Worthwhile Reads: ESPN and Sports Illustrated on Paying College Athletes
By Jason McIntyre
I greatly enjoyed this, from Charlies Pierce at Grantland:
"Amateurism is an unsustainable concept. It could not last in golf. It could not last in tennis. It couldn’t even last in the Olympics, where it was supposed to have been ordained by Zeus or someone. It is the rancid legacy of a stultified British class system in which athletes were supposed to be “gentlemen” and not “tradesmen.” Which is to say that sports are supposed to be for Us and not Them, old sport."
The SI piece, from George Dohrman, is slightly different, but also effective:
"SI is not advocating paying college players; that’s a decision best left to college administrators. It’s merely showing that it can be done."
It’s very lengthy, but you’ll want to give it a read.