Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby didn’t waste time in dispensing harsh words Monday at the Big 12 Media Days.
Many sports journalists hadn’t settled down for their first cup of coffee before Bowlsby started trending on Twitter.
That’s not hard to do when a commissioner from one of the major collegiate conferences says, “cheating pays.”
The issue of enforcement was one of many problems Bowlsby said college sports face. He effectively pointed a finger right at the NCAA, whom he said hasn’t had an infractions committee meeting in a year.
Perhaps the most damning argument made was his claim that enforcement is “broken” in the NCAA.
It’s hard to dismiss such a wild claim. It’s been three years since the NCAA last doled out its most recent major punishment to Ohio State.
However, one could make the case Ohio State got off rather easy. Losing five scholarships, three years of probation and a one-year bowl ban for paying players seems light.
But that seems to be the problem the NCAA faces. For all of the power the NCAA thinks it has, it doesn’t have the teeth to enforce their rules.
Universities and colleges have sole power of college athletics. One could specifically point to college football, particularly in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) realm. The money generated from powerhouse football programs rules all.
It’s one of the reasons why Bowlsby’s claim is valid. The NCAA isn’t going to dole out the death penalty to Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon or even Ohio State.
They’d be stupid to do so, what with the money those programs bring in with their television contracts, ticket and merchandise sales.
That adds on to his second argument involving the disparity between college programs.
It’s not hard to see the opulence Texas, Alabama and Florida have over smaller institutions. That disparity will drive a divide in the collegiate ranks, according to Bowlsby.
It’s difficult to disagree. Smaller colleges and universities are struggling to keep up with well-funded schools. And that’s going beyond just football.
Other sports are struggling with our nation’s favorite sport. Funding isn’t as lucrative, and in some cases, isn’t there at all for some programs. It’s worse in smaller schools, which sometimes have to drop programs, alienating athletes all together.
And then there’s the concern over the amateurism of college athletics.
Bowlsby referenced several lawsuits the NCAA is facing. One of them, O’Bannon vs. NCAA, could drastically change the way the NCAA operates.
That anti-trust lawsuit, brought on by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon, could force the NCAA to compensate athletes for having their names, images and likenesses used for commercial purposes.
With the case completed on June 27, a ruling could be handed down soon.
Should the NCAA lose the case, which many believe they will, it would eliminate the notion of amateurism in college athletics.
But is that a bad thing, though? After all, today’s college sports stars are treated much differently than those of yesteryear.
The way the NCAA markets their star athletes is akin to what the NFL or NBA does to theirs.
The only difference is the NCAA doesn’t dole out a paycheck to its players.
It’s hard to say, though, if paying players is the right thing to do. Not all schools and programs can afford to do that.
But Bowlsby is on the right track; he’s not far off.
College sports are at a crossroads. What we know as the NCAA today could be extinct in the near future.
