Congress can take a look under the hood. Â
Miami, Florida area Congresswoman Donna Shalala is demanding the House of Representative and the Senate take a close look at the workings of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Shalala who headed up two big time college sports schools, the University of Miami and the University of Wisconsin, has introduced legislation asking Congress to create a commission to study college sports. There are all sorts of problems that the NCAA needs to address including sexual assaults committed by athletes along with Dr. Larry Nasser and Jerry Sandusky. The NCAA did nothing when Baylor University football players were accused of sexual assault. Baylor did fire the coach Art Briles and reassigned the university president Ken Starr to another position. Baylor paid Briles $15 million to go away and gave Starr, who investigated President Bill Clinton in the Whitewater real estate probe which ultimately led to Clinton’s impeachment in something totally unrelated to the original investigation, got $4 million to leave.
The NCAA is dealing with a federal probe of wrong doing in the college basketball industry and has to face a future starting in 2023 in California where players can make money off of their faces through marketing deals. Other states could be headed down the same payment path. The NCAA has not really experienced any wrath from fans or the people who pay the bills. Advertising partners and media companies. The NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament or March Madness goes on despite arrests and jail sentences handed out in a bribery scheme. The college football championship game has not lost any luster. People don’t care as long as they get entertainment. The college sports industry would not exist without players but college players don’t get paid to perform. As long as the TV, marketing, high end ticket buyer’s money train keeps rolling why fix what isn’t broken?
