The Pay for Play Scandal: Brought Forth by the Ohio State Fiasco

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has become a broken shell of its former self. A self-sustaining, non-profit organization that was brought forth to oversee and maintain our academic institutions, but has morphed into a corrupt, greed-filled management configuration that is failing on all fronts.

The most recent example of their complete avarice is the sudden discussion of pay for playing following Ohio State’s revealed corruption. Ohio State represents a mule for the NCAA. A prodding carriage animal carrying and providing tons of financial prosperity into the overflowing bank accounts of the “non-profit” organization.

Ohio State, along with Southern California’s recent shortcomings with authority, has placed the unforgivable weight of Mount Rushmore onto the broad shoulders of Mark Emmert and his colleagues.

They have no choice but to punish these offenders for their crimes due to the immense pressure that is building behind a massive media tornado. A tornado that is barreling directly towards their home city of Indianapolis. Yet, they have began to plant the seed to prevent another incident, similar to the one in Columbus, from staking claim on their enormous pocketbooks.

Pay for play has entered the discussion. It is my belief that the NCAA may find the short term financial recoils of paying players a minuscule stipend to be much less of a detriment to their financial future than another one of their prized Gypsy Vanners being placed directly into the heat of the national media spotlight.

The NCAA will receive the backing of the majority of large schools in this effort towards removing the word amateur from the college athletics scene, specifically in regards to the well fare of the men’s basketball and football programs. Removing the possibility of violations for receiving any monetary bonuses from sources that were once thought unfathomable, will allow coaches to recruit the best athletes with no regard to personality flaws. (Prime Example: Terrelle Pryor).

Sure, the more that we begin to pitch this once taboo idea around, the more lovely it resonates from the tongue through our brain, but what about the lower level sports?

College football and men’s basketball provide enough economic income to overcome the loss of a minor stipend for these players, and still obtain the ability to function at a fiscally successful level. However, many other sporting teams throughout the country are consistently operating in a red budget.

This budget does not allow other deserving athletes to receive a similar handout(i.e. women’s golf), and allow the entire athletics department to continue to operate in the black at a prospering rate. The funds are not there to educate these students on a scholarship, maintain facilities, pay coaches, pay for trips, etc.

With that being said, the pay for play scheme will only work for the big boys, so to speak. Will the NCAA be able to manipulate and perfect a plan that allows them to provide for just the most financially successful athletes?

If so, are Mark Emmert and company ready for the ramifications that will arise following a complete revamping of their book that requires an entire case for its over indulged language?

I anxiously await to see what exactly the future holds for an organization that once considered itself to be a non-profit mediator of hundreds of public and private universities. An organization that now possesses an overwhelming power that will eventually be put to the test.