South Park nailed it with the Crack Baby Athletic Association episode last week.
However, I tend to err with Townhall on this.
Make no mistake, these kids are better off than any of us were in college.
Room, board, and tuition leaves some extra cash in their pockets. They're practically on the Tiger Card plan that most of us who were at Auburn from 2000-2006(ish) where on, except instead of mommy paying the bills, it's the Universities.
I agree that it's pretty unfair that the schools are making 9 figures off of these kids and barely paying them shit, but the fact is, they're getting a free education, a free place to live, and some walking around cash that they wouldn't otherwise have...unless they joined the NFL.
When you strip the situation down to the bare facts, these kids are getting paid (even if only marginally) to play on a sports team for their school. Something most of us did voluntarily at the high school level. Granted, our high schools weren't raking in millions off of us, but still.
My proposal? Give the kids who want to go straight to the NFL that opportunity like baseball allows, and basketball used to. Don't want a free education and some walking around cash while you get it? Take the risk and be a professional early.
Secondarily, I think they should get kickbacks for things like jersey sales and their likeness in video games, the same way the NFL does. Let's quit pretending that people bought #2 jerseys last year arbitrarily. Go ahead and throw "Newton" on the back, and write the man a check.