1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Ah, you're doing fine. Just just tell your story, just 2 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: how it came about. Don't worry about that prepared statement there. 3 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: It's kind of difficult, but anyway, that's NFL star Dexter 4 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: manly testifying before Congress in three years ago. Uh that 5 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: I just begin learning to learn how to read and write. 6 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: At the time, Dexter was thirty years old before going pro. 7 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: He'd played for Oklahoma State University, somehow majoring in marketing 8 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: while remaining functionally illiterate. I took an a CT test 9 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: and on school to six. He'd never received the right 10 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: help for an undiagnosed learning disability, but he'd managed to 11 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: mask the problem. He may morized how certain words looked, 12 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: cheated on tests, duck girls to do his homework, and 13 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: he passed his college classes even though he couldn't read 14 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: the team playbook. And that that really hurt me because 15 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: then I remember back when I was in grammar school, 16 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: you know what I was told, And I just felt 17 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: like that I am done when I was stupid, and 18 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: that I would have the ability to learn or learn 19 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: how to read or write. The governing body of college sports, 20 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: the National Collegiate Athletic Association, claims that education comes first, 21 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:36,919 Speaker 1: But how can that be true for players like Dexter 22 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: Manly who go to college because they excel on the 23 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: field and then leave utterly unprepared to do anything else. 24 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Calling Bullshit, the podcast about purpose washing, the 25 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: gap between what companies say they stand for and what 26 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: they actually do, and what they would need to change 27 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: to practice what they preach. I'm your host, time onto you, 28 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: and I've spent over a decade helping companies define what 29 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: they stand for, their purpose and then help them to 30 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: use that purpose to drive transformation throughout their business. Unfortunately, 31 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: at a lot of companies and organizations today, there's still 32 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: a pretty wide gap between word and deed. That gap 33 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: has a name. We call it bullshit. But, and this 34 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: is important, we believe that bullshit is a treatable disease. 35 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: So when the bullshit detector lights up, we're going to 36 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: explore things that a company should do to fix it. 37 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: In this episode, we're going to look at the n 38 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: C Double A, the institution that shaped college sports into 39 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: what they are today. The n C Double A says 40 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: its purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable, 41 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: and sportsmanlike manner and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher 42 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 1: education so that the educational experience of the student athlete 43 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: is paramount. Man, what a mouthful. But lately there's been 44 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: quite a bit in the news about a darker side 45 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: of the n C Double A. We will hear argument 46 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: this morning in case twelve National Collegiate Athletic Association versus Austin. 47 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: Then double A has produced iconic matchups, launched professional sports careers, 48 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: and made billions of dollars, but not for the students 49 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: playing in these big games. Here is late with the sad. 50 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: The n c a A didn't even allow schools to 51 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: offer athletes scholarships until nineteen fifty six. Before that, the 52 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: only compensation for playing pride, and for decades, the n 53 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: C Double A has had a long list of rules 54 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: restricting payments to athletes that is finally starting to change. 55 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: The Supreme Court has handed a massive victory to college 56 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: athletes in their efforts to receive fair compensation. The justices 57 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 1: unanimously rejected the n double AS rules limiting benefits colleges 58 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: can provide athletes things like laptops and science equipments or 59 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: postgraduate paid internships. Interestingly, the Court ruled that by limiting 60 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: these educational benefits that the n c A would actually 61 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: be violating antitrust laws because it would make it harder 62 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: for schools to compete for athletes not about direct and 63 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: thanks to a separate decision earlier this year, athletes can 64 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: now earn money by endorsing products and businesses like the 65 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: local car dealership or pizza parlor. But while these changes 66 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: are a big deal for players who have in many 67 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: cases been forced to live in poverty, many people don't 68 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: think they go far enough. A growing number of athletes 69 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: and activists claimed the n C Double A is basically 70 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: a cartel, fixing prices and using the unpaid