On Tuesday, Outkick founder and president Clay Travis sounded off on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the day before that some National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) restrictions on student compensation violate federal antitrust laws.
Travis told Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” that the decision will ultimately lead to the “demise of the NCAA and collegiate model as we know it.”
“Remember — for all the talk surrounding college athletics, only two real sports make money: football and men’s basketball,” Travis outlined. “And usually, what the athletic departments would argue is they are taking all the money that they make off those two sports and redistributing it around the rest of the athletic department so that women’s lacrosse and men’s track and field — those guys and girls get scholarships when they otherwise wouldn’t because there isn’t a substantial fanbase there. So, how will you reconcile the quarterback at Ohio State and compare him to a women’s soccer midfielder or a men’s 100-meter sprinter? How are you going to manage that under Title IX and name, image and likeness? We’ve got a huge can of worms is opened here, but I think the ultimate story is the demise of the NCAA and the collegiate model as we know it certainly is at hand.”
Travis said he does not think this is the end of college sports, but it could have a “substantial impact” on a small portion of athletes.
“I think what this is also going to start to raise the issue is — remember, the NFL and the NBA, which is where you go if you’re a pro football or basketball player, both have age restrictions,” he added. “So, they basically are requiring in many ways kids to go to college at 18 years old. If you eliminate age restrictions, which we’ve had lawsuits about, too, then there is a more direct path for kids who want to go to college, get an education and play sports versus go pro immediately. I don’t think this ruling will impact 95% of college scholarship athletes, but the ones that the most people pay attention to in football and men’s basketball it could have a substantial impact.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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