(08-13-2023, 01:19 PM)PersonalLegend Wrote: The moment recruiting started was the moment sports no longer served the university mission. NIL and the portal are simply an extension of that reality.
The NCAA tried to keep a lid on it for decades.
The only return of sports to the university ideal is a return to amateurism. That would be uninteresting in an age where there is more to be made from supporting sports betting than from supporting graduation rates.
“The NCAA tried to keep a lid on it for decades”.
Therein lies the tale.
Beginning with the NCAA v. Regents decision in 1984, the NCAA has been on a legal losing string that would embarrass the Washington Generals. Had the NCAA simply discontinued its strategy of Dilly, Dally and Staal (my favorite law firm) and negotiated with aggrieved parties, they could have prevented much of what is transpiring today.
Instead, they chose to let the states and courts (up to, and including, the Supreme Court) set the rules of engagement. And that is never a good idea.
Add to this, the change in television viewing habits that has led to a premium on live entertainment. Today, televised sports events are the coin of the realm. At the college level, the demand for games between highly talented squads has never been greater. This demand has led to a conference landscape that would make Elbridge Gerry proud.
The momentum is definitely on the side of football being separated from the other college sports (under an umbrella that would feature an NFL-like structure with a CBA providing oversight).
Quite frankly, the sooner the better………