Bye, Bye Intercollegiate Sports

For years I’ve been a voice crying in the wilderness, unheard by anyone who really cares. What have I been crying about? Intercollegiate athletics. I’ve long believed its time has passed. And it’s all because of one thing: MONEY…and lots of it. Because billions of dollars drive college sports — money that fills the coffers of our colleges and universities, the NCAA, and big media — the entire system of American higher education has been corrupted. Too many so-called student athletes, particularly those involved in the major, cash-generating sports, never graduate, and probably should never have been admitted by their respective schools. But the money’s good, and if the athlete is really talented, but academically challenged, they’ll find a way to ensure he remains a “student” until his eligibility ends. (NCAA vs. Federal graduation rate statistics are quite different. See this article for more info: NCAA Graduation Rates Low.)

Another pile of money comes from alumni who want their football or basketball or whatever teams to win, and are willing to pay for those wins through season tickets, booster clubs, and under the table gifts. But for schools with the most competitive teams, perhaps the real windfall comes from the media who spend the real big bucks to air all those games on TV and the Internet. Yes, indeed, lots of people are throwing lots of money around to keep intercollegiate sports going strong. Of course, the NFL and NBA just love the idea of colleges functioning as free minor leagues. Such a deal! And none of this even considers the billions involved in another principled, incorruptible industry: sports betting.

Now, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, has opened the door for athletes to receive limited compensation. The next case, which relates to compensation from endorsements, will probably result in a similar decision. Eventually, and probably quite soon, I expect further decisions that will enable athletes to be paid salaries, just as professionals are paid. This seems to be a court that, despite its internal philosophical differences, really dislikes monopolies and antitrust violations. 

Yes, the door has been opened, but for the NCAA it just might be the exit door. If athletes can receive endorsements and even be paid, they’ll also have agents, sparking growth in another sleazy industry. Once schools have to pay football and basketball players, do you really think the cross-country runners or the members of the swim team won’t demand equal treatment? I can hear it how: “Equity, equity, equity…” That should prove to be an interesting court case. And what constitutes a fair salary? If a particularly good senior quarterback can expect annual compensation and signing bonuses in the tens of millions from an NFL team even before he leaves school, what do you think he’ll want from his college or university? I don’t think a $15/hour minimum wage will satisfy him.

It will be interesting to see how many small, and perhaps some not so small, colleges will abandon intercollegiate athletics because of increased costs. Maybe it’s time for institutions of higher education to devote all their energy to actually educating people. Oh, wait…they stopped doing that years ago.