Last week, the NCAA decided to take time away from their immensely busy schedules to provide an update on their proposed legislative reforms to the Name, Image, and Likeness rules that currently strip student-athletes of any ability to monetize on the value that they provide to the schools they play for.
Kevin Lennon, @NCAA VP of Division I, provides an update on the Name, Image and Likeness status as it currently stands leading into the spring governance meetings: https://t.co/ftmK1Ak4xD https://t.co/PKhhiKCscp
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) April 8, 2020
I find it hilarious to hear the NCAA use the below terms to describe themselves and their actions:
“... aggressively pursuing...”
“... hard at work...”
“... excellent work...”
“... thoughtful...”
“... robust...”
Come on, y’all. That’s just funny.
At the upcoming April 24th Council meeting, the NCAA will be “moving from the committee phase into the broader membership conversation” where they will share their proposals for how to reshape the Name, Image, and Likeness rules that are currently in place. Supposedly, these are going to be “potentially shocking” changes to the rules currently in place.
Don’t hold your breath.
Even by the NCAA’s own website on this topic, a vote on any proposed legislation wouldn’t even happen until January 2021... at the earliest. That’s just the vote, not the actual implementation of whatever reforms would come from that.
What’s concerning is hearing an NCAA leader on this topic say that they are having a “re-commitment and refocus on the value of the collegiate model”. That seems to be counter-intuitive to any real, actual reform.
As you’ll hear from the above video (and I will absolutely forgive you for skipping actually viewing that video as, well, it’s not worth it), the NCAA is extremely concerned about creating a “pay for play” or “employer/employee relationship” model. Of course, there have been many proposals floated (not by the NCAA, of course) that would avoid such models, but who would the NCAA be to actually listen to any sensible reform plans?
Then again, this could all be summarized by this one line at just after the 7:00 mark of the above video:
(A)t some point in time we’ll be ready to take legislative action when it’s appropriate.
There it is. There’s the NCAA we all know and love. The organization is nothing if not a self-aggrandizing procrastination machine. You kick that can down the road, NCAA. We know you’re good at it.