In college? You think your analogy illustrates your point in the absurdity of not paying someone who is making money for you, but you have actually made the opposite point.
It is quite common to have unpaid internships in several fields. The students do it because they get "paid" in experience that they can parlay into future jobs.
Coconuts is extreme, but I had several friends who worked internships for nothing but flight vouchers. And a significant number of us took free internships in our field rather than taking paid jobs that were unrelated to our chosen career.
There is a simple way for college athletes to change the system. Stop playing unless you get paid. The reason that won't happen is there is always someone waiting to take your place for free. And the school won't make any less money with that replacement than they would have with you.
They play because it is worth it to them. Some play for the simple experience, knowing they will never play professionally. Others play because they want the experience and coaching to prepare them to go to the next level. Other play for the free publicity and marketing they get to show their talents. And finally actually do play because it is the only way they have to pay for school.
But they all play because it benefits them in some way. And they all make the personal decision whether it is worth it or not.
Fine. But that clearly puts some onus on the universities to handle themselves better. Let's run through what they could do to make it like an unpaid internship:
1) Schools, including Georgia Tech, should start graduating more of their players. Right now, the graduation rate, including that at Tech (especially in men's basketball) is an awful, embarrassing joke, which completely undermines any legitimacy to the "this is about education arguments."
2) Stop playing so many games. If this is really about amateur athletics and not about money for the school to redistribute to everywhere else (for example, non-revenue coaching salaries have doubled at both Tech and U[sic]Ga in the past 8 years) then play a more limited schedule to help fix #1.
3) Merchandise the school, but not the players. If this sport is really about the school, and school spirit, then don't use the players names, etc., to sell stuff.
4) Clean up the bowl system and eliminate talk of extra games through a playoff.
If, as in your example, football is all about experience playing football---then get out of the academic business and treat it like a professional league.
None of those things will happen, because the incentives in college football are now completely inconsistent with university missions.
I love college football, but its has crossed over into professional sports. Either act like you are professional sport and stop paying lip service to academic values, or man up and act like you have values. **** or get off the pot. I hope we go the values route, but I'd rather us go one way or the other because what we are doing now dilutes the purpose and core mission of almost every university.