The Future of the NCAA

The Christian Science Monitor is running a fairly interesting piece on the challenges facing a major charitable nonprofit – the National Collegiate Athletics Association.  Without revisiting the various arguments on whether the NCAA should remain exempt from federal income tax, the story briefly addresses some of the legal matters of relevance to the NCAA – including a couple of antitrust suits working their way through the courts, as well as the NLRB ruling that Northwestern University football players can unionize.  Perhaps of more interest is the story’s discussion of possible changes to NCAA rules.  Key excerpts follow:

The lawsuits and mounting pressure from Congress point to a long period of reform in which the NCAA is likely to be reshaped more deeply ….

Perhaps colleges will be allowed to offer more than scholarships to lure top prospects. Or top players will be able to cash in on their fame though image rights. Or perhaps major college football will be broken off from universities as a semi-independent entity with new rules. The unprecedented nature of the challenges facing the NCAA means it’s virtually impossible to predict what might come next. But many analysts believe college football and basketball will be different, and perhaps significantly so. …

At the core of the reform campaign is the conviction among players that they are becoming employees without adequate compensation.

The article then briefly describes in broad brush various proposed NCAA reforms, some more sweeping than others.

 JRB