Revenue sharing in college athletics is coming, but only collective bargaining will provide a true solution

In 2011, 300 college football and basketball players from Arizona, Kentucky, Purdue and UCLA petitioned the NCAA demanding a cut of television revenue. They were told such a move is not “fiscally possible.” What followed was an early effort toward cost of attendance which involved increasing scholarships by $2,000.

That all seems laughable by today’s standards.

Nowadays, the players — along with their representatives, boosters and agents — are dictating terms. There are unionization efforts at Dartmouth and a de facto players association at UAB. The current structure still can’t wrap its collective mind around an employee-employer relationship in college athletics governed by collective bargaining. It’s coming, though. It’s necessary. 

A large-scale revenue-sharing model is in the developing stages, which essentially reveals the endgame in all of this. With players and reps now dictating terms, this seems to be the only way the current a resolution is met. 

But while revenue sharing represents forward thinking that’s needed in today’s climate, it only puts a thumb in the dike. 

The whole intent at this point is to stop the spigot of antitrust lawsuits. There are a handful that could be particularly impactful, but House v. NCAA is the most prominent at the moment with a trial date scheduled for January 2025. It must be dealt with first. 

But that seems only a stop-gap measure. Revenue sharing might influence settlements in other cases, but that’s not assured. Most importantly, it doesn’t stop anyone, anywhere on the players’ end to file another suit. 

Big picture, there is only one way all of this ends: collectively bargaining with a players’ association. That shields the NCAA and schools from further litigation because the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/revenue-sharing-in-college-athletics-is-coming-but-only-collective-bargaining-will-provide-a-true-solution/

Author : Dennis Dodd

Publish date : 2024-05-07 16:17:52

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