... they need some "walking around money". Being a college athlete is a full-time, year-round job these days. Between school and their sport, there's not much time for anything else. These kids generate millions and millions of dollars for their schools' athletic departments as well as positive publicity for the schools themselves. Yes, they're getting a free education and yes, they're getting free room and board. But an extra $1,000 a month doesn't sound like all that much to me and it would solve a lot of problems. Also, I definitely think that kids should be able to be paid when their pictures and replica uniforms are used to generate revenue for their schools and for marketing companies.