Without the illusion of amateur competition among students, would fans continue to be so enthusiastic?

The Wall Street Journal reports.

College Athletes Already Get Paid

Finally, amid an ongoing debate about whether to pay college athletes, someone is pointing out that in fact they are compensated—tax-free. “These athletes are already treated like campus royalty, enjoying far more perks, and richer ones, than their classmates could dream of,” writes Brown University’s Howard Chudacoff. “On top of their $40,000-$50,000 scholarships and presumably debt-free education,” athletes are routinely provided with tutoring services and complexes outfitted with plasma televisions and Maserati leather seats, among other amenities.

Your humble correspondent would add that paying salaries to college players might also endanger the product that generates all of the revenue. Without the illusion of amateur competition among students, would fans continue to be so enthusiastic? Minor professional leagues don’t get billion-dollar television contracts.

Colleges spending big on athletes may also soon be paying state governments, if Democrats in Connecticut’s legislature have their way. Faced with a budget shortfall, the pols are going after Yale’s endowment.