Many college sports fans support amateurism. They support it even when it defies all manners of common sense and logic. This was seen in various fans’ reactions to the injury that freshmen phenom Zion Williamson suffered in the UNC/Duke game on February 20, 2019. Leading up to and during that game, fans witnessed the sham […]
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The NCAA has once again shown its true objective. That objective is ensuring that college athletes do not receive any financial benefit that is not NCAA approved. On June 24th, it was reported that NCAA president Mark Emmert sent a letter to the California State Assembly. The letter informed the California State Legislature that the NCAA may ban California colleges from participating in NCAA championships if The Fair Pay to Play Act is passed. The Act aims to allow college athletes to profit from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
That is right, the NCAA seeks to punish California schools if the state passes a law that would benefit college athletes. The bill was proposed by California state senators Nancy Skinner and Steven Bradford in February. Last month, the California State Senate passed the bill. It is very likely that the bill will continue to pass through the California Sate Legislature and become law. This high probability led the NCAA to send that letter in an attempt to impede the bill’s progress.
If the bill is signed into law, it will not go into effect until 2023. At that time, college athletes in California would be allowed to garner endorsement deals and sign with agents. The schools would not be paying the athletes. The athletes would get paid from outside sources. Therefore, the bill does not pose any Title IX implications. It also will have no effect on non-revenue producing sports. However, the NCAA wants the bill’s progress postponed until their working group has had a chance to address the matter.
On May 14th, the NCAA announced that it created a working group to address issues regarding college athletes’ ability to profit from the commercial use of their NIL. The NCAA created this working group in response to several bills, similar to the one in California, being introduced at both the state and federal levels. A bill was introduced in Washington state that aims to allow college athletes in Washington to profit from the commercial use of their NIL. At the federal level, Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina introduced the Student-Athlete Equity Act. The Act purports to amend the tax code so that amateur sports organizations such as the NCAA can no longer strip athletes of their right to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
In an effort to get ahead of the issues raised in these bills, the NCAA created the working group. Many were skeptical of the actual goals of the working group. Many questioned whether the NCAA would actually amend the rules in a favorable manner for college athletes. The letter the NCAA sent to the California State Legislature has painted a bleak picture for any hope that the NCAA will make rule changes that benefit college athletes in a meaningful way. After all, the NCAA recently announced that it may tighten up on college athletes’ ability to transfer.
Last summer, the NCAA passed a new transfer rule that served as a major benefit to many college athletes by allowing them to be immediately eligible upon transfer. After complaints about college athletes newfound freedom, the NCAA announced that it may be issuing tighter guidelines for schools to consider in determining an athlete’s immediate eligibility. The NCAA’s announcement regarding the transfer rule does not leave much hope for the efforts of the working group. However, what the working group will actually do remains to be seen. In the meantime, California should call the NCAA’s bluff and move forward with the progression of the bill. After all, how likely is it that the NCAA will carry out its threat?
California is home to some of college sports premier programs. Stanford, University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California all have renowned sports programs. These schools are also members of the Power 5 Conference, the Pac 12. The Pac-12 Conference would be directly affected if the NCAA makes good on its threat. However, the Pac-12 seems to support the efforts of the NCAA’s working group. The Unafraid Show reached out the Pac-12 Conference for comments regarding The Fair Pay to Play Act and Mark Emmert’s letter.
The Pac-12 responded with a letter that the conference’s commissioner Larry Scott sent to the chairman of the California State Legislature Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee on June 14, 2019. The Pac-12’s letter was sent to the California State Legislature prior to the report of NCAA president Mark Emmert’s letter. In the Pac-12’s letter, Mr. Scott requested that the committee hold the bill until the NCAA’s working group finalizes its work this fall. The letter stated Pac-12 athletic director Rick George of the University of Colorado, Boulder joined the committee. Mr. Scott also stressed the Pac-12’s commitment to protecting and supporting the welfare of student-athletes. The Pac-12 Conference did not comment on Mark Emmert’s letter.
