A judge in Tennessee has made an important decision that concerns college sports in America. She said that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) cannot stop schools from naming, picturing, and promoting athletes to gain money. It also says that colleges can pay sports players. This ruling has increased stress in the college sports environment.
Mr Baker, who has been the president of the NCAA for a year, has suggested changing the rules. He wants to create a new division or group within NCAA. The colleges that earn the most from sports could then pay their athletes. But he wants to protect sports at most other colleges. He’s worried that changes or court decisions could risk sports at these colleges. He thinks this would affect the job model of player contracts. Black colleges and Division II or III schools might not benefit from these changes.
Mr Baker also talked about how currently, 95% of colleges use between $5-40 million on college sports and lose money. This is because they don’t have TV contracts, so they do not earn money from that.
However, he believes that Congress, the group of people who make laws in America, can help. According to Mr Baker, members of Congress understand how important it is to protect and standardize players’ rights. Even though a new law might not happen this year, he is patient because he knows there are many other important issues on Congress’ list.
Vocabulary List:
- Athletes (noun): Individuals who compete in sports, especially at a professional or college level.
- Environment (noun): The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
- Division (noun): The action of separating something into parts, or the process of being separated.
- Standardize (verb): To make everything the same in one organization, system, or process.
- Contract (noun): A written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be legally binding.
- Congress (noun): The national legislative body of a country.
