College sports are a mess. Can Congress help?

College sports have long been influenced by money. These days, commercial gain appears to be the point. Some athletes are playing at a different school every season.

Others are betting on their own games. Eligibility has become so loosely defined — and potential compensation so generous — that some professionals are trying to play for college teams. Many have expressed dissatisfaction with this arrangement, including courts, lawmakers, college administrators, educators, fans and (not least) many student-athletes themselves.

Exactly what should replace it is harder to say. The National Collegiate Athletic Association was founded in 1906 to establish safety standards for football. Over time, it evolved into a sprawling regulatory body, composed of member colleges.

This group didn’t agree on much but settled on a central premise: that college athletes shouldn’t get paid. Amateurism is a worthy principle and worth defending. College sports give players access to elite training and competition, foster virtues such as grit and self-confidence that are rewarded in the workforce, and nur