The NCAA watched college sports crumble. Now it’s time to lead.

That college sports aren’t what they once were — students going out for teams, pulling on the school colors and playing for their classmates and alumni — has been obvious for generations. A multibillion-dollar industry built on the backs of unpaid labor was neither fair nor sustainable, and it probably shouldn’t have taken three more lawsuits against the NCAA — settled this week to the tune of almost $2.8 billion — for that organization to make sure the people who create the product actually share in its financial success.