Although the Pac-12 would prefer the California State Legislature postpone the bill, the California State Legislature should do just the opposite. The California State Legislature should call the NCAA’s bluff. California is home to some of college sports premier programs. Does it really make sense that the NCAA would prohibit all of California’s colleges from competing in championships? The NCAA has too much to lose. The organization has its broadcasting deal with CBS Sports and Turner a division of Time Warner to consider. Would the NCAA really risk losing money on that deal by not making the California colleges’ games available? The answer is no. The NCAA did not become a billion dollar non-profit organization by missing opportunities to maximize their profit margin. After all, if the NCAA did not punish UNC for creating sham courses why would the NCAA punish California for passing a law that benefits college athletes? Therefore, California should call the NCAA’s bluff and continue to fight for what is right.
California should set an example by passing The Fair Pay to Play Act. It is very likely that other states would follow suit for competitive reasons if nothing else.
The NCAA has shown time and again that their aim is to prohibit the financial benefits of college athletes as much as possible in the name of amateurism. Amateurism is a sham. That has been proven by the exorbitant coaching contracts that are signed year after year. The NCAA will only authorize changes in college athletics when forced to. They only created the working group after several state and federal bills were introduced and gaining traction. California should call the NCAA’s bluff and continue to push the bill through. At the very least, California could force the working group to amend the rules so that college athletes can finally profit from the commercial use of their own face and name.
Follow Kassandra Ramsey @Court_2_Court
Le’Veon Bell just got heisted for $520k in jewelry. But thieves in the night? Nope. By two women, his “girlfriends” as he referred to them. The best part about this is when police asked for a description of what the suspects were wearing, he told the police he didn’t know because he left them naked in his bed. Come on man. Now I’m not here to judge his threesome or whatever. But he needs to have some common sense. You can’t just leave strangers in your house with all of your stuff. This is a major blow considering he didn’t get paid last year.
Jake Mangum of Mississippi State recently brought up yet another NCAA grievance. Baseball has a third assistant coach that is unpaid. They get a university email, phone number, and role, but no pay. This is absurd. At least shell out a stipend for room and board. For an organization that makes millions upon millions, they are slow to pay those that bring value. It’s the same for athletes. Of 35 players on each team, only 11.7 scholarships are dispersed. Just like congress continued to drag their feet over paying the heroes of 911 (thank you Jon Stewart for bringing awareness and accountability), the NCAA always avoids paying their players.
Who is advising these underclassmen to leave early and enter the NBA Draft? Now, I’m not talking about the lottery picks. I’m talking about good, not great players. There are so many of these players that are likely to go undrafted and end up in the G League or overseas. They need to stay another year or two, gain experience and perfect their skills. Teams have more money invested in higher draft picks and give them a longer leash to live up to expectations. But, if these athletes don’t get drafted, they should be allowed to go back to college and play. The NCAA and a new NBA CBA need to allow this. Don’t make them lose out on chances for education, maturity, and careers. Give them another shot. It’s too easy for broke college students to bite on the prospect of an NBA contract.
The Historical Basketball League who’s aim is to focus on compensation and education announced the following eight cities for the launch of the league’s inaugural season set to take place in June 2020:
Focusing on the east coast with the intent to expand to other parts of the United States in the near future, the HBL seeks to challenge the NCAA-model by offering top players the opportunity to earn compensation while also obtaining a college degree. The HBL will offer players up to $150,000 based on their market value and will assist each player “in building a personal and professional brand that will extend on and off the court.”
The NCAA Board of Governors Federal and State Legislation Working Group was created to analyze proposed federal and state legislation and determine whether student-athletes may receive benefits (i.e. compensation) based on the use of their name, image, and likeness. The NCAA provided the committee with a strict mandate: (i) potential benefits must be tied to education, and (ii) no models that could be perceived as “pay-for-play” may be considered.
