A Bill to Fix College Sports?
There’s a movement afoot in congress to Try to Fix College Sports. This edition of the Try to Fix College Sports bill seems relatively benign:
A framework of a bill is expected to include three main concepts:
- A “limited antitrust protection” that, in part, “codifies the House settlement to allow the NCAA and power conferences to enforce eligibility and transfer rules as well as rules around the new revenue-sharing structure.”
- A clause “deeming athletes as students and not employees” with a “possible sunset on that provision after a set number of years.”
- A “pre-emption of existing NIL state laws, many of which contradict the settlement and/or NCAA rules.”
[By way of background/reminder, the House settlement creates an effective salary cap of about $20.5m per school that increases annually during the 10 year deal, and gives conferences an increased ability to police NIL deals between athletes and boosters, which is intended to keep teams from using their boosters to circumvent the $20.5m cap.]
My thoughts –- I don’t care about bullet #2 very much if players are getting paid like the House settlement allows them too. The third seems like necessary housekeeping. #1 is the show. It would allow the NCAA to enforce some rules without getting sued into the stone age, so you’d likely see the return of the one-time transfer exemption. That would put an end to the vision quest careers where dudes end up at four different schools in four years. This could have major, major implications for Deion Sanders and the way that he puts his roster together. I think this is one of the reasons that we’ve seen an increased emphasis this year for recruiting high school players.
To be fair, we’re currently at a ridiculous crossroads where a bunch of basketball players with no eligibility left (cough Julian Hammond cough) are putting their names in the portal anyway because someone’s suing to end eligibility limits:
The NCAA’s rule on eligibility has always centered around a 5-year eligibility clock — which is to say that athletes have always been given five years to play four seasons, pending special injury exemptions or waivers. That rule could also be challenged pending litigation in New Jersey. In that case, a potential injunction could throw into question the enforceability of the five-year rule by the NCAA. Hence, the need for the limited antitrust provision, which would stop the dumb litigation claims made against the NCAA.
The pendulum has swung too far towards anarchy; Congress needs to give the NCAA the ability to enforce something or NCAA will be filled with players like Miami tight end Cam McCormick, who gained a 9th (yes, 9th!!!!) year of eligibility due to injury, COVID add-on, and more. When college players start looking like Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School, you know there’s an NCAA eligibility problem.
Brett Yomark Gets an Extension – and We Have Some Ideas
The Big 12 announced this week that Brett Yormark has signed a three-year extension, keeping him in charge through 2030. Yormark originally signed on in 2022 after Bob Bowlsby stepped down, inheriting a conference on shaky ground after Oklahoma and Texas bolted for the SEC. Two years later, it’s fair to say Yormark has stabilized the Big 12 with the “4 Corner” schools….and now it’s clear that Big 12 Presidents want Yomark to lead the conference through the next round of massive college football realignment, which is projected to hit sometime in the 2029/2030 timeframe.
Why this timeframe? The Big 12’s tv deal expires with the 2030 season. The ACC buyout fee drops dramatically in 2030 (from $165 million to $75 million), part of the settlement between the ACC and Florida State / Clemson. The college football playoff deal ends in 2031. In other words, starting around 2029/2030, all hell’s going to break loose again….and the Big 12 wants Yomark leading its cause.
I like Yomark. He’s done a good job solidifying the Big 12, but he’s also focused on the feel and experience of the Big 12. He’s pushed upgrades to the football and basketball championships (but the basketball court for the Big 12 tournament was hideous), added a conference-wide football pro day (a first in college sports) and pitched bold ideas like Big 12 Mexico, an initiative to take football and basketball games south of the border.
How else can he differentiate the Big 12 from other more “traditional” conferences? We here at BuffsBlog have some ideas…..some of these are good, some are terrible, but they’re all….ideas. So let’s go!
Big 12 Reality Series — A behind-the-scenes docuseries (think Netflix’s Drive to Survive or Quarterback) following a season in football or basketball. Put it on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Esports League — Launch a Big 12 esports conference, tapping into a younger, digitally native audience. Make Big 12 teams give out full athletic scholarships for esports “athletes,” and put the competition on YouTube and other kid-friendly streaming services.
Athlete Media Camp — Offer media training and branding workshops for athletes, helping them maximize NIL opportunities and turning them into stars who promote the Big 12 brand organically.
Big 12 Data + Analytics Lab — Partner with a university or tech company to build a Big 12 data lab focusing on advanced stats, fan engagement analytics, and sports science — positioning the league as an innovation leader. Make a cutting-edge app with live streams, AR experiences, player stats, and fan engagement tools. This could also lead to….
Big 12 Fantasy Sports Platform — Launch an official Big 12 fantasy sports game (football and basketball), complete with prizes, merch, and VIP experiences for top finishers. This could also lead to….
Enhanced Betting Partnerships — Work with legal sports betting operators to develop Big 12-specific content, in-game betting options, and responsible gambling campaigns tailored to the conference.
Big 12 Festival Weekend — Combine the conference championship football game (or other major game(s) during the regular season) with a major music and food festival, using Yormark’s Roc Nation ties to bring in big-name acts.
More Women’s Sports Investment — Go big on women’s basketball and volleyball, leveraging the current surge in women’s sports popularity and broadcasting momentum.
What to Know: BuffsBlog Bites
Julian “JuJu” Lewis is helping recruit high school players. He understands the assignment.
This might help explain why CB Ben Bouzi entered the transfer portal last month.
I’m feeling good about Breck Kolojay to Colorado. Note the background.
Some CU fans take football a little too seriously. Which one of you degenerates was it?!?! [Psst, you’re going to lose.]
Michael Pollock chimes in on the continued slander of Sheduer Sanders.
Texas Tech is spending HUGE NIL money this offseason in advance of the House settlement. They’d better do it now, because once they’re playing on an even playing-field with the salary cap, no one is going to live in Lubbock.
An interesting read ($) on Iowa State’s golden era of sports. Important notes here on how to cultivate a fan base.
And last….
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I want a full Dateline-style expose on who filed the lawsuit against the NFL for $100m.
Keep up the good work.
I thought the Big 12 basketball court was awesome!
I’m older than my age….I need to stop yelling at kids to get off my lawn.