I'll grant you this clarification: the huge imbalance between what a program gets, and what a player gets, is not inherently exploitative in and of itself. That said, the imbalance lends an extremely strong incentive to make sure that that differential never gets smaller. To me it's a bit like saying it's not the gasoline that ignites, it's the vapors. OK, true, but only in specific circumstances where you wouldn't worry about a fire hazard.

Also I should throw in there that obviously you, personally, aren't exploiting anyone. Because, pursuant to one of my earlier points, it's insanely likely that whatever you donate to VT athletics is as noticeable as a raindrop in a bathtub, relative to the total amount of money sloshing around every year. All you can do really is to say you either like the system, or you don't like the system. But liking the system carries a few caveats to it.

I'll close out with a personal anecdote on this. Many years ago, far before college athletics blew up into the huge entertainment industry it is now, my uncle was a linebacker for a Big 8 school. Career backup, got cleanup minutes, or if the starter went down. He wouldn't have made it to 4-year college if not for his football talent, for sure. Maybe a 2-year degree, maybe. As football players often do, he got a degree that on the fluff side, took less time away from football. But, he still ended up getting a somewhat better job than he probably otherwise would have. Not hugely better, not what most would consider middle class, more like upper working class with a couple creature comforts. Thing is, while he never got his brain turned into scrambled eggs, the toll on the rest of his body started to manifest by late 40s. Early to mid 50s, had to eat the pay loss by dropping down to part time, couldn't do 5 days straight of work anymore. Few more years go by and he ends up totally on disability, which carries him over to his regularly scheduled Social Security.

He's not around anymore, but I wonder what he would've said if I asked him if the years of football from middle school through college was worth it. Was the enjoyment of the game, and having some more money for about 20 years, worth all the negatives that showed up in the final 20? He might've still said yes, after all it was his body, his life, his prerogative. I know if I were in his shoes, though, I'dve said it was not even remotely worth it. Out of an 85-scholarship roster, the majority of the players are going to end up like that. No NFL fame and fortune, just a chance to move from being poor, at worst, to being middle class, at likely best. (But also, a decent chunk of guys who came from working or middle class will likely stay in that stratum.) Anything that slightly improves their future odds, or just gives them a chance for more playing time, or a different coach, or whatever makes them happy, is a win in my book. And, if such relatively paltry concessions fundamentally fracture the structure of the system as it stands today, then that just might be a sign that it wasn't a very good structure to begin with.