These guidelines make it virtually impossible for student-athletes to receive benefits in exchange for the use of their likeness. However, California’s bill (and other states) should force the NCAA to loosen up its parameters. In the meantime, there are a number of ways the HBL can help build player brands through increased fan engagement and other means that could also benefit the league.
One platform is INFLCR, a software that allows athletes and teams to deliver personalized content across social media. INFLCR has partnered with a number of universities and athletes to build brands, and the Historical Basketball League could benefit greatly in the promotion and marketing of its product by doing the same.
Another is Gatorade’s “Highlights” app. Though catered to younger athletes to help capture and share athletic feats, Gatorade’s app provides another great branding tool and way for athletes to control their marketing. Users can brand their highlights with their names, numbers, teams or positions. This provides the most popular players with a way to increase their marketability and commercial value.
The NCAA Basketball corruption case resulted in prison sentences for each of the individuals involved. The universities implicated at trial have resorted to claiming “victim” as a way to alleviate their roles. That stance, coupled with the NCAA’s refusal to take overt investigative action, have some questioning whether corruption in the college ranks will ever be addressed.
HBL’s Andy Schwarz notes that schools violate rules because the value of obtaining a five-star recruit exceeds any punishment the NCAA can provide. This finding emphasizes the HBL’s importance. The recent decisions of RJ Hampton and Kenyon Martin Jr. show athletes are tired of being exploited. The NCAA rules are arbitrary and antiquated, but change is on the horizon. Boasting a management team led by two-time champion David West and an advisory board featuring two individuals with Google-experience, the forward-thinking Historical Basketball Leauge has a real shot of establishing itself as the premier college basketball league for domestic and international talent. The HBL has already begun scouting athletes for its inaugural 2020 Season, identifying potential coaches, and engaging individuals to serve as ambassadors for its respective teams.
CEO Ricky Volante often states, “Amateurism is a con,” and that the collegiate model should first benefit the student-athletes, not the coach or institution who profits from their labor. The HBL is coming, and many – including the NCAA – are beginning to take notice of compensation and education.
On Tuesday, the number 5 ranked college basketball recruit in the ESPN Top 100 RJ Hampton, shocked the college sports world when he announced that he would forego college to play professionally in Australia. He made the announcement on ESPN’s Get Up. Hampton will play professionally with the National Basketball League’s (NBL) New Zealand Breakers.
Immediately after Hampton’s announcement, the sports world was abuzz about what this will mean for the NCAA and college basketball. The NCAA, the schools, the conferences, and coaches are facing criticism for the current college sports model where they make billions of dollars while the players are limited to a cost-of-attendance scholarship.
The current college sports model can be summed up in one word – UNFAIR. The NCAA governs college sports. The NCAA makes rules that it’s member schools follow. The bedrock of those rules is the principle of amateurism. College sports are regarded as amateur sports that the players only engage in for their love the game. Thus, college athletes do not receive any payment but may receive a scholarship. Meanwhile, the NCAA, the schools, the conferences, the coaches, and sports administrators make billions of dollars off of college athlete labor. Does this really seem fair?
No, it is not fair. More and more people are acknowledging the unfairness of the current college sports model particularly in regards to D1 men’s basketball and football. The issue has been litigated in court in several cases. Recently state and federal lawmakers have proposed legislation challenging the college sports model. The bills propose allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Due to the progress of these proposed bills, the NCAA has created a working group to address the issue. Now, whether Hampton realizes it or not, his decision poses another challenge to the current college sports model. Hampton’s decision could have a detrimental effect on college basketball especially if future top recruits follow in his footsteps.
Hampton is the only one of the five top recruits to decide not to play college basketball. From a college basketball fan entertainment perspective his absence is not likely to have a profound effect this upcoming season. College basketball will still be the same product that it has been and fans will surely tune in. However, Hampton’s decision could have an effect on college basketball down the road. This is especially true when considered with the mounting challenges that college sports is rightfully facing.
