College sports have entered a whole new era. With NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and the recent House settlement allowing schools to pay athletes up to $22.5 million, freshman athletes are walking onto campus with multimillion-dollar expectations on their shoulders. But what does it mean to be 18, adjusting to college life for the first time, while also carrying the weight of donors, corporate sponsors, and coaches whose jobs may hinge on your performance?
In this episode of Five with Fry, I dig into the hidden costs of this shift. Freshmen used to get a grace period—a chance to adapt to new classes, teammates, and independence. Now, that buffer is disappearing. The result? Rising mental health concerns as student-athletes navigate not only academics and athletics but also the pressure to “earn” their worth.
I’m asking the hard questions: How do we balance fair compensation with protecting young athletes’ well-being? What does progress look like when it comes at the expense of development? And how do we make sure the drive for profit doesn’t come at too steep a human cost?
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