labor of poor, 71 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: mostly black and brown athletes to rake in billions. The 72 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: n C Double A, on the other hand, says they're 73 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: just trying to preserve the idea of amateur status while 74 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: helping student athletes get a college education. This is a 75 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: complicated story, so let's start with a quick history of 76 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: the debate. It all begins in back then, college football 77 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: looked a lot different than it does today. Teams used 78 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: a formation called the flying wedge, where the players linked 79 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: arms in a V shape and sprinted down the field 80 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: in one big mass, and many of them didn't even 81 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:55,039 Speaker 1: wear helmets. As you can imagine, a lot of people 82 00:05:55,120 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: got hurt. Eighteen players die in the nineteen o four 83 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,799 Speaker 1: season alone, and basically Teddy Roosevelt called in the presidents 84 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, which of course we're major 85 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: football powers back then, and said, you figure out a 86 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: way to clean this up, or I will shut down football. 87 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: That's Joe No Sarah, co author of indentured the battle 88 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: to end the exploitation of college athletes. You got rid 89 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: of the flying wedge, and they started to allow the 90 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: forward pass. The next big turning point in n C 91 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,919 Speaker 1: Double A history came in ninety eight, after a series 92 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: of sports scandals that involved bribes, gambling, and point shaving. 93 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: Enter the Sanity Code. It forbade any form of merit 94 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: pay to students in exchange for their services as athletes. 95 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: In other words, they should not profit in any way. 96 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty one, the n C Double A got 97 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: its first full time leader. And this is where the 98 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: story gets really interesting. They think you have to understand 99 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: about the n C A is it was almost toothless 100 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: for fifty years, and it wasn't until the mid fifties 101 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: that a guy named Walter Buyers took it over and 102 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: turned it into a powerful, and bureaucratic and ruthless and 103 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: you know, one step removed from the National Rifle Association. 104 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: Buyers has been described as a force of nature, secretive, despotic, 105 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: and stubborn. And he got right to work doing two things, 106 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: finding creative ways to monetize America's growing love affair with 107 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: college sports and ruthlessly enforcing the Sanity Code, which meant 108 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: that athletes got none of that money. Today, the n 109 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: C Double A is a money machine, generating and estimated 110 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: nineteen billion dollars a year, and despite years of litigation 111 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: until just this year, the players themselves, current and former, 112 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 1: were barred from profiting from their name, image, and likeness 113 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: for life, and they still aren't paid for the very 114 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: labor that makes that nineteen billion dollars possible. After three 115 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: trips to the Supreme Court, after multiple athlete protests and lawsuits, 116 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: after several attempts to organize the players and even unionize 117 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: them to get a fair shake, the n C Double 118 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: A maintains that the educational experience of the student athlete 119 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: is paramount. So is that actually true or is that 120 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: just a bunch of bullshit? To get to the bottom 121 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: of this, I called up Joe No Sarah, who, as 122 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: you heard earlier, is the co author of Indentured, The 123 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: Battle to End the Exploitation of College Athletes. Joe, welcome 124 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: to calling bullshit. Thank you very much for being here today. 125 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me so. I loved your book. It 126 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: was a real eye opener starting out. I think, like 127 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: a lot of people, I had this image of the 128 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: n c a. A is this hallowed organization that brings 129 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: joy to millions of people. There's this kind of mythic 130 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: image of these student athlete warriors, both men and women, 131 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: who get to go to college on a full ride 132 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: and play their sport on the national stage while getting 133 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: an amazing free education, and then graduate and go on 134 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: to either a lucrative professional sports career or a career 135 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: in their chosen field of study. How accurate would you 136 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: say that picture is? Let me stop laughing. I think 137 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: if we went and passed that description, every single piece 138 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: of it is wrong. Okay, so let's just say not 139 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 1: very accurate. Yeah, it's an eye poppingly big business college sports. 140 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: Can you talk a little bit about where that money 141 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: comes from. Sure, the majority of it comes from TV contracts. 