Search Results: ncaa

• NCAA Allows Athletes Profit off of their Likeness

  Jul 5, 2021 Andrew Williams 0 Comments

   

   The NCAA an institution that has been built on the backs of amateur athletes and under the premise that these athletes participate in these lucrative events in exchange for free education has changed their whole point of view. The NCAA on Wednesday June 30th agreed to allow college athletes to make money of their Name, Image and Likeness as of July 1 2021. In layman’s terms these athletes are now able to ink endorsement deals, sell autographs and even profit off YouTube and other social media outlets. 

   

    Why the sudden change of heart, has the mighty NCAA and board of directors finally seen the error of their ways. Is this a moment of repentance or just way to stay ahead of the negative publicity that will loom within the legacy of the NCAA.  This decision was actually prompted by the not only pressure growing increasingly unbearable from political point of views but legal stand point was in question as well.  States from Alabama to Oregon were hours away from implementing laws that would challenge the NCAA’s old amateur rules when the board of directors rescinded the rule (even in states that were not in danger of these new laws).  To be clear the original rule stated players were not allowed “to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial property or service of any kind”.  Just the thought of rescinding the before mentioned rule should blow your mind when you calculate the possible millions that awaits these children.

   

    Though I am happy to see that these kids who have worked so hard are now have an opportunity to earn fraction of what the schools are earning off them. It would be quite an ignominious display to celebrate these steps forward without questioning how will NCAA rectify it’s past. Will Reggie Bush get his Heisman back? Will the Fab 5’s legacy be vindicated? Hell , will Myles Bridges get his $40 back? Only time will tell. Many people from the barber shops to the boardrooms differ on the opinion of what should happen but what’s not questionable is the immediate effect it will have on recruiting. 

   

   Now schools with very high powered Alumni will be feared due to possible added endorsements for the schools recruits pick. I wonder will this change how AAU will be viewed? Will top tier EYBL games be filled with more commercial entities than college coaches? Most importantly with the ongoing issue of wage disparities between male and female sports how will this translates to this new terrain of the NCAA  and possible endorsers? Like I said before I am happy for these kids and  excited they will be paid. It seems the rule change has led to more questions than answers . This rule change and how things are moving forward will be legacy over the NCAA. Those that sacrificed their college career to pursue the life their hard work has afforded them you are the martyrs. This is your win too, and the NCAA can never take that away,…..again.

   

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• The Disparity in treatment for Male and Female athletes of the NCAA

  Mar 29, 2021 Andrew Williams 0 Comments

     The beginning of March Madness brought us cheers for the bit of normalcy we yearned for a year ago. We set aside our afternoons (or mornings here on the West coast)  to watch our favorite collegiate teams prepare for a battle unlike the ones before, their own personal bubble. NCAA fans men and women alike were eager to see the games played out under those circumstances. Especially since when the NBA bubble was taking place players and pundits alike compared it to a collegiate or AAU type setting we knew this going to big for these athletes ( well if you are the right gender).  

          As we all know female and male rights have never been equal, not even in sports today, in the year of 2021. As of just last week the NCAA was called out for the lack of amenities in the women's workout room versus the men's workout room. The first person to call them out on the issue was Stanford sports performance coach Ali Kershner posted two photos one of  how the men's workout room looks with all different types of equipment  and benches in contrast to the women's workout room with only a set of free weights and a few yoga mats. A few hours after Ali posted her post, NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman, to paraphrase, stated that some amenities teams usually have access to aren´t available due to the  limited space of being in a controlled environment. As well as stating that the original plan was to expand the workout area once additional space was available later in the tournament. After Lynn Holzman made that statement, Sedona Prince of the Oregon Ducks contradicted that there is limited space and posted a video showing all the extra space that they had to add more equipment. She also added a statement saying, ¨If you´re not upset by this problem, then you´re part of it.¨ After the photos from Ali were posted and the video from Sedona was uploaded, multiple NBA and WNBA players tweeted and shared on other social media platforms addressing the problem including A´ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, CJ MCollum, Steph Curry and others. After the NCAA was exposed for the disparities in men and women amenities in the workout rooms, others posted and retweeted about the food options. Sedona also posted the men´s food options having excellent food  while the women had lower than subpar lunch food. Also photos and videos were shared of the difference in their swag bags. As well as the covid tests, women are getting lower quality tests rather than the men.  After all this many people took it as the NCAA being disrespectful and disgraceful.  People were furious, and everyone that was angry with the problem was reposting the different photos and videos on every platform they can. Following all the criticism NCAA officials apologize. Lynn Holzman promised to have improvements and she stated that the issue hit a nerve with her, since she was a former college basketball player. The NCAA has since  put in better equipment in the weight room for the women. Sedona posted another video showing all of the new amenities that has been added. Though the NCAA added  more amenities, this is just a small part of the problem that we have with women's sports in general. For example the number of Division 1 women's teams only compete in 64 tournaments versus the men´s that compete in 68. That is just one of many examples of the inequalities within women's sports. South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley said in a statement that ¨Women's basketball is a popular sport whose stock and presence continues to rise on a global level. It is time for the NCAA leadership to reevaluate the value they place on women.¨  Which is completely correct. Some may use the argument that Men's Basketball generates more revenue than Women's basketball programs, but if this argument was to be true why are lower level cinderella teams also being privy to the bountiful buffet and fully equipped weight room but women's programs like a South Carolina should. So this reasoning clearly does not hold water. Simply put we need to make a change with the inequalities that these women and women in general are facing and like Sedona said if you're not upset by this problem, then you're part of it.

   

   

   

  

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