Say it ain’t so. Two of the biggest conferences in college athletics are getting together stating they are looking into college sports in an attempt to make things better. Really?
This “joint advisory group” announced last week between the Big Ten and the SEC should be viewed more as a bellwether for where college sports are going, and the desire of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to be proactive. It will be a consultant for the two leagues but won’t have the authority to implement changes.
While further details remain unclear, the Big Ten and SEC are sharing ideas to carve a path forward for college sports, something NCAA leadership has failed to do for a generation. But is this really the reason, or is there more?
Analysis on the Big Ten and SEC's new "joint advisory group" and what it means. The word "settlement" came up with sources as a topic that's unified the leagues, which *could* include a path to revenue sharing through court settlement. w/@DanMurphyESPN. https://t.co/sXwfp45XBw pic.twitter.com/8PGwAsetmz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 6, 2024
The House vs. NCAA case, a class-action lawsuit that has the NCAA facing a multibillion-dollar payout in damages to former athletes if a federal judge decides the association’s old prohibition on NIL deals violated federal antitrust laws. Let’s face it money is always the reason and in this case, it looks no different. With all of the Big 5 conferences are defendants in this case, it would only make sense to get a jump and come up with a way to settle all of the money and find a path forward.
This is a fight that will only get worse before it gets better. Many believe that Congress must step in and set clear rules or nothing will change.
What they need from Congress, to be clear, is clarity,” said Mark S. Levinstein, senior counsel for Williams & Connolly, who has decades of experience in the sports space. “They need a lot of answers. For example, with respect to labor law, can the athletes unionize? If they unionize and choose the labor laws, is everything the universities did now protected from being challenged under the antitrust laws?”
This case is scheduled to go to trial in January 2025. But on Monday for the first time a judge ruled, NCAA athletes have been allowed to unionize. A National Labor Relations Board regional manager ruled on Monday the Dartmouth men’s basketball team could vote to form a union. It would mark the first time a labor union would consist of NCAA athletes. What this means is if others follow the rules will now change as all would fall under the anti-trust laws, that is another ball game and one the NCAA will not like or win in with present rules.
The world of college sports is major money and that means this is not going away any time soon and unfortunately congress (that can’t do anything) may have to get involved. If that happens the world of college sports may be lost.
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