I used to think they should pay college athletes but now I don't think so.
The price tag for a full-ride scholarship is somewhere between $30k-60k. Pretty good money for 18-22 yr. olds. I sure as heck didn't make that flipping burgers all though school. Plus they should (not necessarily will) get a degree out of it.
Yes, there may be some elite athletes that can go pro right out of high school but they are in the vast minority (and they suffer under the existing NFL/NBA setups). Probably 98-99% never go above college athletics and go into being regular citizens.
The only quibble I have is spending money for athletes. They need some pocket money for whatever floats their boats.
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...s+the+money+go