142 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: That's where the real big money is. Just the college 143 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: football playoffs alone. ESPN has a multibillion dollar contract to 144 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: air what amounts to three games a season at the 145 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: end of the season. The Big Ten not only has 146 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: deals with you know, ESPN, they also have their own network, 147 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: so they generate money from advertising and from subscribers. But 148 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: there's also sponsorships, selling the jerseys in the student union, 149 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: there's all kinds of naming rights of the stadiums. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. 150 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: So who gets that money when it flows in? Mostly 151 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: the schools do I mean, if you're the SEC, if 152 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: you're the Southeastern Conference and you generate forty to fifty 153 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: million per school through your TV contracts and other means, 154 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 1: you um parcel that out to the schools. Now, what 155 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: the schools will say is that the money that is 156 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: made from basketball and football is used to subsidize all 157 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: the non revenue sports like softball and field hockey. It 158 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: basically means two sports that are fundamentally played by African 159 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 1: Americans are subsidizing lots of sports that are played by 160 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: upper middle class white students. Absolutely. Some would say that's 161 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: not equitable. Yes, some would say some have said, okay, 162 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: So the universities get the lion's share of this nineteen 163 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: billion and they use it to build these massive, cathedral 164 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:50,079 Speaker 1: like facilities. A lot of it goes to the coaches. 165 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 1: Some of the coaches salaries that are in your book, 166 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: We're Crazy, Nick Saban seven million, Coach Achevski at Duke 167 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: ten million. There's people on the staff of some of 168 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: the universities, like the strength coaches are making three quarters 169 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 1: of a million dollars a year. And then there's the 170 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: leadership of the n c A Mark Emmett. He makes 171 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: two point seven million a year, and they're eight executives. 172 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: They're making north of half a million dollars a year. 173 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: So a lot of people doing really well off of 174 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: this nineteen billion. What did the students get, the people 175 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: actually responsible for generating all of this revenue. They get 176 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: uniform that's something. They get training, they do get training, 177 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: that's real. They sort of kind of get an education. 178 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: But the truth of the matter is that for many, many, 179 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: many football and basketball players, that education is extremely substandard 180 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: because the goal of the coach is to keep the 181 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: player on the field, not to make sure he majors 182 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: in something that's usable after college. To put it bluntly, 183 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: the players get screwed. Yeah, it feels like that. One 184 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: of the statistics that jumped out at me was that 185 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: of top level college athletes live below the poverty level, 186 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: and as you've already pointed out, many of them come 187 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 1: from poor families, many of them are people of color, 188 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: and the highly paid coaches and n c A executives 189 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: are mostly white. So this feels like essentially reverse affirmative action, 190 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 1: is the way I think about it. The players are 191 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:36,959 Speaker 1: often the poorest students on campus, and yet the ns 192 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: amateurism rules have long been aimed at preventing college athletes 193 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: from accepting money. That's what the whole goal was. So 194 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: for instance, if a upper middle class white kid wants 195 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: to go home for Thanksgiving, right, his parents just pay 196 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: war and there's no violation because parents can do whatever 197 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: they want. Right. If a disadvantaged black kid wants to 198 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: go cross country for Thanksgiving and his parents don't have 199 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 1: the money, he can't go because anybody who would give 200 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: him the money to make that trip would be putting 201 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: him in violation of n c A rules and he 202 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: would be suspended. So the n A basically says, we 203 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: treat everybody the same. We don't want anybody to have money. 