What's the solution to all the scandals and rule-breaking in NCAA sports? Privatizing athletics would solve many of the issues we see in the NCAA today.

1. Reform in College Athletics
Is it possible, and how do we do it?
Michael Wood

2. Agenda
• What‟s wrong with college sports?
• What is the NCAA doing wrong?
• Added benefits for athletes
o Education & Graduation Rates
o Facilities, Training, Tutoring
• Financing big-time college athletics
• Scandals & Investigations
o Major Violations
o Others receiving sanctions
• What‟s the common denominator?
• Can it be fixed?
o Benefits to NCAA, member institutions, college sports

3. What’s wrong with college sports?
• In short, a lot.
o Recruiting violations abound
o Scholarships & graduation rates skewed
o Sexual abuse/assault
o Athletes accepting illegal benefits
o Allocation of university funds
o Revenue streams - no royalties to athletes
o Major scandals are increasing
o Scheduling issues (BCS)
• Has skyrocketed in last decade
o Over 20 different institutions have received
sanctions since „00
• NCAA serves as feeder program for pros

4. What is the NCAA
doing wrong?
• Hasn‟t evolved quick enough
• Governing body?
• Power hungry + bottom line
based
o Myles Brand - $900,000 tax-exempt
o Mark Emmert – Base: $620,000….. Wash.
Severance - $906,500
• Failure to adequately punish
programs who are repeat
offenders
o Lack of control – pushover parent

5. Education & Graduation
• Disappearance of the“Student-athlete”and
emergence of the“Athlete-student”
• “Clustering” places athletes in several cupcake
classes in areas useless towards a degree
o “Majoring in eligibility”
• The GSR put forth by the NCAA shows a higher
graduation rate, but data is skewed and incorrect
• NCAA‟s 40-60-80 rule doesn‟t allow students to
change majors/minors
o 40% after 4 semesters, 60% after 6, 80% after 8

6. Facilities, Training, Tutoring
• Disparity between
students and athletes
• Tutoring and training
facilities are often
exclusive to athletes
• Most facilities are built on
tuition money collected
from average students

7. Other things to consider
• “Special studies” as a major
o Soc, psych, comm, org. leadership, underwater movement
• Individual tutors for “special” athletes
• Pressure on faculty to pass star players
• What exactly is the role of an academic tutor??
• Consider this: David Ridpath - Ohio University, "The
big problem with these academic centers for me is
very clear . . . The goal is to keep the kids eligible so
the school benefits financially, and there's a big
difference between keeping kids eligible and
helping them get a viable college education."

8. • Why are athletes so much
more deserving than students?

9. It’s About the $$$!

10. Scandals & Investigations
In last 20 years… (20+ since 2001)
• Alabama (3) • North Carolina
• Arizona • Ohio State (2)
• Auburn • Penn State
• Baylor • SMU
• Colorado (2)
• South Carolina (2)
• Duke
• Florida State (2) • Syracuse (2)
• Hawaii • Tennessee (2)
• Kentucky (3) • Texas Tech
• Louisville • UCLA
• Memphis • USC (4)
• Miami (4) • Uconn (2)
• Michigan (2) • UMass

11. Major Violations
• SMU (1986) – The only NCAA Death Penalty case in
history. For 10 years, paid athletes to come play for
SMU. Other recruiting violations.
• Miami (’89-’93; ‘11) – Advisors falsifying Pell grants
led to over $200,000 wrongly awarded to football
players; illegal benefits, money, recruiting violations
• USC (‘04) – Forced to vacate BCS title and
revenues, given 3-yr probation + loss of scholarships
because tailback Reggie Bush accepted $300,000
in benefits from agents, faculty and tutors

12. Major Violations
• Florida State (‘08) – 61 players across 10 different
sports received answers to tests or had tutors take
them. NCAA forced FSU to vacate the ‟06 and ‟07
seasons and pay back royalties owed.
• Memphis (‘08) – Forced to vacate championship
appearance and pay back $500,000 in tournament
revenues after falsifying athlete SAT scores
• Ohio State (‘10) – Stripped of 5 scholarships and
fired coach Jim Tressel for „Failure to monitor‟
• Alabama (‘11) – self-imposed impermissible
benefits, memorabilia scandal

13. Others Receiving Sanctions
• Colorado football (’97-’-3) – rape, illegal recruiting
• Baylor basketball (‘03) - murder
• Duke lacrosse (‘06) – rape, sexual abuse
• Louisville basketball (‘09) – rape, sexual assault
• Michigan football (‘10) – failure to promote
atmosphere of compliance
• Texas Tech football (‘10) – illegal use of closet
• Auburn football (‘10) – illegal recruiting
• Penn State (‘11) – alleged sexual abuse
• Syracuse (‘11) – alleged sexual abuse
• Hawaii (‘11) – point-shaving

14. What’s the common
denominator?
LACK OF
INSTITUTIONAL
CONTROL
Because of the $ at stake...

15. Can college sport
be fixed at all?

16. Here’s how…

17. Privatize College Athletics
• Move college sport into the public sector
o Taxable, can be sued, all the characteristics of major corp.
o Athletes are employees, can be paid; coaches too
o Frees all parties from worrying about “amateurism”
o Equals playing field – no “leeching” by low-revenue schools
• License trademarks/logos out to subsidiaries
o Pay a licensing fee to univ. for naming rights, logos etc.
o School keeps profits from fees, no penalty for shortfalls
• CEO of Athletics – like an AD, with power
o Function is to ensure program is self-sustaining

18. What Changes Here?
• Athletic depts. get to act like money machines
• No need to try to coexist with academics
o Funding + spending can remain separate for each
o Let athletes be athletes, students be students
o Both would improve w/greater attention to their needs
• Athletes who aren‟t in school for school don‟t have
to worry about studying
• Athletes are employees – eligible for
taxes, royalties, worker‟s compensation, agency
representation
• Unions
o Players Union of College Sports

19. What about the NCAA?
• Effectively eliminates the NCAA
altogether
o Hasn‟t proven it can evolve fast enough to keep up
• Alternatively, scrap the NCAA
rulebook, govern club and non-revenue
generating sport
• TREAT ATHLETICS LIKE A BUSINESS
o Texas, OSU, Florida all generated over $100 million
revenue in ‟09

20. Ethical Considerations
• Is this the “right” thing to do?
o Hard to say
• It does however seem like one of
the only ways to “fix” majority of
the problems in college sport.

21. Sources
• http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/201
0/03/the_sleaziest_coach_in_a_sleazy_game.html
• http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-08-
15/sports/17934280_1_karen-sypher-louisville-metro-
police-basketball-coach-rick-pitino
• http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_723
4.shtml
• http://www.aolnews.com/2010/11/04/rich-
rodriguez-reportedly-cleared-of-ncaa-violations/
• http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=18038
91

22. Sources (cont.)
• http://www.ledger-
enquirer.com/2011/12/01/1840937/auburn-football-
self-imposed-restrictions.html
• http://espn.go.com/college-
football/story/_/id/7217079/ncaa-slaps-ohio-state-
buckeyes-failure-monitor-charge
• http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news?slug=
cr-
renegade_miami_booster_details_illicit_benefits_081
611
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/sports/ncaafo
otball/college-football-more-embattled-than-
ever.html?pagewanted=all

23. Questions?