Should college athletes be employees of their universities?

I played two years of D1 soccer before my knee ended it, and here's what employee status would have changed for me: everything after the injury. The school's surgeon did the ACL repair, the rehab was in their facility, and the day I was medically disqualified, the support evaporated. I was 20, limping through campus, paying out of pocket for follow-up PT because the "coverage" ended when my roster spot did. An employee gets workers' compensation. An employee gets continued medical care for a workplace injury. A "student-athlete" gets a thank-you and a highlight reel. Nobody disputes that a warehouse worker who blows out a knee on the job deserves care. The only reason we treat the athlete differently is a label the NCAA invented. My knee doesn't know the difference.