204 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: That violates the principles of amateurism. But in effect, it 205 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: affects the black kids a whole lot more than it 206 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: affects the white kids. In your book, you quote historian 207 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: Taylor branch As comparing the n c A system too 208 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: in quotes the plantation. What did he mean by that, Well, 209 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: he means sort of the same thing that I mean 210 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: by the title of my book, which is indentured, which 211 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: is that they're under the thumb of the athletic department 212 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 1: a coach. You know, if they don't play well, they 213 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: can lose their scholarship and be sent back. They often 214 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: wind up back on the street after their four years 215 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: are up. It's a system in which they have no power, 216 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: or at least had no power until fairly recently. And 217 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: so these players who are making no money are making 218 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: all these white people, not all white people, if they're 219 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: always administrators, these adults rich, which is definitely the whiff 220 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: of the plantation. Absolutely, Joe, What is then, as rationale 221 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: for treating students this way? Let me back up one second, 222 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: and just say this, The combination of the recent Supreme 223 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: Court decision and the legislation in many states to allow 224 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: players to make money on their name, image and likeness 225 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: i e. Endorsements and signing autographs and that sort of 226 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: thing is changing things radically and quickly, and the n 227 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: c a A is trying to catch up. But let's 228 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: make believe we're still back in the era when the 229 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: n c a A. When it was their way or 230 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: the highway. Their rationale was that amateurism, that not paying 231 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: players is what separated college sports from professional sports. It 232 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: was kind of the secret sauce. And they would long 233 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: argue that if players were ever paid, it would turn 234 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: off the fans and people would stop going to the games, 235 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: and it would destroy college sports. It seems to me 236 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 1: that that is a testable proposition. Why hasn't anyone asked 237 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: them to prove this? Well, that's what these court fights 238 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: have been about. Amateurism, they would say, is not the 239 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: secret sauce. In fact, it's cartel like behavior that violates 240 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: the antitrust laws, and its purpose is to deprive the 241 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: labor force of wages. So each side has their economists 242 00:16:54,600 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: and in court over the last fifteen years, judges at 243 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: every level, from the district court to the appeals court 244 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: of the Supreme Court have all said that the arguments 245 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: in favor of amateurism being something that is required to 246 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: have college sports, they have all ruled at that as 247 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: bogus and that in fact, what amateurism really is is 248 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: a violation of the United States antitrust laws. In June 249 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 1: of one, the n C Double A dropped its rule 250 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 1: prohibiting students from making money off their name, image, and likeness. 251 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 1: That was a big win, but it wasn't the first. 252 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: In two thousand and nine, there was another significant score 253 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: for student athletes in the Supreme Court. O'Bannon versus the 254 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: n C Double A. That's quite the story. Ed O'Bannon, 255 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 1: former n c A champion basketball player at u C 256 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:59,399 Speaker 1: l A. He's working at a Las Vegas card dealership, 257 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 1: goes to a party and somebody says, my kid saw 258 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: your image on a video game. So he goes and 259 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,239 Speaker 1: looks at the video game and sure enough, there's an 260 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: avatar that looks exactly like him that has his number 261 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,439 Speaker 1: on the back. So of course his first instinct is, 262 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: oh boy, this is kind of cool. But his second 263 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: instinct is, why aren't I getting paid for this? How 264 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: can they use my name my image without paying me exactly, 265 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,440 Speaker 1: And that's what led to the verse truly important lawsuit 266 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: O'Bannon versus n c a A that was back in 267 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 1: two thousand and nine, and since then there's been a 268 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 1: real shift in how the public thinks about the rights 269 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: of college athletes. Now jump ahead to twenty nine. California 270 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,679 Speaker 1: legislator named Nancy Skinners is at a Rotary Club luncheon 271 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: and she's listening to an economist named Andy Schwartz who 272 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,200 Speaker 1: is giving a talk about the n c a A. 273 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,879 Speaker 1: And she thinks to herself, boy, this is awful. Somebody 274 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,400 Speaker 1: should do something about this. And then she thinks, hey, 275 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: I'm about to join the legislature. I could do something 276 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: about this, right, So she files the bill that says 277 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: universities in California cannot prevent or punish athletes for making 278 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: money on their name, image, and likeness. And here's the 279 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: amazing thing. In this polarized era that we live in, 280 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: it passed unanimously. That's incredible, in the House and the Senate. 