College Athletes: They're Not Part of the Business, They Are the Business

The NCAA Board of Governors released a statement on October 29, 2019 that they had unanimously voted to allow college athletes within its 1100 member schools to profit off of their “name, image, and likeliness.” Since California passed a similar law regarding college athletes a few months prior, this decades-long power struggle between the NCAA and college athletes finally culminated in a victory for the student-athletes. These student-athletes put on a show for some of the most dedicated fan bases across the country, in both professional and amateur sports.

Looking back into the record books, one could only imagine how drastically different the worlds of college football and basketball would have been if these new regulations were in effect in the ‘80s and ‘90s. If this were the case, we would have never seen Brian Bosworth’s infamous “National Communists Against Athletes” shirt, the Miami Hurricanes football dynasty may still be thriving, and the University of Michigan would still have those Final Four Banners in their rafters from the “Fab Five” era. Some may question what pushed the NCAA into succumbing to this momentous change after hanging onto their outdated rules for the greater part of a century, and it ultimately comes down to the new wave of pressure on the system formed by professional athletes in the media and high school athletes finding alternative routes to the pros.

Christian McCaffery, a NFL MVP candidate, and Nick Bosa, the likely Defensive Rookie of the Year, both decided to part ways with college football (Stanford and Ohio State respectively) a year early in order to physically and mentally prepare for the NFL Draft and protect themselves against injuries. Both players understood that preserving their bodies for the NFL scouting process allowed them to secure their position as high draft picks and the large check that comes with it. It was as if the NCAA’s nightmare had come true. Two of the most exciting football prospects in college football came to the realization that there was no benefit to risking an injury or setback in college knowing they were already on draft boards by the time they were seniors in high school. It did not help when top basketball recruits like Lamelo Ball and R.J. Hampton both decided to spend a year playing professional basketball overseas in Australia instead of playing in college. Following the blueprints set by foreign players like Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jusuf Nurkic, these players saw the value of playing against professional athletes. It helped them physically and mentally adjust to a pro-lifestyle involving training, traveling, and dieting. All the while, they were free to explore endorsement and promotion opportunities in addition to being paid a professional salary. When compared to the more demanding and less profitable NCAA, playing overseas is a lot more enticing for athletes who have been noticed by professional teams.

Though college sports still provides under-recruited players with the ability to prove to scouts that they can play at the next level, the NCAA has conducted itself like a business since its creation. With this structure in place, they understand that they cannot afford to lose the big name draws who can bring in millions of dollars in television revenue alone every year, such as McCaffery, Bosa, and Ball. They also cannot afford to make enemies of sporting giants like LeBron James, who has been the loudest advocate for college athletes being able to profit off of their name. However, this is exactly what the NCAA did with the so-called “Rich Paul Rule,” which states that athletes cannot have agents who do not have a bachelor’s degree. Rich Paul, agent to many NBA All-Stars such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Ben Simmons, is a perfect example of what the NCAA does not want interfering with their business. Paul in an op-ed wrote, “NCAA executives are once again preventing young people from less prestigious backgrounds, and often people of color, from working in the system they continue to control.” Thus, the question arose on whether this was just another desperate attempt to keep non-paid college athletes grounded in the NCAA system by isolating them from external revenue and future opportunities, fields in which Rich Paul has excelled in to become the most recognizable agent in the sporting world. This pushed James, who has been heavily critical of the NCAA rules, over the limit. Athletes ultimately follow in the footsteps of their idols, and by making an enemy of the King of Akron, a once in a lifetime player and someone these young stars grew up watching, the NCAA inadvertently propelled the campaign against their own rules by generating a new wave of professional athletes and high star recruits who are ready to fight for the financial rights of college athletes.

For the first time, college athletes and their families are beginning to understand that they have a certain degree of leverage over colleges when deciding where they will take their talents in order to prepare for the professional game. The rise in social media protests against the old NCAA rules and the growth of American sports overseas have put the NCAA in a position where they need the draw of the talent and personalities of these high star recruits as much as the athletes need the NCAA. But as Lebron James tweeted when the new law was passed, this is “not a victory but a start!” And right on schedule, after the new law was passed, the NCAA once again made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

James Wiseman and Chase Young, the prospective number one draft picks in the 2020 NBA and NFL drafts, respectively, were recently suspended due to accusations of receiving money from boosters within the same week. Wiseman was accused of making his decision to play at Memphis University under the influence that coach Penny Hardaway would help move his family out to the city, and Young was accused of taking money, which he has paid back in full since, from a booster so that he could fly his girlfriend out to the Rose Bowl for his game. Though the argument is there to be made that boosters take away from the process of recruiting that makes college sports unique and at times protect athletes in the future transactions, the story written in the headlines will still scream “NCAA separates college athletes from families.” Current players like James, analysts such as Stephen A. Smith, and ex-players such as Jalen Rose and Jay Williams have all expressed their disgust at the situation.

The fact of the matter is the NCAA has already developed a reputation as the greatest enemy to college athletes. Regardless of some rules that may be in place to protect athletes from the likes of binding transactions between boosters and bribes, their long inflexible stance on the financial rights of college athletes will make it hard for them to plead their case to a growing population of support for athletes looking to protect and build themselves as an asset. With the growing controversy over the NCAA suppressing top college recruits in addition to showing signs of vulnerability by succumbing to the recent rule change, college and professional athletes in America can smell the blood in the water, and they know now is the most opportune time to capitalize on their leverage over the NCAA.