Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

According to the articles, collegiate sport has increased in popularity and in a way become the label for schools.  It's as if they are an individual franchise as opposed to a department of the school.  There have been discussions among presidents of Universities in which decisions concerning the participation of sport in college: "players would 'enjoy the game as participants in a form of recreational competition rather than as professional performers in public spectacles'" (NYT Sport Economy 4).  Today, however, there is nothing recreational about Division 1 sports in college.  Spending on sports on the collegiate level has increased drastically.  For example, yearly salaries for coaches of D-1 school has increased by 650% (3).  While D-1 sports bring in a large amount of money in ticket sales, the cost for the sport is still pricey, forcing more than half of the players to pull from student loans (4). Not only is it demanding money from players, but it is also effecting their grades in a negative way. Tests have shown that athletes are more likely to study less, drink more alcohol and party more often (5).  Despite all of these seemingly negative outcomes of Division 1 sport, there are some positive outcomes as well. For example, sport is one of the only ways the student body knows how to come together as one. 

This hasn't been something I've really every considered simply because I am not a college athlete; I'm a dance major so all of my funding comes from tuition.  While reading these two articles, I could easily take either side.  On one hand, Division 1 sport is bringing in a very large amount of money to specific institutions.  They are also paying their coaches a large amount.  Through this lens, why shouldn't they athlete get paid to play? After all, they are providing entertainment and working very high to do so, just like a professional athlete.  On the other hand, however, the athlete is also going to college, a place where they should be focusing on their long-term future even after their Football or Basketball career, not spending most of their time caught up in the sport scene, forcing their academics to suffer.