[Goose]

IMHO the NCAA has to either get out of the fairness side of the equation or the profit side of the equation.

I do not think this is a real choice.  If the NCAA gets out of the fairness side of the equation then Stanford and any other universities who have a shred of integrity will leave big-time sports. And then there are laws like Title IX to consider.  Who here thinks the NCAA is about to be hit with a massive Title IX lawsuit over the basketball tournaments?  

The more collegiate sports become professionalized, the more they are driven by economic interests, the more compromises made with academic values, the more student-athletes become expendable employees in a quasi-labor market for running the collegiate athletics "business,"-- the closer we will come to Stanford exiting all high level sports.  It has already started, has it not?  I really think trends are against the beautiful and increasingly rare blending of high level academic and athletic talents that our university has attempted to create.  And that saddens me to no end.

Don't disagree. That is why I proposed an organization where the management was a "non-profit" organization that distributed the proceeds. They would (and must) pay attention to the "fairness" side of the equation. The organization they hire to market the college sports would have no say in that. The SEC may not sign on to such an arrangement, but they might not have a choice. I think separating the two functions into distinct organizations, one of which is a "contractor" to the other is the only way to ensure the "collegiate" influence has any chance of asserting itself.
Actually, Stanford isn't exiting the "high level" sports. They are exiting some very important sports that don't make money. I also don't think we can in any way blame this on the NCAA. This is a totally self-inflicted wound, which makes it all the worse.

[Goose]

IMHO the NCAA has to either get out of the fairness side of the equation or the profit side of the equation.

I do not think this is a real choice.  If the NCAA gets out of the fairness side of the equation then Stanford and any other universities who have a shred of integrity will leave big-time sports. And then there are laws like Title IX to consider.  Who here thinks the NCAA is about to be hit with a massive Title IX lawsuit over the basketball tournaments?  

The more collegiate sports become professionalized, the more they are driven by economic interests, the more compromises made with academic values, the more student-athletes become expendable employees in a quasi-labor market for running the collegiate athletics "business,"-- the closer we will come to Stanford exiting all high level sports.  It has already started, has it not?  I really think trends are against the beautiful and increasingly rare blending of high level academic and athletic talents that our university has attempted to create.  And that saddens me to no end.

Don't disagree. That is why I proposed an organization where the management was a "non-profit" organization that distributed the proceeds. They would (and must) pay attention to the "fairness" side of the equation. The organization they hire to market the college sports would have no say in that. The SEC may not sign on to such an arrangement, but they might not have a choice. I think separating the two functions into distinct organizations, one of which is a "contractor" to the other is the only way to ensure the "collegiate" influence has any chance of asserting itself.
Actually, Stanford isn't exiting the "high level" sports. They are exiting some very important sports that don't make money. I also don't think we can in any way blame this on the NCAA. This is a totally self-inflicted wound, which makes it all the worse.