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

My daughter plays Division III softball. No TV money, no NIL deals, just a sport she loves and a degree she is earning. Classifying athletes as employees turns every roster spot into a labor decision: schools will carry fewer players, cut walk-ons, and treat the third-string catcher as a cost center. The classroom relationship matters too. Professors already navigate awkward dynamics with athletes; making them university employees with HR files deepens the divide between athlete-workers and regular students. NIL rights since 2021 already let stars earn real money, with some quarterbacks signing deals worth millions, as covered by the Associated Press. Let the market pay the marketable through NIL and revenue sharing. Do not reclassify the entire system and crush the 98 percent who just want to compete and graduate.