What's the solution to all the scandals and rule-breaking in NCAA sports? Privatizing athletics would solve many of the issues we see in the NCAA today.
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Privatizing NCAA Sport
1. Reform in College Athletics
Is it possible, and how do we do it?
Michael Wood
2. Agenda
• What‟s wrong with college sports?
• What is the NCAA doing wrong?
• Added benefits for athletes
o Education & Graduation Rates
o Facilities, Training, Tutoring
• Financing big-time college athletics
• Scandals & Investigations
o Major Violations
o Others receiving sanctions
• What‟s the common denominator?
• Can it be fixed?
o Benefits to NCAA, member institutions, college sports
3. What’s wrong with college sports?
• In short, a lot.
o Recruiting violations abound
o Scholarships & graduation rates skewed
o Sexual abuse/assault
o Athletes accepting illegal benefits
o Allocation of university funds
o Revenue streams - no royalties to athletes
o Major scandals are increasing
o Scheduling issues (BCS)
• Has skyrocketed in last decade
o Over 20 different institutions have received
sanctions since „00
• NCAA serves as feeder program for pros
4. What is the NCAA
doing wrong?
• Hasn‟t evolved quick enough
• Governing body?
• Power hungry + bottom line
based
o Myles Brand - $900,000 tax-exempt
o Mark Emmert – Base: $620,000….. Wash.
Severance - $906,500
• Failure to adequately punish
programs who are repeat
offenders
o Lack of control – pushover parent
5. Education & Graduation
• Disappearance of the“Student-athlete”and
emergence of the“Athlete-student”
• “Clustering” places athletes in several cupcake
classes in areas useless towards a degree
o “Majoring in eligibility”
• The GSR put forth by the NCAA shows a higher
graduation rate, but data is skewed and incorrect
• NCAA‟s 40-60-80 rule doesn‟t allow students to
change majors/minors
o 40% after 4 semesters, 60% after 6, 80% after 8
6. Facilities, Training, Tutoring
• Disparity between
students and athletes
• Tutoring and training
facilities are often
exclusive to athletes
• Most facilities are built on
tuition money collected
from average students
7. Other things to consider
• “Special studies” as a major
o Soc, psych, comm, org. leadership, underwater movement
• Individual tutors for “special” athletes
• Pressure on faculty to pass star players
• What exactly is the role of an academic tutor??
• Consider this: David Ridpath - Ohio University, "The
big problem with these academic centers for me is
very clear . . . The goal is to keep the kids eligible so
the school benefits financially, and there's a big
difference between keeping kids eligible and
helping them get a viable college education."
8. • Why are athletes so much
more deserving than students?
10. Scandals & Investigations
In last 20 years… (20+ since 2001)
• Alabama (3) • North Carolina
• Arizona • Ohio State (2)
• Auburn • Penn State
• Baylor • SMU
• Colorado (2)
• South Carolina (2)
• Duke
• Florida State (2) • Syracuse (2)
• Hawaii • Tennessee (2)
• Kentucky (3) • Texas Tech
• Louisville • UCLA
• Memphis • USC (4)
• Miami (4) • Uconn (2)
• Michigan (2) • UMass
11. Major Violations
• SMU (1986) – The only NCAA Death Penalty case in
history. For 10 years, paid athletes to come play for
SMU. Other recruiting violations.
• Miami (’89-’93; ‘11) – Advisors falsifying Pell grants
led to over $200,000 wrongly awarded to football
players; illegal benefits, money, recruiting violations
• USC (‘04) – Forced to vacate BCS title and
revenues, given 3-yr probation + loss of scholarships
because tailback Reggie Bush accepted $300,000
in benefits from agents, faculty and tutors
12. Major Violations
• Florida State (‘08) – 61 players across 10 different
sports received answers to tests or had tutors take
them. NCAA forced FSU to vacate the ‟06 and ‟07
seasons and pay back royalties owed.
• Memphis (‘08) – Forced to vacate championship
appearance and pay back $500,000 in tournament
revenues after falsifying athlete SAT scores
• Ohio State (‘10) – Stripped of 5 scholarships and
fired coach Jim Tressel for „Failure to monitor‟
• Alabama (‘11) – self-imposed impermissible
benefits, memorabilia scandal
13. Others Receiving Sanctions
• Colorado football (’97-’-3) – rape, illegal recruiting
• Baylor basketball (‘03) - murder
• Duke lacrosse (‘06) – rape, sexual abuse
• Louisville basketball (‘09) – rape, sexual assault
• Michigan football (‘10) – failure to promote
atmosphere of compliance
• Texas Tech football (‘10) – illegal use of closet
• Auburn football (‘10) – illegal recruiting
• Penn State (‘11) – alleged sexual abuse
• Syracuse (‘11) – alleged sexual abuse
• Hawaii (‘11) – point-shaving
14. What’s the common
denominator?
LACK OF
INSTITUTIONAL
CONTROL
Because of the $ at stake...
17. Privatize College Athletics
• Move college sport into the public sector
o Taxable, can be sued, all the characteristics of major corp.
o Athletes are employees, can be paid; coaches too
o Frees all parties from worrying about “amateurism”
o Equals playing field – no “leeching” by low-revenue schools
• License trademarks/logos out to subsidiaries
o Pay a licensing fee to univ. for naming rights, logos etc.
o School keeps profits from fees, no penalty for shortfalls
• CEO of Athletics – like an AD, with power
o Function is to ensure program is self-sustaining
18. What Changes Here?
• Athletic depts. get to act like money machines
• No need to try to coexist with academics
o Funding + spending can remain separate for each
o Let athletes be athletes, students be students
o Both would improve w/greater attention to their needs
• Athletes who aren‟t in school for school don‟t have
to worry about studying
• Athletes are employees – eligible for
taxes, royalties, worker‟s compensation, agency
representation
• Unions
o Players Union of College Sports
19. What about the NCAA?
• Effectively eliminates the NCAA
altogether
o Hasn‟t proven it can evolve fast enough to keep up
• Alternatively, scrap the NCAA
rulebook, govern club and non-revenue
generating sport
• TREAT ATHLETICS LIKE A BUSINESS
o Texas, OSU, Florida all generated over $100 million
revenue in ‟09
20. Ethical Considerations
• Is this the “right” thing to do?
o Hard to say
• It does however seem like one of
the only ways to “fix” majority of
the problems in college sport.