Take it From a Former Division I Athlete: College Sports Are Like Jim Crow

Now that the bowl season and College Football Playoff have concluded, college sports fans are shifting their attention from football to basketball in anticipation of March Madness. Although I’m a huge sports fan and ran track at school, I won’t be watching any men’s college basketball this spring. Not because I don’t support the athletes. Rather, I can’t endorse a system that exploits football and basketball players so that “non revenue” athletes like me — runners, tennis players, golfers, gymnasts, swimmers — can both play and study.