the BigAmateurism monologues

When the NCAA released its initial draft constitution on November 8th, 2021, it hailed the document as a transformative step forward for athletes’ rights and athletes’ physical and mental “well-being.” Now, after “feedback” from in-system stakeholders, the revised draft (released Tuesday, December 7th, 2021) eliminates or waters down athlete-friendly provisions. Specifically, the revised draft (1) eliminated a provision from Article 1 (Principles), section D (Student-Athlete Well-being) that read: “Institutions, conferences, administrators, and coaches shall protect student-athletes from physical and mental abuse, neglect undue harm”; (2) eliminated the classification of Faculty Athletics Representatives as “ombudspersons” to act as athlete advocates on athlete rights issues; and (3) watered down commitments to protect athletes’ commercial use of their name, image, and likeness. This episode analyzes the revised draft with an emphasis on structural governance issues and the NCAA’s/Power 5’s retreat on athletes’ rights.