Tag Archives: College Athletics

Can A Billionaire Donor Save College Athletics?

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I just read a little story about billionaire donor Cody Campbell who thinks he has the solution to the problems in college athletics. I’ve written about corruption in the NCAA so many times I just don’t have the energy to write yet another article on all the problems but the solution offered in this case does dovetail nicely into some other issues involving the super-rich.

In this case, Campbell, a billionaire donor to the Texas Tech athletic program warns if the problem isn’t fixed, athletes will suffer if colleges shutdown their athletic programs. He’s all worried about those talented athletes.

What the Billionaire Donor has to Say

Here is the quote from Campbell about the nature of the problem.

College Sports are broken, and those who first made the mess and profit handsomely from the status quo do not want to fix it. Without meaningful change, opportunities for thousands and thousands of talented student athletes will disappear and women’s and Olympics sports programs will be canceled.

You can see how worried he is about those student athletes. How concerned he is. How he stays up late at night with worry about their future. You can almost see the pain and grief visibly manifest itself in his impassioned plea.

Who Can Fix College Athletics?

The problems in college athletics have everything to do with money, that’s a fact, but it’s not that athletes are finally get to share the revenue. It’s the enormous amount of money and revenue generated for these sports. Billionaire donor Campbell, and his many cohorts and predecessors, are the root of the problem.

I don’t deny that college athletics has big problems. There was a time, long ago, when revenue wasn’t the main factor in amateur sports. It was the spirit of competition. Giving young people the benefit of sport to enhance their lives. There was a time when the head coach at State U. wasn’t the highest paid public official in the state.

There was a time when billionaire donors didn’t sit in luxury boxes to impress clients and purchase, that is to say, entertain politicians.

There was a time when college athletics was about the athlete. That time is no more, in large part to Campbell, the NCAA itself, the court system, and politicians.

Conclusion

I’m not going to get into a long and technical discussion about how to fix the mess that’s been made. I’m just going to make a simple statement. If you’re looking to fix college athletics, the last place you want to look for solutions is billionaire donors. They aren’t interested in fixing the problem, they’re interested in increasing profit.

The Solution to Problems in College Athletics is best addressed by Billionaire Donors

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Tom Liberman

Court Storming is Already Banned the Question is Enforcement

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Court Storming

There’s a lot of buzz on all the sports channels about banning Court Storming thanks to a couple of incidents involving high-profile players. Basically, a team wins a game and the fans storm onto the court to celebrate. This often leaves the players on the losing side in a dangerous situation as they attempt to dodge the excited, and often inebriated fans.

The sports pundits are all talking about banning court storming and wagging their fingers at the dangerous situation. It’s bad. It should stop. Golly gee, aren’t they all Dr. Einstein. Thanks for the heads-up on the situation.

Court Storming is Largely Banned

Almost every professional sports league has rules against storming the field or court. Most college conference implement heavy fines on schools where court storming takes place. The ACC is the only exception.

There are generally dividers to keep fans from doing it although these are easily bypassed. Almost every school has security officials stationed at the game to prevent court storming.

It continues to happen on a regular basis all across the country. Let’s not even talk about the celebrations that happen on the streets which are even more dangerous.

How to Stop Court Storming

The question is not if court storming is dangerous, it’s how to stop it. I’ve watched and read the pundits complain about it during almost every sports show and article I’ve read in the last few weeks. Rarely do I find anyone talking about the enforcement issue. How do we stop court storming? If thousands of people want to rush onto the court, it’s not easy stop.

Arresting people is difficult when you’ve got so many storming the court and relatively little security available to do it. You can fine people, ban them from attending, even put them in jail for a few days but that’s a big strain on the system and costs money.

Sure, you can post an army of security people, horses, dogs, and all the rest. That is moderately effective although at a football game with nearly a hundred thousand people in the stands, good luck. The problem is you cannot possibly hire that kind of security for every sports events. Some of these school make a huge amount of money from their athletic programs but many do not.

What’s the Answer?

I’m not sure there is a good answer to this problem. I think extra security, barriers, and penalties for those that do engage in court storming is a good idea. I’d like to see more security in these situations but I’m not sure you can stop a mob of people from doing what they want, often alcohol infused people.

Conclusion

My biggest problem with this entire discussion is that most people aren’t even talking about the solution. They just want to ban court storming without thinking through the process of doing so. We all understand the problem, how about we start talking in a meaningful way about how to implement it.

Tom Liberman

Who Decides if there will be College Football?

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College Football

Will there be college football is a question on the minds of many people these days but I have a different query. Who gets to decide if there will be college football? Coaches? Players? Politicians? The NCAA? Television networks? College administrations?

My question is not an easy one to answer because how far the tendrils of money spread from the game. If there is no college football it will affect a lot of people in a negative fashion and a lot of money won’t be made. In addition, my hatred of the NCAA as a whole undoubtedly clouds my vision. Nevertheless, I will attempt to come up with an answer.

First, I will dismiss the single party that absolutely should have no say whatsoever, despite their bleating to the contrary, politicians. There is no reason for politicians to get involved in this difficult decision in any shape, manner, or form. I tell all lawmakers, whether wanting a college football season to take place or against such, shut your miserable pie holes. Shut them now, stay out. Out!

The moneyed interests are significant. The NCAA makes a huge amount of money from the college football games. The colleges themselves, at least in the Power Five conferences, make enormous sums. The clothing manufacturers who give hundred million-dollar contracts to the schools to showcase their jerseys have a gargantuan financial interest. The television networks and all their employees have a stake. The coaches are paid to coach, not sit on the sidelines and their luxurious lifestyle is in jeopardy if there are no games. The star athletes get exposure and potentially lucrative professional contracts if they play.

The NCAA would certainly like there to be games but if the players intermingle with the regular student body they risk infection and transmission of Covid. The NCAA doesn’t have the luxury of creating a “bubble” like professional athletics. If the so-called student-athletes aren’t allowed to attend school; the entire façade of not paying the players falls apart. It becomes legally clear they are employees of the school, how this reality has evaded the courts for so long baffles me. I shall wax no further on that subject.

So, who decides? Everyone is tainted by financial gain or the potential of such. A clear decision in regards to the health of the players, coaches, and staff of the teams cannot easily be determined by people compromised so. It’s a mess, I readily admit as much, but I have an answer to my question at least.

Each university or college must be the final arbiters of the season as a whole. If a college is unwilling to open the doors to live, in-session classes, then it cannot expect athletes to perform. It is a decision for the boards and presidents of the schools in question. If one Big Ten school says no and another says yes, that’s fine. Schedule accordingly.

Likewise, participation is a choice for each player, coach, and staff member. There are consequences certainly, a player who refuses to play might be removed from the team or have their scholarship revoked. A player who participates, catches Covid, and suffers serious medical consequences has every right to sue for damages.

It’s a messy solution, I agree. It’s a solution that will result in some schools playing and other schools not doing so, I admit. It is, to my mind, the only solution that makes any sense.

Freedom is free, it just isn’t safe.

Tom Liberman