Although it may make sense in theory for universities to pay their

student-athletes, there may be potential issues. A yearly stipend is

given to student-athletes on scholarships to guarantee that all of their
costs are met. These stipends can differ from school to school, but
depending on where the institution is located, they typically range from
a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The stipend is meant to cover
living expenses, such as rent and meals that are not given by the
institution. By the time they graduate from college, student-athletes
who manage their funds well could have saved thousands of dollars. In
addition to the yearly stipend, student athletes receive grants for free
textbooks and other academic needs that cover their tuition and fees.
The student-athletes are given a lot of resources to ensure that they
are prepared for academic success while juggling their sports'
demanding schedules. Following that, paying student-athletes could
hurt other athletic programs if a university does so. There wouldn't be
enough money to pay each and every student-athlete fairly and
maintain every sport. Smaller sports that don't bring in enough money
to support the program will undoubtedly be cut. For equity, the schools
would need to handle Title IX issues, which would involve axing athletic
programs that may bring in money but aren't Title IX compliant. Future
student athletes would have fewer opportunities as a result of this.
Other aspects of a sports program can suffer, like staff members getting
paid less or the maintenance staff being laid off. It has a cascading
effect. Colleges don't have an excess of funds. It would be illogical to
treat student-athletes like they are university employees when they are
not.