College esports faces the issue of the NCAA limiting students' abilities to make money off their brandUniv. Of Utah
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and others on a collegiate esports panel yesterday "wondered if a university's esports program made sense to be governed by the NCAA," according to Ben Baby of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. While Bowlsby "believes esports do not align with traditional athletics, he's aware of a potential payoff." Seeing where esports "may fit in the current landscape of college athletics is a conversation that could occur with greater frequency in the coming years." One of the issues Bowlsby and Kansas State AD Gene Taylor referenced was a "potential Title IX inequality that could arise if more male athletes were added to school's program." Then there is the issue of the NCAA "limiting students' abilities to make money off their brand or profiting off popular social media accounts." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said, "The goals of the NCAA aren't necessarily in alignment with the mission of esports, of any sport, for that matter." Univ. of Utah Esports Dir of Operations A.J. Dimick said that the revenue esports players earn through live-streaming services such as Twitch "don't come close to the cost of full tuition, books, etc." Dimick: "If we're having the same argument that college football is having, we have better problems than we have today" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/24).
For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.
