re: APU - where do you stand?

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2. These guys deserve something for what they give to the school beyond tuition, room and board.

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That's plenty in my mind and the players do get some sort of stipend as I understand. My main concern in just outright paying players is you create a slippery slope that leads to a professional system in college in which the best players go to the highest bidder much like the N.Y. Yankees in baseball. I know many believe we already have a behind the scenes pay for players system but if it was truly that prevalent, UGA would not be able to get players like Matt Stafford, A.J. Green, Moreno, Gurley, Marshall, etc. I see the NCAA analogous to capitalism; it's a flawed system that's better than any alternative to date.

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2. These guys deserve something for what they give to the school beyond tuition, room and board. In the old days, if there were any, ball players were also students. Who really believes, "you are a student first, ball player second"? I admit I am biased. I am a former pro athlete in that I kept my race earnings and I had sponsors.

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Yep, at least you admit that your perspective is slanted. As the corney commercial goes: most student athletes are going pro in something other than sports. As such, I don't see why a currently functional system that supports arguably the most popular sport in the U.S. should be changed to accommodate the minority of exceptional players. In my mind the one thing that distinguishes college football from basketball and baseball in a very positive way is that players stay in school and support their team at least through their Sophomore year and many through their Junior and Senior years. In this regard the college football product is far superior and more popular for good reason.