You are putting words in my mouth, because I didn't say anything of the sort. However, I'll take that position. Athletes provide a little value to a lot of people, versus teachers and doctors who provide lots of value to a very limited number of people. Athletes have way more leverage. The same can be true for authors, entertainers, computer programmers, etc. When it comes to getting paid it's all about leverage.

Athletes are basically salespersons for the universities and merchandise, so yes, they are paid by commission. Exceptional salespersons (and high-paid athletes are exceptional) can earn big money, this is normal.

I don't know why athletes even sell. Here in Europe, there are barely any college teams, they are unknown and not considered to be any decisive factors in choosing the college/university. So, our athletes are not particularly well paid. Cultural differences.

I don't. And the market bears that out. The median athlete earns zero.

10% of athletes deliver more value than 50% of doctors and teachers.

Probably.