The inequitable monopoly that is
big time college sports has been exposed for its greed and hypocrisy. They all (school presidents, millionaire coaches,
billionaire boosters etc) claim that they want to preserve the integrity of
the game. But not even in the FCS are
most athletes serious students. An Ivy
League game may be played by scholars, to a crowd of 20,000. Armed services games make money as well, but none of those dudes were offered scholarships to play for a D1
behemoth. Sports Illustrated’s expose of
the Okalhoma State football program sufficiently illuminates the truth, which
is no longer even seriously debated: The
NCAA and its member institutions make huge money off of talented young brown
men and don’t give them anything viable in return.
Maybe one percent of big time college athletes will strike it rich in the NFL or NBA draft lottery. Many more baseball players will live comfortably playing farm MLB hoping to get a shot at the bigs. But then their sport isn't nearly as popular. A
Damoclean sword constantly threatens foot and basket ball jocks' cocks; they only
remain on scholarship as long as they continue to perform at a peak level. On the field that is. Who has time for class and homework? Maybe the most dedicated and disciplined. Realistically most of these coddled superstar
athletes aren’t exactly superb scholars because they've never had to be. Or because they come from neighborhoods with
bad schools. Most of them have no chance
of making it to the NFL or to graduation; pay em now.
NCAA and Texas A&M press
their rights to make money off Johnny Football while telling him he can’t. Ed O’Bannion sues because he should have made
millions off his video game. College
sports has become an entertainment business.
The NCAA is a monopoly. And monopolies are illegal.
They’re not gonna budge – and
they shouldn’t. Although I for one would like to think those are actually students in the midst of earning their degrees out there representing my huskies. I’d root for em harder if they were. Then
again, I’d want them to win. Probably wouldn’t pay fifty bucks to see them get
their asses whipped.
What if NCAA sports went back to
being respectable? Tons of exes would
lose their profits, dozens of chick sports would lose their funding, the list
of losers goes on… That situation is not what anyone wants.
What if it wasn’t their
decision?
What if there was a semi-pro league? Where athletes would
play for money, and not have to bother about school. The quality of the game would be high, and the passion for it. A lot of these guys would go pro. What if the NFL set up a
feeder league similar to MLB's?
Competition is the essence of
regulated capitalism.
Fans are rabid about football;
they’d go to semi-pro games, even watch em on T.V. They could play on Saturdays. Fuck the BCS.
Recruiters could go around to
high schools and just scoop up the talent – where’s a kid gonna wanna go: a
place where he’s getting paid and looked at by the bigs, or a place from whence
he might graduate one day if he
practices his sport and studies and does nothing else including sleep?
Certain power football and
basketball conferences like the SEC and the ACC and the BIG 12 and the PAC 12
for that matter, would keep the lights on in their athletic departments. So could an entity like Boise State, if they
(correctly) determined that having a big-time football program brings in donor money and
freshmen; if Universities could make the deal sweet enough for a few teenaged
stars they’d probably land em. Gotta treat
them like the gold they is though. Help em by
getting em a tutor, not by writing
their papers to keep em just barely eligible to play.
Set up some competition for the monopoly that is the NCAA.
[1]
Antitrust laws exist because industry barons like Rockefeller made billions and
paid tidbits; a just society must be equitable, even if this means being a bit
socialist.
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