title IX), where football rules over all, we are giving inherent recruiting advantages to schools like Ohio State, Texas and USC ... programs that make shitloads of cash? Why would any kid with a choice choose to play for UCLA over USC when he knows the check from Tommy Trojan is going to be fat each month and UCLA's might not even cash?

Like it or not, the only way to do this fairly is for university presidents to end the athletics arms race, pour every dime of AD profit into the university's general fund, develop a national salary cap for coaches. Never happening, I know.

 

Determining the revenue earned could be done in aggregrate across all D-1 schools and then a standard salary computed based on the entire pot of money brought in that would apply to each school/player. The NCAA could oversee the process and set the salary amount on an annual basis. Every player gets paid the same regardless of school, position or star status. That would eliminate the have/have not issue between schools of different economic and on-field success.

And it's not just football. Men's basketball would also do well, what with the ESPN contract, NCAA Tournament TV contract etc. In fact, with fewer players, the hoopsters would probably stand to make more dough.