281 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,199 Speaker 1: And that really told you that things have changed. So 282 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: then what happens, a bunch of other states say well, hell, 283 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,880 Speaker 1: I'm not going to give California the advantage. We gotta 284 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 1: have one too, or we're gonna lose recruits. And then 285 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: the n c A says, hold on, everybody, let us 286 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: figure this out, you know, just stop, and by then 287 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 1: then has lost so much credibility that nobody is willing 288 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: to do that. Understanding that this was a losing battle, 289 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 1: the double A finally decided that they would simply allow 290 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: all athletes to make money from their name, image, and likeness. Now, 291 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: one of the great fears about this was that only 292 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: the quarterback would get a big endorsement deal, and that 293 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: the rest of the you know, the linemen, would get nothing, 294 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: and that it would be dominated by football and basketball. 295 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 1: That is not what has happened. It's amazing that so 296 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: many of these deals have revolved around women athletes in 297 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,679 Speaker 1: sports that are not Olympic sports or across or just 298 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 1: it's really been Even Mark Emmert, the president of the 299 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: n c a A, said watching this evolve has been 300 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: quote unquote really neat. Yeah. I mean, look, I'm not 301 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: supposed to have an opinion. I'm interviewing you, but that 302 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: seems nefarious to me because, uh, I mean, I don't 303 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 1: understand how he suddenly got woke. Well, they're not that woke. 304 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: But I do think that acts really paying the players 305 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: is not far behind shifting gears for just a second. 306 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: Another thing that the n c A has said in 307 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:12,399 Speaker 1: one of its by laws is that student participation in 308 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: intercollegiate athletics is an advocation, meaning a hobby, and student 309 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 1: athletes should be protected from exploitation by commercial enterprises. How's 310 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:27,880 Speaker 1: that going? That has been the rationale, And it's so 311 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: ludicrous when they say it out loud in court that 312 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: even that even the judge has a hard time stifling 313 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: a laugh when they say that. It's has become so ridiculous. 314 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: A collegiate model basically says that it's perfectly appropriate to 315 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: maximize revenue for the schools and the athletic departments, but 316 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: that the athletes remain students rather than employees. And they 317 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:59,399 Speaker 1: always make this absurd distinction between students and employees. You know, 318 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: when I was in college, I worked in the photo lab, 319 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 1: so I was employee of the journalism school, but I 320 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: was still a student. But the n c A basically says, 321 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 1: you've got to either be a student or an employee. 322 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 1: You can't have both, can't be both. So the collegiate 323 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: model is the athletes are students, so they can't be paid, 324 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:23,639 Speaker 1: but every other aspect college sports is a revenue maximizing enterprise. 325 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: So far, the whiff of n c double A bullshit 326 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: is pretty strong. It's clear that a lot of student 327 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: athletes have been financially exploited, but what about their education? 328 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: The n c double A mission states that education is paramount. 329 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 1: Since the students aren't getting any of that money, are 330 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:55,880 Speaker 1: they at least getting a good education. So one example 331 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 1: of the n c A wanting to put education first 332 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: is their rules about how many hours per week the 333 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: athletes can practice. So let's say it's twenty hours a week. Well, 334 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: that sounds pretty reasonable, but then it turns out that 335 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,239 Speaker 1: let's say they have a game on Friday night in 336 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:21,680 Speaker 1: Texas and they're in West Virginia, but the only hours 337 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: that count towards the twenty hours are the two hours 338 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: that they're on the field, and the rest of the 339 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,440 Speaker 1: thirty six hours or forty hours don't count. So there's 340 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,360 Speaker 1: all kinds of loopholes like that. But more importantly, when 341 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: an athlete is recruited, it is made abundantly clear that 342 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: their sport comes first, so that means they can't take 343 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: any classes that conflict with practice or games, which means 344 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: that even those who are really quite studious have a 345 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: very hard time finding a major that's legitimate. And a 346 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 1: lot of the players, you know, they're major is communications 347 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: or physic but really they're what I like to say 348 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:10,880 Speaker 1: is they're majoring in eligibility. What's happening is that their 349 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:16,719 Speaker 1: academic advisors are directing them to classes that they know 350 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,119 Speaker 1: they'll be able to pass or they you know, have 351 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: a good likelihood of passing that will allow them to 352 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:28,919 Speaker 1: remain eligible. Right and how many actually graduate? Do you know? 353 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 1: There is some controversy over that. The n c A 354 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 1: would say it's over. I would say for football and basketball. 