The NCAA was backed into a corner and looking for a bail-out.
Bail-out has become a common term in America, with every recession needing the government to fork over enough money to keep the economy rolling. In the NCAA’s case, a bail-out is a get-out-of-jail card.
When California passed laws that said its college athletes could sell their names, images or likenesses for money they don’t get now, the NCAA was backed into a corner for one of the few times.
What were the NCAA’s options, rule players who signed NIL contracts ineligible, along with schools they played for? Don’t think so.
So, the NCAA passed legislation that said all athletes across America can do what California passed and left conferences to come back with a plan on how they would do it.
Bubba Cunningham and UNC responded this week, and it wasn’t pretty. Without any framework from the NCAA, UNC’s athletic director said this way to play players could create a cesspool much more insidious than certain parts of college sports already is.
How would you do that anyway? The question has to be split into two answers, one for the big-time already-branded athletes like Zion Williamson and one for star athletes known more locally.
Shoe and apparel companies that are already involved might say to Zion, “We can handle your NIL contracts by putting your name on our jerseys and all other marketable products.” One of Cunningham’s fears is that, with big names already under contract, NIKE and Adidas might cut their multi-million-dollar allotment to colleges.
On the local level, let’s take Luke Maye, who was among the most popular athletes in UNC history. Thousands of fans might by Luke Maye-branded jerseys and t-shirts, but who is going to handle those negotiations and deals with apparel makers and local souvenir stores?
Cunningham sees that as a breeding ground for agents, or else turn it over to the marketing staff at schools that already have their hands full and don’t have the training to act as reps.
Those are just two of the many potential problems Bubba cites. And he is right.
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