NCAA Files Moral Bankruptcy with USC: The Solution

Not since Tony George destroyed auto racing have we seen a more self-interested group work as hard as the NCAA to destroy any sense of credibility.

I’m guessing we don’t need to entirely dismantle College Football to achieve our goal but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does need to lose its monopoly as the de facto National Football League’s (NFL) minor league. 

Since the NCAA has a vested interest in not harming the most productive members who continually violate ethical standards (U$C, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, etc…) they lose the authority as credible character builders and stewards of young minds.

I’m proposing the National Scholarship Football League (NSFL), a 16 Team/Four Division League (Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, LA, SF, Seattle) that pays both a tuition reimbursement (only to those who attend a school of their choice) and a base salary of $75,000 + Health Insurance for all players (and cheerleaders), no matter their position.

A 10-game regular season (six divisional home/away/four interleague) will be played in professional stadiums in the above cities on Saturdays between September and January with a four-team, two game Championship Playoff/Finale. 

The players must sign and agree to play a four-year contract or forfeit all pay/tuition/insurance (with penalties). However, the players are encouraged to seek their own endorsements outside those of the league. 

All players are eligible for the NFL draft as "freshman" and cannot play more than four complete years (injury time is allowed). 

To encourage education, teams can trade only those players who are registered full-time students and will be allowed a maximum of 60 players. Players will be regularly tested for steroids with a zero-tolerance policy.  

The rules of play will mostly mirror those of college with the exception of overtime, which reverts to a coin toss and sudden death. 

The reality is, sport and education left competitive college football in the 80s and the NCAA has done a disrespectful, if not distasteful, job of encouraging, or even enforcing, a system that resembles "sport."

College football is no longer about supporting your alma mater's efforts to develop healthy bodies and minds. Instead, it is a gravy-train for the institutional managers through billion dollar TV contracts and endorsements. 

Graduation rates at most schools are abysmal and the education they receive is suspect in comparison to those of their schoolmates.  The NCAA should be ashamed to look in the mirror, knowing that the majority of college athletes are being consumed like beers at a frat party by the very people who purport to uphold their very basic and best interests.

I’m holding two franchises, in honor of and with respect to Mr. Al Davis and Mr. Donald Trump for their previous efforts, which means there are fourteen franchises now selling for $10,000,000.00 each. 

We are not growing the sport of football, we’re merely giving the kids what they deserve and stealing market share from a bunch of disingenuous crooks representing that morally bankrupt institution called the NCAA.