I don't see the issue. As a sports fan and someone who took a couple of legitimate self-paced (virtual) classes at USC in the 90s, I think athletes can and should play sports while non-athlete students can and should take classes online where possible to reduce spread of COVID.
I heard a radio announcer make this suggestion a few weeks ago. Allow student-athletes to play college sports while most students are online, effectively keeping the athletes in a bubble. When I first heard it, the idea seemed silly. The more I thought about it, I have a hard time disagreeing. It seems like a win-win for sports fans and for the student-athletes.
I'm sure some non-athlete students don't agree. Probably depends on what they're studying and how effectively they can learn virtually. There are a lot of jobs today that allow people to work from home. Students studying for those type of jobs should be able to take classes from home.
Just my .02