College sports, from football to lacrosse to field hockey, have been based on the idea

that the athletes who play are students first and amateurs on the field,

meaning they don't get paid for playing.

For a century plus, the NCAA has treated the idea of athlete compensation as this

existential threat that would destroy college sports. That's our colleague Jared Diamond. For years the

N. C. Double A, the organization that regulates student athletics and the major

athletic conferences have said that paying student athletes was impossible.

But last week, those organizations were forced to reconsider.

It's a new era in college sports after a landmark agreement last night between the NCAA and the most powerful conferences.

Yeah, the deal caused for college athletes to be paid directly by their schools.

In a monumental move, the NCAA board... to be paid directly by their schools.

In a monumental move, the NCAA board approved a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit.

It would officially end amateurism in college sports.

In order to settle a lawsuit, the NCAA agreed to set aside 2.8 billion dollars in

back payments for some student athletes and moving forward allow players to get a

cut of television revenue.

And the settlement is bringing up all kinds of questions.

This is one of the biggest most seismic moments in the history of college sports.

The bedrock of college sports forever without athletes or amateurs, they can't be paid.

The idea now that the NCAA is agreeing to allow schools to

pay athletes directly is absolutely seismic. It completely upends the entire paradigm of college sports

that's existed for a hundred plus years and now it feels like anything is truly possible.

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