(Probably not) The last word on the NCAA

Josh Levin has a fairly searing take on the NCAA over here, where he points out - for quite probably the eleventieth time - the essential unfairness of the system.  This time around he points out the eery similarities between the NCAA and prison economies, with the following lines being particularly powerful.  And horrifying (emphasis mine)

 “Student-athletes earn free tuition, which over the course of four years can exceed $200,000,” says Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis, who gets a nice paycheck to gab about unpaid laborers. “They are also provided with housing, textbooks, food and academic tutoring. When they travel to road games, they are given per diems for meals.”

What Davis and others don’t seem to understand is that money is the only thing that’s money. Google employees get a free shuttle to the office, free food in the cafeteria, a free on-site gym, and free continuing education classes. They also get salaries, because paying people in perks is illegal for every employer except the NCAA.

Go read the whole thing, and be prepared for depression...