Conference Realignment Talk Highlights Disgusting Hypocrisy of NCAA

The headlines generated by the NCAA football season have been dominated by news off the field as much as the news made on it.

It seems that almost every team has committed to or is considering a jump in conferences. And in the process of this, they are underscoring the belief held by many that the NCAA's first desire is to make money while they hide behind the sentiment that the student-athlete comes first.

Those involved in running college athletic programs or the NCAA are quick to throw out the sentiment that academics are the priority and athletics are second, when it is convenient to back something that is lucrative.

NCAA President Mark Emmert knows this perception is out there, and he addressed it recently to major-college athletics directors. Emmert, as quoted on USAToday.com:

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"The world is convinced that's all we do, that's all the NCAA cares about, that's all presidents care about, that's all you care about. How many times have you read that in the past 10 days alone: That's all this is about; this is about money. ...I didn't read about many of us stepping up and saying, 'Well you know, this will actually work really well for student-athletes. Because we'll do X. We'll do Y.'"

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The reason no one is coming forward with an "X" or "Y" is because there is no "X" or "Y."

These moves are being made for straight cash.

It leaves behind an exploited student/athlete that is surrounded by people getting rich off of a product they are the key figures in producing.

Schools want to switch conferences to increase their earning potential, but the athletes never figure into this increased revenue.

This conference realignment is just the latest example. Consider the Bowl system.

This comes to us via aol.news.com:

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BCS executive director Bill Hancock wrote in a USA Today editorial last month. "And also by preserving America's unique multi-day bowl tradition that rewards student-athletes with a celebratory bowl-game week."

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They boast of the great experience offered to the student athlete while neglecting to mention that, "Thirteen bowl executives make more than $240,000 annually, including three bowl officials who make more than $500,000 a year, according to salary figures obtained by the Sports Business Journal," (that quote is also from aol.news.com).

It is clear that this rampant exploitation is reaching new heights, and there is no end in sight.