Some questions for the inaugural edition of the program:
About the ongoing court battle between the NCAA and athletes who feel they’ve never been fairly compensated for schools using their likenesses: what’s your position generally – do you side with the students or the NCAA?
The latest finding in the case is that schools can pay up to $5,000 per student, per year – so about $20,000 for a four-year athlete. Is that a fair wage?
Is the wage fairer if you calculate it based on what sport the athlete plays – or whether they’re likely to be drafted and make substantially more as a professional?
Athletic departments certainly spend differently from one sport to another already – there’s way more spent on most basketball and football teams, since those are the revenue-generating sports. Is it justifiable to say that athletes in those sports should expect more compensation – especially because they’re the ones being portrayed in, for instance, video games that kids buy new versions of every year?
Do you envision that schools such as the University of Alabama or the University of Texas, which make big money from their sports teams and related licensing, will view this differently than Purdue will?
What about public vs. private schools? Fully one-third of all Division 1 schools are private, according to the NCAA. They can operate differently with their money, since there are fewer rules about public disclosures of how cash is spent. Could this decision tilt in their favor, do you think?
