Prior to the FBI unveiling its massive investigation, the NCAA and its member school presidents "had the power to stop the shoe companies, or at least derail their influence before it became too late, but they've been too busy cashing the shoe companies' checks" to help prevent college basketball's corruption scandal, according to Gregg Doyel of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. The NCAA is "merely the collection of schools" that "works at the pleasure of its member schools." It was school presidents that "let this happen." The presidents are "supposed to be the adults in the room while the overgrown children -- the football and basketball coaches -- are drinking from the shoe company spigot." Instead, the presidents have "bellied their schools up to the bar and really opened the tap" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 9/29).
NBA ROLE? CSNNORTHWEST.com's Dwight Jaynes wrote the NBA has been "complicit in the corruption for years." The league has been, at the very least, the "great enabler." Pro basketball has been "hiding its intentions in regard to players entering its league for a long time" (CSNNW.com, 9/28). NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said as both a fan of college basketball and in his capacity as commissioner, the NCAA basketball scandal is "disconcerting to say the least." Silver: "I've watched sort of what has been happening in college basketball and maybe at the end of the day, it is not so surprising that the incentives become skewed. The amount of money is astronomical in terms of what is being generated by these programs." He added, "Historically it's been an area, particularly AAU basketball that the league has stayed out of. I think these most recent revelations are just a reminder that we’re part of this larger basketball community. I think ultimately, whether we like it our not, we need to be more directly involved with elite youth basketball" (John Lombardo, Staff Writer). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes it is "possible the NBA will widen its role" in college basketball. The signs "are there." Look for the G League to "develop as a more popular alternative to college." Down the road, an academy system "could blossom" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/29).
FIXING A BROKEN SYSTEM: In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty writes the NCAA's ability (or willingness) to keep its house clean "grows more suspect daily" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 9/29). Daugherty wrote nobody within college basketball is "especially scared of the NCAA." It "doesn't have enough sleuths, it has no legal authority, its member schools are the ones doing the cheating." Daugherty: "The widespread perception that the NCAA is selective in its targets doesn't help" (CINCINNATI.com, 9/28). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Gay writes the "worst thing that could happen here is what always happens: penalties are handed out, we moralize at the offenders, forget about it, go back to burnishing the images of coaches and programs and then repeat the whole dance when the same shenanigans happen somewhere else." Gay: "We all know the system is broken. Let's get bold and fix it." This scandal "shows the monetary value that young players have -- a value that extends beyond the incentive of a college scholarship." Opening the market and compensating athletes may not "square with the romantic ideal of college amateurism, but it would likely cut down on under-the-table nonsense" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/29).
MONEY ON THEIR MINDS: In Richmond, Paul Woody writes, "For those of us naive enough to think cost of attendance and Pell Grants, for those who qualify, would be steps to eliminate illicit money in college athletics, we stand corrected." There has to be a way to "siphon some of the billions from the television contracts, the millions from shoe companies and boosters and share it with the players" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 9/29). ESPN.com's Jay Bilas wrote while this "ugly scandal seems to be the NCAA's worst ever, it is not." There have been big scandals before, and as long those at the helm of college sports "maintain the current corrupt system and rules, we will be here again." Bilas: "Why do you suppose we don't see such scandals in Division II or Division III sports? Money." In D-II and III, the salaries, revenues and expenditures are "in line with the stated missions of the institutions." In D-I, no "reasonable person could claim the same." The NCAA "could act as The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club if it wished." The Masters "does not allow commercialization of its product beyond its comfort level and has rules for its media partners" (ESPN.com, 9/28).
