The NCAA boss is taking the money while he lasts.

One of the more shocking stories that has come out recently reports that Mark Emmert earned $2.9 million in fiscal year 2019-20, which was a raise while the NCAA he runs and its member schools were on their way to losing billions.

As President of the NCAA, Emmert has been on fire for most of his 11 years on the job. He may have been contracted for making that much when the pandemic began to cripple college athletics, but it seems a wholly unfair share while schools lost hundreds of millions in ticket sales, reduced TV revenues, donations and sponsorships. NCAA distributions to conferences were severely cut.

At the same time, the tax return for that year shows the NCAA paid almost $70 million on legal fees against Name, Image, Likeness lawsuits by various states and organizations repping athletes.

Among the legal challenges the NCAA faced during that period was the Alston antitrust case, which ended in June 2021 with the Supreme Court unanimously ruling against the association. The was the dam breaking on athletes being paid for the NIL, beginning July 1.

While Emmert did take a 20 percent cut in his salary during a portion of the fscal year, his ending income turned out to be more than he made in the prior year and far more than he made as a college president. “Mark Emmert grew his wealth while he cut corners for his employees and cheated his players out of name, image, and likeness,” said Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, a frequent NCAA critic.

While it has received kudos for running its championship events, in 2021 the NCAA was caught allowing unequal training and other benefits between men and women sports. That doesn’t seem like much, but the federal law Title IX makes it clearly illegal.

While the NCAA’s survival as a non-profit organization remains to be seen, calls for a restructure of governance have grown louder in recent years. The most common cry is for there to be commissioners named for revenue-producing sports football and basketball, which have distinctly different challenges and problems.

Look for ex-coaches or athletic directors to get those positions, which makes more sense since they know the nuances of their sports far better than administrative suits making $6- and 7-figure salaries.

( featured image, AP Photo/Susan Walsh)


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.