Should college athletes be classified as employees with salaries and benefits?

Graduate teaching assistants won employee status decades ago, and nobody claimed it destroyed the university. They teach classes, grade papers, and get paychecks, benefits, and unions. A starting quarterback works longer hours, generates more revenue, and faces greater physical risk, yet is told a scholarship is enough. Courts have already moved: the NLRB regional director ruled Dartmouth basketball players are employees, and the House settlement effectively conceded players deserve a share of revenue. Employee classification does not mean every swimmer gets rich. It means labor law applies: minimum wage floors, safety standards, and the right to bargain. We do not ask whether the chemistry department makes money before granting TAs workplace rights. Stop asking it about athletes.