Can o Worms College Sports
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Latest cartoon for WoodyPaige.com, a leading platform for sports commentary in the United States and abroad.
A landmark legal ruling was made on June 21, when the Supreme Court ruled for student athletes and against the NCAA in the ongoing battle around the growing treasure chest of riches that college sports (and in particular, football and basketball) annually generates.
The ruling itself is fairly narrow: student athletes can now receive education-related payments outside of their normal scholarships.
But it is notable because the ruling was unanimous (when does that happen anymore with the Supreme Court?), and opens the door for a large number of other changes, including use of name, image and likeness to make money by signing endorsement deals or making personal appearances.
The long-running central argument is a hugely sticky issue, with a long list of pros and cons that have been battled out in the courts and in the news for years. There is a reason big, thorny problems like this don't easily get solved.
And appropriately, one solution often drives a host of side effects; or opening a giant can of worms that manifests itself down the road. Most colleges do not in fact make enormous amounts of money from sports, and athletic departments struggling to make ends meet aren't thrilled with the idea of having to also pay student athletes down the road.
After basketball and football, there are no true revenue generating sports. There is a very real threat that the timetable for the chopping block moves up for these other sports. When the majority of college athletes don't play in the big two sports, this is no small concern.
The rich teams with the biggest television contracts and sponsorship opportunities stand to gain the most from these changes. Expect another interesting development: bidding wars for athletes. Again, hard to see how the smaller schools can effectively compete with the new set of rules.
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