People forget the Olympics already ran this experiment. For most of the 20th century Olympians were amateurs, then the rules loosened and athletes took sponsorship money while keeping the spirit of the Games. The Olympics didn't collapse. Nobody thinks less of the 100-meter final because the runners have shoe deals. The Olympic model proves you can pay athletes without destroying what makes the competition special. College sports are just late to a lesson track and swimming figured out decades ago: the amateur ideal was always about who gets the money, never about purity. Let the schools pay salaries and keep the pageantry. It worked for the Olympics. It will work for Saturdays.
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