Just a few years ago, college sports were a place where a fan could be a fan, athletes were amateurs, and occasionally, some rich alumni would put too much money in their team’s players’ pockets.
But now, the NCAA is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Schools make a fortune in TV revenues, computer games were using players’ images and making billions, while the athletes received no compensation, so the rules have changed.
Because of these rule changes, this group just gave Reggie Bush some great news that shows just how much college sports have changed.
The NCAA’s reversal on how they view college athletes has changed the sporting world
From the beginning of college athletics, college athletes were viewed as students first.
In the year 2024, this noble aspiration has completely fizzled away for most sports.
Many talented football and basketball players, and sometimes other sports, simply view college as a springboard for the pros.
Even more groundbreaking, college athletes can now profit off of their name and likenesses, something that former athletes have paid dearly for.
This includes prolific running back Reggie Bush, who faced severe punishment for allegedly receiving improper payments from the University of Southern California during his playing years.
Most severely, Bush had his prized Heisman trophy, the most coveted award in college football, taken away from him.
However, on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports reported, “On Wednesday, the Heisman Trust, which awards the most famous trophy in college football but isn’t technically part of the NCAA, decided to reinstate USC running back Reggie Bush as the 2005 recipient of the trophy.”
Adding, “The overdue decision came nearly 14 years after it stripped Bush of his Heisman for “receiving” what the NCAA had determined was “impermissible extra benefits” while playing for the Trojans. The NCAA had retroactively deemed Bush ineligible for competition and the Heisman Trust went right along with it.”
As Yahoo Sports notes, this decision comes as the NCAA changes the way they look at student athletes.
Unlike the late 1800’s, college sports makes billions of dollars, and for decades, people have wondered when, and if, college athletes could ever get in on the profits.
This especially applies to college athletes, such as pop culture sensation and LSU gymnast Livy Dunne, who participate in sports with little to no professional options.
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However, many worry that this radical transition could over commercialize college sports, and discourage team loyalty.
In the last several years, college football and college basketball has seen athletes transfer to other colleges like there is no tomorrow, solely for the ability to get a chance to play and make more money.
The NCAA may have opened a can of worms with their NIL changes
Although the NCAA’s changes to how athletes can make money have allowed some athletes to get rich, many fear it will open a Pandora’s box.
Already, some students have expressed interest in unionizing, which would classify student athletes as employees.
The Dartmouth men’s basketball squad just recently voted to unionize with the SEIU union.
Many fear this move could destroy college sports, allowing union bosses and other sinister forces to destroy a cherished American tradition.
Read All About It will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
