Once the curtain is pulled back, the illusion is gone
forever.
Republicans know. Since the election of President Obama,
their primary objective was to object his every move. For seven years, the
façade remained. No, they weren’t against Obama – just his policies. They were
merely fighting for middle class America. It was bullshit, but it worked.
Then Justice Antonin Scalia passed away and before the body
was even in the ground, Republican Senators were denying President Obama’s
future Supreme Court nominee.
At this moment, Republicans pulled back the curtain and
revealed itself as obstructionists. Things got no better when Obama
nominated Merrick Garland, essentially an American law hero from his work following
the Oklahoma City bombing and far more moderate than whoever Hillary
Clinton will nominate in 2017.
As the public overwhelmingly
disagrees with Republican refusal to not even meet with Garland, it is
remarkable how pointless the exercise has been. Republicans, through basic rules
of government procedure, could have dragged their feet for months. Instead, the
GOP will be lucky to survive 2016.
However, it was very much a surprise the ban on satellite camps was approved, and it has set in motion what could be the end of the NCAA in its current form. The U.S. Department of Justice – aka, the entity that finally took
down FIFA – has reportedly
set its sights on the NCAA.
For everyone who wants to see student-athletes treated
fairly and receive their fair share, this is the best piece of news in decades.
The NCAA has consistently hid behind the welfare of
student-athletes as why they opposed so many initiatives that the general
public supported. Why couldn’t we have a college football playoff? The kids
need to be in class. Why can’t they get paid? The kids are amateurs. Why can’t
they transfer immediately? The kids need to graduate.
Just as the GOP spun its obstruction to Obama, the NCAA and
conference commissioners spun its decisions as a way to support
student-athletes. While we knew it was bullshit, there was a kernel of truth
that kept the illusion alive.
But the satellite camp vote changed everything.
It was very clear, from the very beginning, that satellite
camps benefit the student-athlete. It gives them more opportunities to perform
in front of more coaches. The vast majority of these athletes aren’t being
recruited by Michigan or Alabama – they are looking for a place to play
anywhere, on the FBS, FCS or lower level. The only aggrieved party from
satellite camps were a select few Power Five football coaches and programs.
To compound the issues of banning camps, the votes revealed
how decisions are being made without any inclination to think about
student-athletes. In fact, almost every party involved – save the SEC – was
voting against its best interests.
This was made painfully, and publicly, clear when Pac-12
commissioner Larry Scott said that 11 of 12 Pac-12 schools were
against the ban. Except UCLA AD Dan Guerrero, the Pac-12’s representative,
voted for the ban. Since the Power Conference votes count as double – hmm, that
sounds like a cartel – Guerrero’s vote clinched the ban.
While the SEC was leading the charge, the ACC was right
there with them. It was another curious move since less than half of the ACC
would benefit from a ban. How is it good for Pittsburgh, Syracuse or Boston
College to ban camps? Louisville has been mining Florida for talent for years –
they would vote to ban an access point to that talent? Why would Wake Forest or
Duke care?
Even more head-scratching was the decision by the Sun Belt
to vote in favor of the ban. You could argue that no conference benefited more
than the Sun Belt, whose teams are located in recruit-rich areas but are not
competing with the SEC for talent. A Michigan satellite camp in the South is a
boon to Sun Belt schools. Rumors of the SEC threatening to stop scheduling Sun
Belt teams, and withholding those million-dollar checks, began flying
immediately.
I hope the DOJ starts digging because it’s about time the
government got its hands dirty with the NCAA. There is arguably no
bigger racket in American sports. The NCAA had the audacity to sign another
billion-dollar deal for the NCAA Tournament, proudly state that the money will
be funneled to student-athletes and then immediately
ban an initiative that thousands of student-athletes use to get scholarships.
The beauty is how truly pointless the entire satellite camp
debate was to begin with. Who cares? If they continued, would anything in
college football change?
Instead, they won’t continue and there’s the very real
possibility that everything changes.
Comments
Post a Comment