Think about this scenario, and think about it outside the bounds of college sports. You’re a 20-year-old college student. A junior computer science major. A professor comes to you and a few buddies with an idea for an app and wants you to help develop it during your personal time because you’re star pupils. I don’t know what the app does, but it’s something cool and new. You don’t get paid obviously, since this is a passion project. Maybe the professor buys some pizzas and beers when you gather for some marathon coding sessions, but that’s about it.
And then the app starts snowballing.