In this age of NIL, which is now pay-for-play as has been ruled in court, how is this for a solution? Athletes can decide to keep their scholarship or get paid, but not both. You're a basketball player with a 6 figure annual NIL deal, pay for college. If you are a bit player who can make "just" $20,000, say no to the money and accept the full scholarship. If you play a sport and are receiving a partial scholarship, weigh this against what you stand to earn. Take out loans like so many of us if you need to.
For decades, we've heard that the scholarship is nice but it does not provide any spending money. With NIL, we seemed to have forgotten the genuine value of a scholarship. Give the athlete their choice...but not both.