your last sentence is at the heart of the issue
by jt (2023-03-24 17:06:03)

In reply to: NFL owners seem about as likely to offer free admission to..  posted by Scoop80


if, as so many below seem sooooooooooo concerned about, colleges end up folding up their programs because they simply cannot compete and pay their players even a minimum wage salary for their "part time" commitment, the NFL will lose development programs. It stands to reason that this would be very bad for the NFL in both the short and long runs, hence they would be forced to act. On one hand, they could develop their own minor league system which would be extremely costly, have little to no brand recognition, and probably would operate in the red (witness what MLB has had to do since taking over MILB). On the other hand, they could provide money and resources to an established brand that perhaps doesn't have the resources needed to maintain their program and develop players, pay coaches, etc.

This might have already happened had the NCAA not been engaged in illegal activity and acting as a cartel. This is the sort of thing that happens when you allow this sort of behavior; this could have all been done much, much cheaper years ago, but the can has been kicked and now there is a price to pay. However, instead of owning up to it and finding a way to pay that prices, Mssrs Jenkins, Swarbrick, Smith, et al are trying to throw a Hail Mary to Congress and appeal to the nostalgia of the courts to maintain status quo. It's looking more and more unlikely that it will work, but you never know; lots of rubes out there.