As the NCAA addresses the proposed legislation and continues to fight in court, the college sports model is also being challenged directly. Specifically, the NBA’s G-Leauge new program presents a competitive problem for college basketball. Last fall, the G-League announced that it would allow elite athletes who are 18 years old to enter the G-League and receive a select contract valued at $125,000.
Furthermore, the NCAA may soon be threatened by a start-up basketball league that seeks to pay its players and give them scholarships. That league is the Historical Basketball League (HBL). Projected to start in 2020, the HBL plans to give it’s players an option where they are not forced to choose between pay and education. These new options and the example set by Hampton may encourage future top recruits to take a non-traditional route to the NBA. If this happens, college basketball may be in for a real change.
RJ Hampton is not the first player to opt out of college for a professional overseas league. However, his decision is still a big deal. Hampton is a top 5 recruit who chose to “buck the system” and pursue his NBA dream another way. Hampton echoes the sentiment that so many others are thinking. That sentiment is that athletes can always go back to college. However, athletes only have a finite amount of time to make money off their athleticism. Why should athletes be forced to spend that time playing in college for drastically under their fair market value? The answer is they should not.
Hampton’s decision and reasoning has the potential to have a domino effect. Others are likely to follow suit, especially if Hampton makes it to the NBA. Hampton will get paid to play professionally and prepare for the NBA. It is a really attractive option for similarly situated prospects. Given this realization, the NCAA will eventually have to make a change. Hampton’s decision may be even more incentive for the NCAA’s working group to do the right thing and allow college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. One thing is for sure, the current college sports model is going to have to change if it wants to retain elite talent.
Follow Kassandra Ramsey on Twitter @Court_2_Court
The myth that there is not enough money to pay the college athletes has been debunked once again! Last week, Clemson University made its football coach, Dabo Swinney, the highest paid coach in college football. The record-breaking contract will pay Swinney $93 million dollars over the next ten years. That is an average of $9.3 million dollars a year. Swinney’s deal beats Nick Saban’s contract with The University of Alabama that pays him $74 million over eight years. It also beats Jimbo Fisher’s contract with Texas A&M that pays him $75 million dollars over ten years.
Just under them is Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Gus Malzhan (Auburn), and Kirby Smart (Georgia) each averaging $7 million per year. Even with these impressive salaries, people still argue that there is not enough money to pay college athletes. When coaches salaries and television deals for college football and basketball are considered, it is hard to fathom how people can continue to make this argument.
People continue to buy into that argument because they listen to words of coaches like Dabo Swinney. Swinney denounced paying college athletes in a statement where he alluded that doing so would give college athletes a sense of entitlement.
“We try to teach our guys, use football to create the opportunities, take advantage of the platform and the brand and the marketing you have available to you. But as far as paying players, professionalizing college athletics, that’s where you lose me. I’ll go do something else, because there’s enough entitlement in this world as it is.”
In reality, the only people that seem to be entitled is the coaches and the NCAA. They seem to be entitled to having young predominantly black talent perform their talents for essentially free. These athletes do this while receiving a scholarship and being precluded from receiving any other unsanctioned benefit.
While a scholarship is valuable, it pails in comparison to the benefits the coaches, college sports administrators, and NCAA receive. However, that is the paradox of the NCAA’s purported mission and the current college athletics system. Dabo Swinney’s stance on paying college athletes and his new contract is the ultimate demonstration of that paradox.
The NCAA purports to provide college athletes with an opportunity to participate in athletics while pursuing a college degree. The NCAA also purports to keep college athletics distinct from professional athletics. One reason that the NCAA does this is to protect college athletes from exploitation.
