the BigAmateurism monologues

This episode identifies the crucial milestones in the modern era of college sports leading to the 2019 perfect storm. I identify six themes that have developed over the last seventy years that have come to define the business of big-time college sports: (1) the belief among in-system stakeholders that the NCAA and only the NCAA should be the sole regulatory authority in college sports; (2) the decades-long tension between powerful football interests (now the Power 5) and the NCAA national office; (3) the unprecedented market dominance and political influence of the Power 5 conferences; (4) the propaganda tactics used by the NCAA and Power 5 to manipulate public opinion and decision-makers in Congress, federal courts, and state legislatures to NCAA/Power 5-friendly positions; and, (5) the influence of Myles Brand’s “collegiate model” to justify the amateur-professional dilemma. All these themes defined the events of the perfect storm.