What’s the fairest way to compensate college athletes? Right now, nobody really knows. In 2021, the NCAA changed its rules around Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). College athletes can now make money from brand deals, merch, booster groups and more. But it’s also added pressure — as college athletes manage business deals on top of their sports and studies.Guest host Alice Wilder talks to Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder (no relation), hosts of The Sports Gossip Show, to understand how NIL has changed the game for college athletes. A few takeaways from this episode:How much college athletes are being paid is largely a mystery. An investigation by “The Washington Post” found that most universities will not disclose how much their athletes are being paid. While some are making millions a year, the paper reported that most NIL payments are less than $500. But we do know a bit about the demographics for pay: “The football players and the basketball players are going to make the most money at these schools, the men,” says Charlotte. “Some of the highest paid athletes in recent years actually have been women, but that's at the very top. I think the majority are these male athletes brought in to play football and basketball.” NIL payments both ease and increase pressures for students. College athletes are already under intense pressure without the added stress of building a social media following and managing brand deals. But Charlotte says that it can also be beneficial: “If you don't have any money, it's always in the back of your head,” she notes. “I do think it can alleviate some existential questions about, like, ‘How am I going to make a living in this really bad economy?’ Especially for recent grads.” New legislation has the potential to limit how much money colleges and universities can pay student athletes, but those limits wouldn’t apply to coaches and athletic staff. The Protect College Sports Act, proposed by Senators Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz, aims to put a cap on how much colleges and universities can pay their athletes. It would also limit the number of times an athlete could transfer schools during their career. “I think that there's this feeling of these student athletes having almost too much power by having access to significant amounts of capital,” says Madeline. “While there is something to be gained from figuring out how to regulate this system, it does seem like there are some holes, and this would probably raise more questions than it answers,” Charlotte added. If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And if you want to tell us what you thought about the episode or anything else, email us at uncomfortable@marketplace.org or fill out the form below.