In reality, the NCAA has only maintained that distinction in regards to compensation of the labor force. The NCAA has made sure that college athletes do not receive any compensation remotely resembling that of a professional athlete. The NCAA even goes so far as to strip college athletes of their publicity rights preventing them from using their name, image, and likeness, as a condition of participation. Thereby ensuring that college athletes will not receive endorsement opportunities similar to those granted to professional athletes.
However, the NCAA has failed in maintaining a distinction between professional and college athletics in every other way. This evidenced by Swinney’s and other coaches’ contracts and the million dollar television deals. It appears that the NCAA only truly cares about making sure that college athletics is not professionalized to the benefit of the athletes. In reality, the NCAA’s mission and the allowance of contracts like Dabo Swinney’s is really a bit of a paradox. It is a paradox in the fact that the NCAA claims to protect college athletes from exploitation while at the same time allowing their talents to exploited by college sports officials who make millions of dollars from the athletes’ labor.
In his statement, Swinney stated that if college sports were professionalized that he would “go do something else.” What he failed to acknowledge is that college sports in already professionalized to his benefit as can be seen in his contract. Perhaps Swinney would go do something else if he was forced to share some of the wealth and coaching college football was no longer a $93 million dollar cash cow. One thing is for sure, there is definitely enough money to pay college athletes.
The Hot Takes House is on the open for business. It is a compilation of scorching hot opinions that won’t turn into Freezing Cold Takes material. In this edition: James Harden fans are shameless people with character flaws, Kevin Durant would be crazy to leave the Warriors, and the NCAA transfer portal is getting ridiculous. Do not read any further if you are easily triggered. Read. Share. Leave a Comment.
I’m not sure how James Harden fans are not embarrassed to call him their favorite basketball player. His ridiculous amount of flopping and his refusal to consistently give defensive effort are shameful. In general, fans like their athletes tough, rugged, and mentally tough. So, I do not understand why so many James Harden apologist exist.
It is so frustrating to try and watch an NBA Playoffs game, but have to suffer through Harden flailing around and faking hurt. By no means is Harden the only NBA player that flops. His serial abuse of flopping is just the most absurd in the league. Harden is strong and built like a tank compared to most players, but he flops whenever players get close to him. Could you imagine Jordan, Kobe, Bird, LeBron, Durant or any other champion doing this?
And then there is Harden’s negligence on defense. The Rockets will NEVER win an NBA championship until he changes his style of play. No team has ever won a championship when their best player gives poor effort on one side of the ball. The producers of ‘Shaqtin A Fool’ could make an entire show about Harden every season.
As a fan, how can you be proud of this? Maybe his fans are just the segment of the population that wants credit and praise for a job performed half right.
Assuming the money is right, Kevin Durant would be foolish to leave the Golden State Warriors. So many media and NBA analyst from Ric Bucher, to Chris Broussard have all but guaranteed Durant’s exit from Golden State. I believe that Kevin Durant is too smart to leave GSW.
Players want to play fewer minutes and win more as they get older in the NBA. Durant has never had gotten easier shot attempts or had to carry less of the weight than he does with Curry, Thompson, and Green on the team. In his first nine seasons in Oklahoma City (Seattle), KD faced double teams, played a ton of minutes, worked extremely hard for shots, and only had one chance for a championship. In three seasons with the Warriors, he has a Finals MVP, two NBA Championships, and is making a run at a third. He plays fewer playoff minutes, averages more points, and shoots a higher % from 3, 2-pt, and free throws than OKC.
Durant has maximized his time in the Bay Area financially. He has started his own venture capital company which has partnered with some Silicon Valley heavyweights. His company reportedly has equity stakes in Rubrick, Acorn, Pieology, and Lime Scooters. Money does travel across state lines, but proximity and relationships matter in business. Warriors majority owner Joseph Lacob made his money in venture capital and mentors Durant in business.
I’m supposed to believe that Kevin Durant, who wants to score, win, and make money will let a couple beefs with Draymond make his life harder? Nah. I don’t buy it.
