"It's a bad system - at least for athletes."

No. It's a bad system for some athletes.

Its a good system for athletes that are not stars and don't play big money sports. Free education, free trips, play something you really like to do.

For other they are forgoing money they could earn.

If the system changes, I am sure it will be good for some athletes, not so much of others.

> Its a good system for athletes that are not stars and don't play big money sports.

Honestly, for the author, she was playing tennis and got an education out of it on the backs of those playing revenue sports. I don't fault her for this--she didn't make the system--but it doesn't look like she went pro, and it she wasn't kicked out while she was in school, so the only damage she's suffering is the NCAA saying she wasn't on the team. Unless she's coaching, and being a college athlete is almost a qualification, she seems to have done OK.

That said, I still think she's right for calling out the NCAA.

She wrote that as of 2020, "I had been playing professional tennis for three years"

She graduated; they're not taking her degree away. And honestly nobody cares about the college record of a professional tennis player -- the fact that it was vacated on a technicality like this is not going to hurt her professional career at this point. Likely she could coach as well, there are coaches in the NCAA who have done far worse (intentionally, not accidentally) and still get jobs.

> I had been playing professional tennis for three years

I stand corrected. When I googled her to check that statement, I didn't see anything promising on the first page. I should have looked harder.

I don't see why saying "athletes can be paid" should naturally lead to "all athletes MUST be paid". There is no reason you can't have a football program run as a separate entity with paid athletes and also have a school fencing program where athletes aren't paid and just play for fun and / or are on scholarship.

That’s fair, it depends on what you’re considering the “trade”. My critique probably applies more to basketball, football more than the article’s case. Still, the nature of the system suppresses any chance to get a better deal, so to speak.