NCAA vote opens door for yet another new world in college sports

The NCAA’s top governing board voted unanimously Tuesday to allow players the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.

Welcome to another new world for college athletics.

The NCAA says, of course, these benefits must be attained in a manner consistent with the collegiate model. The NCAA has directed each of its three divisions to immediately consider updates to relevant bylaws and policies, according to board chairman Michael V Drake.

Thus far, the NCAA hasn’t mentioned the fact this vote will throw a wrench into what was expected to be a court battle and the kangaroo court that keeps college athletics under its thumb doesn’t have a good record there.

Drake said the move was made because the NCAA has to embrace change.

“Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education,” he said. “This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including the full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”

Below is the listed guidelines and principals the NCAA wants to follow:

• Assure student-athletes are treated similarly to non-athlete students unless a compelling reason exists to differentiate.

• Maintain the priorities of education and the collegiate experience to provide opportunities for student-athlete success.

• Ensure rules are transparent, focused and enforceable and facilitate fair and balanced competition.

• Make clear the distinction between collegiate and professional opportunities.

• Make clear that compensation for athletics performance or participation is impermissible.

• Reaffirm that student-athletes are students first and not employees of the university.

• Enhance principles of diversity, inclusion and gender equity.

• Protect the recruiting environment and prohibit inducements to select, remain at, or transfer to a specific institution.

The NCAA said they gathered input from athletic directors, presidents, commissioner and student-athletes before making this decision.

The NCAA is also asking each of its divisions to create new rules no later than January 2021.

The new rules aren’t expected to be in effect until January 2021.

Exactly how schools handle the logisitcs of all this are still, obviously, unknown. Coaches are scratching their heads wondering how they’ll manage the inevitable lockerroom issues this potentially causes.

There are issues in pro sports where it often comes down to how good your agent is as much as anything.

Maybe the most important of the bullet items listed above is the last one and in the major sports that one’s going to be impossible to control or regulate for coaches, administrators.

In today’s world with social media and instant communications, how long will it take for recruits to find out which schools offer the best sponsorship deals?

Owners in pro sports have used that money (that doesn’t fall under salary caps) as added inducements to sign free agents or retain the biggest names.

Now that’s going to filter down to college athletics.

And, as we said, forever change that world … again.