We have covered the NCAA and its hypocritical and unfair practices extensively on Unafraid Show. I believe the players should have the right to transfer more freely and unencumbered like coaches. However, a lot of these kids are getting bad advice from their inner circles. These kids are transferring at the first sign of adversity. Right now there are nearly 1,000 players who have entered their names in the college football transfer portal. If a player enters his name in the portal, it doesn’t mean a player will transfer, schools can pull the players’ scholarship.
It is nice to say “I played as a true freshman”, but sometimes that adversity that you face by redshirting is the best thing for your growth. These young players need to understand that the push you need to achieve your dreams is often found in the struggle to get there.
On a beautiful spring day in Berkley, California, the California Golden Bears open up the gates and welcome everyone to the Spring Game and showcase its talent.
The Cal Golden Bears football team finished last season with a wining record of 7-6, giving them just their third winning season in nine years. Looking forward, the PAC-12 conference appears to be wide open and the Bears are poised to bring back 13 players from last seasons stingy 10th ranked defensive units.
The defense features Sr. ILB Evan Weaver a 2nd team All-American, and redshirt Jr. CB Camryn Bynum, leader of the #Takers, the defense, is working towards being even better.
The #Takers, Cal’s defensive back unit was live on the scene when sophomore Safety Daniel Scott made a beautiful play. Dropping back into zone coverage Scott read the eyes of quarterback Robby Rowell and elevated snagging an interception.
Kuony Deng the 6-foot-6 Jr. ILB dropped back into coverage and somehow managed to avoid detection from sophomore City College of San Francisco transfer Jack Newman, and get setup with for a pick-6.
Transfer student Deon White, OLB, laid down the Hitstick “Crush of the Game” when he stuffed a Gun zone run and completely blew up the ball carrier. The Bears have a long way to go and will find it difficult to fill the shoes of Jordan Kunaszyk, but they appear ready to #EarnIt and be up to the challenge.
Cal has 4 quarterbacks on the roster Chase Garbers, UCLA transfer student Devon Modster, freshman Robby Rowell, and Jack Newsome. Collectively in the spring game the quarterbacks went 23-32 177 yards 1TD 2INTS. Modster recorded the only passing touchdown of the day and would finish 6-7 27 yards and 1TD. Garbers completed 7-10 for 60 yards with a rushing touchdown. Rowell looked sharp early with the ball coming out on time and with zip. He had the offense in a nice rhythm up until feeding Scott the interception. Rowell’s stat line was 7-10 for 68 yards and 1INT.
Offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin has his work cut out for him as the Bears offense seeks ways to put more points on the board. Returning quarterback Chase Garbers appears to be the
Baldwin must also find ways to replace Patrick Laird’s production. Laird’s 223 carries accounted for 47% of the run game and his 9 scoring plays (5 rushes, 4 receptions) were 29% of the Bears 29 scores in 2018.
Luckily for Bear enthusiasts everywhere, the 2019 have a healthy sized stable of young workhorses ready to carry the load. Alex Letherda had a team longest run of 29 yards, and would finish the afternoon with 12 carries for 76 yards. Deshawn Collins rushed nine times for 39 yards including a 2yd TD run. The Bears offense appears to be featuring two special players.
Marcel Dancy turned in one of the top performances of the day, Dancy is a playmaker with vision, speed, power, hands, some shimmy/wiggle, and an ice cold spin move. Dancy would finish the day with 8 carries for 33 yards and a TD, he would also catch 3 passes for 29 yards including this 16 yard catch and run ending in pay dirt.
Jeremiah Hawkins introduced himself to the Golden Bear family with impressive displays of speed, moves, and a punishing stiff arm. Hawkins brings a very much needed shot in the arm to the speed department. What shouldn’t be understated is Hawkins knowledge of how to use his speed. Knowing that the best application of it is actual changing speeds and mixing it up so as to throw off the timing of defenders.
