Men's basketball and football are goldmines for the NCAA. It's almost a license to print money. Television contracts, corporate sponsors, rich alumni paying big bucks to sit court side...it's a cash cow. Yet none of that money goes to the athletes that we watch, root for, cheer against, etc. They are expected to entertain us in return for a college education. While the cost of the education is probably similar to what a minor league baseball player makes, at least the minor league baseball player has the choice on how to spend it. I think the players should be paid...and not under the table.
The celebrities in college sports are the coaches. Are you kidding me? Have you ever jumped out of your seat because Jim Calhoun made an amazing substitution? Ever gone crazy because Roy Williams drew up a breathtaking inbounds play? No...you cheer for the execution of the play or because the player that was brought in did something amazing. What does the player get? An education? Really? Come on. The coaches, however, get multi-million dollar contracts, backed up by sneaker deals, tv/radio shows, and booster money. These men are paid and paid well.
Because the coaches are the celebrities, not only does it give them a platform to make ridiculous amounts of money, it also encourages them to cheat. Yes...I said it. The system encourages them to cheat. If someone is really good and gets caught, it's a slap on the wrist and on to another school where they can get away with more stuff. A good coach never has to apologize and never has a hard time finding a job. He simply has to recruit well. That's all a coach really has to do well. If he doesn't recruit well, he might lose his job. So, would you rather be a bad coach or a bad team or maybe cheat a little? If you have made your money like Billy Donovan at Florida, maybe you just want to play within the rules. If you want a national championship and have some rich alumnus that will help make it happen...isn't that super tempting?
So aside from the fact that the players don't get paid and the coaches get paid too much and cheat, what are my problems with the NCAA? I just don't think they get it. Here are my suggestions for some quick fixes:
- Pay the players. Figure it out.
- If a coach gets caught cheating, he is out for life. Go get a job in the pros. If his program is found to be dirty, but he is not involved (yeah right), he's on a three strike system. This will force coaches to run a clean problem from top to bottom. How clean would Kentucky be right now if Coach Cal had to run a clean program or be banned for life?
- If a player leaves prior to graduating, he needs to repay the tuition he received. If they simply want to use it as a way station to the pro's, they shouldn't be able to do it for free. This may contradict my first point, but aren't these supposed to be scholar-athletes?
- Fix the BCS. Declare a real champion. It's non-sense.
I rarely watch college sports these days, but still follow the major news. The NCAA is a serious organization with some serious problems. It's constituents (the student) don't have a choice and are the ones getting the short end of the stick. The coaches are the highest paid state employees in many states and surely the highest paid employees on campus.
The NCAA is broken. Can anyone fix it?
"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"
JN
