Is the NCAA going to restructure Division I?
There is little doubt that NCAA Division I athletics is about one thing, and one thing only, in spite of what we are led to believe: money.
Money has forced the re-organization of plenty of major corporations in the course of American history, and has led to the downfall of countless others.
Just as it does in the private sector, money is forcing the NCAA to re-think how it is structured, with the possibility of splitting Division I into two separate entities according to reports. With the widening gap between the big-money DI schools (think Texas, USC, Ohio State) and everyone else, it’s become painfully obvious that these schools operate under a completely separate set of rules and general business practices from their smaller counterparts.
As mega TV deals and sponsorship agreements have become the norm, rather than the exception to the rule, the rich continue to get richer and everyone else is left behind.
It appears that NCAA president Mark Emmert has finally recognized this, and has begun to be more open about the possibility of DI being restructured to better mirror this separation between revenue-generating schools and those who are barely self-sustaining.
It’s an interesting co-incidence that rumors of restructuring are coming at the same time of discussions of an additional $2,000 per calendar year stipend paid to help student-athletes better cover their expenses.
By separating the revenue-generating DI schools from their smaller and less money-rich competitors, the NCAA could finally stop playing charades and admit to what it truly has become: a minor-league system for professional sports which does not give it’s participants the benefits of being minor league players (i.e. cash).
We can all see the writing on the wall. Big-time collegiate sports no longer has anything to do with the “amateur ideal” that was so often espoused by the NCAA throughout the 80s and 90s.
It’s just not true.
The sooner that organizational structure of the NCAA reflects economic reality, the better for all schools who are trying to be competitive and give their “student-athletes” the best collegiate experience possible.
Leave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!