Hey, Tony’s got this whole player compensation thing sussed.
And there are two realities that the powers that be in college athletics have to face at this point in time:
1—Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. We have reached a critical mass where something has to be done. If not, there are hundreds of lawyers who can’t wait to take on the system because they know they are going to win. And the NCAA member institutions know it too.
I’m not a lawyer but I raised one and I think a pretty strong case can be made that the current rules on this constitute a restraint of trade.
Oh by the way, Congress can’t wait to jump in on this one with both feet. Representative Mark Walker of North Carolina has introduced a bill that would strip the NCAA of its tax exempt status if it doesn’t allow the players to test the market place to see what their name, image, and likeness are worth.
2—You can’t just pay the players for services rendered. You can’t. As much as some players and some fans would like to just cut the guys a check and be done with this issue, there are clear reasons why that can’t happen.
Title IX says that if football and men’s basketball players get a check from the school, then the members of the volleyball team get the same check. It doesn’t matter that football and basketball generate billions and volleyball does not. College athletics is a multi-billion business but it operates under the umbrella of an educational institution.
If players are paid, then they become employees. If they become employees then they can unionize. If they unionize they can strike over compensation and benefits.
Does anyone want to tell him the players are already being paid? Eh, what’s the point.
By the way, if you’re looking for your dose of quintessential Mr. CW, check out his conclusion: “If this can gets kicked down the road again, it will get very, very ugly.”
And to think you can get that kind of deep analysis for free.
