Why is the NCAA so spineless?

Green Otaku · March 4

Next time you ask yourself that, think about this.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2024/03/01/after-loss-in-court-the-ncaa-is-pausing-investigations-into-third-party-nil-deals-with-athletes/72810794007/

Quote

In a letter to member schools Friday, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff “to pause and not begin investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities.”

The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes' ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.

Anytime they have tried to wrangle in NIL they have been unable to, due to the antitrust laws in this country. It's simply not possible to enforce rules that hinder a person's ability to be compensated. The big schools want it to be this way, they knew what this would bring. So can we collectively agree that the problem is not from a lack of trying from the NCAA?

NT80 · March 6

On 3/4/2024 at 12:03 PM, Green Otaku said:

Next time you ask yourself that, think about this.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2024/03/01/after-loss-in-court-the-ncaa-is-pausing-investigations-into-third-party-nil-deals-with-athletes/72810794007/

Anytime they have tried to wrangle in NIL they have been unable to, due to the antitrust laws in this country. It's simply not possible to enforce rules that hinder a person's ability to be compensated. The big schools want it to be this way, they knew what this would bring. So can we collectively agree that the problem is not from a lack of trying from the NCAA?

The original intent of NIL was not to be a salary, or outright bribe to attend a certain school, but that's what it has turned into. This has caused outright bidding for players now. With aid of the Portal, it's open market free agency for transfers.

Also, lower level programs have become minor leagues or feeder programs to the levels above them.

VideoEagle · March 6

The NCAA has been consistently losing lawsuits brought by members since 1981. After 43 years of losing, they have found they MUST be spineless!

Green Otaku · March 6

5 hours ago, NT80 said:

The original intent of NIL was not to be a salary, or outright bribe to attend a certain school, but that's what it has turned into. This has caused outright bidding for players now. With aid of the Portal, it's open market free agency for transfers.

Also, lower level programs have become minor leagues or feeder programs to the levels above them.

Everyone voiced concerns of what would happen of NIL was approved. I don't think for a second that teams didn't know how this was going to go. They could have easily put restrictions and rules to prevent such a free for all system, and like you said the timing of changing the transfer rules seems just a tiiiiiiiny bit suspect right?

The system in place now isn't some unforeseen consequence, it's the outcome they wanted.

cousin oliver · March 6

Basically as I read it there are no enforceable rules pertaining to NIL. This allows whomever has the most money a huge advantage over the rest of us. Sad. They are trying to kill the sport.

GrandGreen · March 6

The NCAA should be concentrating on the fairness of competition more and the individual players rights a lot less. From what I have read, even the perieniall powers' athletic staffs don't like NIL. Why should they, it is just a headache for all involved except the players and their agents.

The NCAA should immediately ban future NIL agreements. Any player who receives NIL is considered a pro and no longer eligible for NCAA contests. Or would no longer be eligible for scholarship benefits and would have to pay for college tuition and fees plus room and board.

Sure there will be lawsuits and with the current environment a strong chance that NIL would stay, but at least the NCAA will have taken a stand.

This whole thing is based on the theory that college sports is a big business and the fallacy that most schools make a profit from sports. A theory that is easy to disprove.

Arkstfan · March 11

People act like the NCAA is some independent entity that makes decisions that people gotta live with no matter what they think.

Remember. The commissioner of the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA are all employees of the owners. They are just the day-to-day managers and they have to keep a majority of the owners happy no matter how good or noble they want to be about their league.

Conference commissioners are doing the same role for the university presidents.

The NCAA is a complex beast where all are equal but some are more equal than others.

Lamar gets more say in how things go than West Texas A&M, UNT gets more say than Lamar, Texas Tech gets more say than than UNT, and while on the organizational chart, Texas Tech has the same say as Texas, we all know that with the SEC and B1G saber rattling, Texas gets more say than Texas Tech.

The basic system is UNT and Texas State are simultaneously wanting someone to hold Texas and Texas A&M in check while not making UT and TAMU so mad that they leave.

Even West Texas A&M wants the NCAA to not piss off UT and TAMU because they get to be in the NCAA for the price of a token dues payment every year and the NCAA picks up a good piece of the costs for good post-season events for them to compete in. They don't want the NCAA to be like the NAIA where dues are large enough to cover not only the administrative costs of running the organization but also the cost of post-season events.

The old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference broke up because NAIA dues were assessed based on enrollment and the larger schools could go and deal with more complex compliance issues in NCAA Division II that would require hiring another person and still come out ahead financially over paying NAIA dues.

So the Division II and III schools are both appalled by how Division I athletics are run while enjoying the financial benefits of it being an insane system... as long as the high value schools stay.

It's a mess but no one likes the alternative.

NT80 · March 11

7 minutes ago, Arkstfan said:

The basic system is UNT and Texas State are simultaneously wanting someone to hold Texas and Texas A&M in check while not making UT and TAMU so mad that they leave.

There has always been a disparity between college sports programs as far back as college sports itself. Only the labeling has changed over time. Big school/small school....1-A/1-AA....FBS/FCS....P5/G5, whatever.

I don't think that Texas and A$M could actually completely leave and split away. They would still need to play the smaller programs to fill their tournaments and pre-season OOC games on their various schedules.

Arkstfan · March 12

On 3/10/2024 at 11:07 PM, NT80 said:

There has always been a disparity between college sports programs as far back as college sports itself. Only the labeling has changed over time. Big school/small school....1-A/1-AA....FBS/FCS....P5/G5, whatever.

I don't think that Texas and A$M could actually completely leave and split away. They would still need to play the smaller programs to fill their tournaments and pre-season OOC games on their various schedules.

Power Five uh Four uh Two is only tier of professional sports where teams play regular season games against lower tier.

NHL doesn’t play AHL, NBA doesn’t play G League, etc

I would wager SEC and B1G are leaving money on the table not playing only conference games or only against the other league.

Day will come that they’ve bled all revenue sources and that’s last one left and they’ll go that way.