These two dynamic young players look to factor in heavily into Cal’s offensive attack and rightfully so. Dancy runs with power can churn through tackles and freeze defenders in their tracks when he puts them through spinning off of defenders.
Hawkins is 5-foot-8 185 pounds of pure dynamite, and if he’s not blowing past you, he’s embarrassing you with a smooth peel-back block or a merciless stiff-arm to the ground. Hawkins is one tough cookie, and we should hope that he has remedied his ball security issues.
On March 14, 2019, Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina introduced the Student-Athlete Equity Act. The Act purports to amend the tax code so that amateur sports organizations such as the NCAA can no longer strip student-athletes of their publicity rights. Publicity rights are a person’s right to control the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness. Currently, college athletes are required to relinquish control of those rights when they agree to engage in a collegiate sport.
If signed into law, the Student-Athlete Equity Act would return those basic rights to college athletes. Doing so would go a long way in the pay-for-play debate. Opponents of paying college athletes argue that there simply is not enough money. They further contend that paying college athletes would bankrupt the schools. Opponents also argue that such payments could lead to issues with Title IX compliance.
With these concerns, it would seem that allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness would be a no brainer. This simple modification would move the needle forward in creating a more equitable college athletics system. However, the problem lies in the fact that the NCAA does not sincerely wish to create a more equitable system. They demonstrated this in their response to the Student-Athlete Equity Act.
In the response, the NCAA further affirmed its true purpose; protecting amateurism. The NCAA reaffirmed its contention that in order to protect amateurism, college athletes must not receive any benefit that is “untethered to education.” The NCAA called the bill unnecessary. The organization further argued that the bill “may only benefit a small number of student-athletes and cause unintended consequences and negatively impact opportunities for all other college athletes.” This assumption was a major leap. How does the NCAA know who will benefit from the legislation? The answer is that they do not know. The NCAA’s fear is that it may actually benefit college athletes and expose amateurism for the farce that is.
Restoring the publicity rights of college athletes would be moneumental in remedying the injustices in the college athletics system. It could finally give college athletes a viable stake in the billion dollar industry their labor propels. College athletes would be able to garner endorsement deals from companies like Nike, Adidas, or Gatorade. Additionally, college athletes would be able to garner endorsement deals with local businesses in the towns their schools are located.
Many areas where colleges are located are regarded as “college towns.” Almost everyone in the town feels a kinship towards the school and its teams. Accordingly, it is highly likely that local businesses would offer endorsement deals as well. These types of opportunities would go a long way to help every college athlete. Local companies may even offer endorsements to lesser-known college athletes. Specifically, those that attend local Division II and Division III colleges. Those schools tend to have a strong local presence and connection with the local community.
With the plethora of possible opportunities, it difficult to understand why an organization that claims to work for the college athlete’s best interest would be so against it. Especially, when allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness would not cost the schools nor NCAA any extra money. Furthermore, it does not present any Title IX issues. It would seem that the NCAA would view the Act as a positive and as an opportunity to teach college athletes important life skills.
The NCAA and its member institutions could introduce college athletes to a whole new world. The world of financial empowerment. With endorsement opportunities, the NCAA and the schools could teach college athletes about contracts and how to negotiate. They could teach college athletes about financial planning and how to invest. In short, the NCAA could teach college athletes life skills to help them best use their endorsement money and the future earnings from their highly valued degrees.
Together with the earnings from their endorsements, the earnings from their degrees, and their financial literacy training, college athletes would be in a position to truly experience upward mobility and build wealth. Implementing these sorts of initiatives would go a long way to push the NCAA’s student-athlete welfare agenda. Will this ever happen? Probably not, because the NCAA’s primary concern is preserving amateurism.
What an interesting college football off-season this is shaping up to be. College football players are wielding their newly found freedom with the NCAA’s transfer portal. Last summer, the NCAA announced the creation of a new transfer portal that would allow college athletes to pursue transferring to another school without first obtaining their coaches permission. […]
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