In Reply to: Big 10: What will college athletics look like five years from now? (Pa posted by mh on July 13, 2024 at 09:40:15
Some interesting scenarios raised by some of the contributors. I still think they are missing the key component: Title IX. Maybe the impact of title IX goes away if the football team members become employees (and not scholarship athletes) and that’s the end around. Otherwise, the economics just don’t work to pay the ladies softball team, the swim team, fencers, beach volleyball, lax, gymnasts, etc a commensurate salary as the football team.
If the end around (employment) works it can be 1 for one m/f scholarships for the non-revenue and smaller revenue (hoops, baseball) programs. Plus they could still generate NIL. Of course, economically you are still probably cutting a large swath of programs outside of the universities that comprise the Premier league of nfl life. The money won’t exist to prop up woman’s lax or soccer game except via donations from interested parties. I think that’s how UCLA’s men’s h2o polo survived.
I have a sneaking suspicion employment doesn’t obviate Title IX obligations, unless there is no additional requirement of academics for the employees. I’m unsure how I’d feel about that lack of the educational component. First, I think it would be a terrible thing for the football players (even though a large percentage couldn’t care less). I don’t know how it would affect the fan base. In the long run probably not much. If they are winning nobody would care but once they are losing you might find fandom less “sticky”. I’m unsure.