I come here not to praise the NCAA, but to bury it. And while I don’t have a crystal ball, it’s a safe bet that the NCAA is going to be forced to make some very radical changes in the near future if it’s going to survive at all. The amateurism model that the NCAA is based upon is flawed and cannot continue. The biggest impending issue for the NCAA is the lawsuit brought about by former UCLA basketball standout Ed O’Bannon who is suing the NCAA based on its partnership with EA Sports and the licensing of the wildly popular NCAA Football and Basketball video games. In essence, O’Bannon’s case is this: NCAA, you do not own me forever.
Mar 30, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; General view of the NCAA logo prior to the finals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament between the Syracuse Orange and Marquette Golden Eagles at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
But there are other issues that the NCAA is dealing with that while not as earth-shattering are just as devastating to the association’s integrity and moral high ground. While former Penn State president and NCAA infractions committee Graham Spanier wasn’t lecturing USC and Memphis about morality, he was letting a pedophile run rampant in Happy Valley. The NCAA’s case against Miami (FL) football was based on the sole testimony of convicted liar and ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro and even then the case was formed using testimony from an unrelated legal proceeding; lazy and wrong at best, criminal at worst. In one of the most grievous offenses, NCAA scholarships are year to year contracts, not guaranteed four year commitments.
The NCAA is cash and power hungry coming down hard when they seemingly shouldn’t and ignoring blatant issues when they should at least investigate. Play basketball in Turkey? Bad. Get $100,000 worth of jewelry in Durham, NC? Good. Washing your car with university hose? Bad. But remember, the NCAA is like a marching band… or something.
At times, it seems as if the NCAA is run by people that detest intercollegiate athletics. There’s a level of distrust amongst the athletes, the coaches, school administrators and the fans toward the NCAA. And it’s reaching a tipping point. For the amount of money the NCAA pulls in every year, the tax exempt organization has very little to show for it. And as University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari points out, the time is coming where colleges and universities across the country are going to withdraw from the NCAA and start over with a new, more fair, more athlete focused organization.
This situation isn’t about whether or not athletes should get paid (I think they should) or if the NCAA’s enforcement division is in any way capable of enforcing anything (doubtful), it’s about refocusing and redefining its mission. It’s about the NCAA making bold and decisive decisions that have more than just revenue in mind. When it comes to sports, everyone just wants to know the rules and expect things to be fair. Can the NCAA do that? Your move, NCAA.