355 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,160 Speaker 1: A guy named Richard Southall at the University of South 356 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 1: Carolina has done a lot of work dissecting that and 357 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:49,399 Speaker 1: using the federal government's graduation numbers and has concluded that 358 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: it's much much lower than that, and for black players especially, 359 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 1: it can be in the range depending on the school. 360 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: It's crazy that these kids come into the school, they 361 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: work on average fifty hours a week on their sport 362 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: and then have school work on top of it, and 363 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 1: many of them don't graduate. It's a terrible grind. You know, 364 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: you get up at six o'clock in the morning, you 365 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: go to the weight room. Uh, then you know, you've 366 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: got classes from maybe nine to three. Then you have practice, 367 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,480 Speaker 1: then you have mandatory study hall, and you know, go 368 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,439 Speaker 1: to bed till eleven or midnight. It's really hard. And 369 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: then you know, a lot of the players are not 370 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: ready for college work because they've been pampered in high 371 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 1: school and a lot of them think they're gonna be pros, 372 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: so they don't spend enough time thinking about scholastics, right, 373 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,600 Speaker 1: and how many of them actually go on to professional 374 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: sports career something like between one and two m Joe, 375 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: just another question for you about this, essentially the injustice 376 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,360 Speaker 1: of this system. Why don't some of the sponsors use 377 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 1: their cloud to force the n c A or the 378 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 1: college is directly to solve this problem. Um, because they 379 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: make too much money. There's too much money at stake. So, Joe, 380 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: is the n c a A a bullshitter? Well, of 381 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,120 Speaker 1: course it is. I don't even. I don't even. There's 382 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: nothing else to say. Of course it is seems like 383 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: that is the only thing to say. So on a 384 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:25,639 Speaker 1: scale of zero to a hundred being the worst, what 385 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:29,239 Speaker 1: would you rate the level of bullshit at the c A. 386 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: The real bullshit factor to me about the n c 387 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 1: A is how orwellian the language is. Say more about 388 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: that that they screw player in a dozen different ways, 389 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,920 Speaker 1: and yet they always characterize what they're doing as being 390 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: the force for good, as being the people who are 391 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: trying to to save the college athlete. Last question, what 392 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 1: is the one thing you would do to change this problem? 393 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: Pay the players? Okay, folks, it's time to make the call. 394 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: Is the n c double A really governing competition in 395 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: a fair, safe, equitable, and sportsmanlike manner and integrating intercollegiate 396 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:20,199 Speaker 1: athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of 397 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: the student athlete is paramount Based on what I've heard 398 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: so far, I gotta call bullshit. But remember, bullshit is 399 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: a treatable disease, So after the diagnosis, we always prescribe 400 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: a cure. After the break, we'll hear solutions from some 401 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: great minds and activism on behalf of athletes everywhere. Stick 402 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: with us before you head to the break. We'd love 403 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: to hear what you think about the show. Maybe you 404 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,919 Speaker 1: were inspired to take action, maybe you disagree with today's 405 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: bullshit rating. Either way, we want to hear about it. 406 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,160 Speaker 1: Leave us a message at two one two five oh 407 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:09,919 Speaker 1: five five, or send a voice memo to CBS podcast 408 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: at co collective dot com. You might even be featured 409 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 1: on an upcoming episode Welcome back. All right, So, there's 410 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 1: a pretty big gap between what the n C double 411 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 1: A says it stands for and the actions that it takes. 412 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 1: So the next question is what could the n C 413 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: double A do to actually solve this. We've assembled a small, 414 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: yet mighty panel of experts and asked them to propose 415 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: some concrete things the n C A A could do differently. 416 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: So our first expert is Dr Ellen Starowski. Ellen, can 417 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: you tell us a little bit about your background? Sure. 418 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: I am a proud member of the faculty and the 419 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: Roy H part School of Communications at Ataca College, and 420 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: in a previous lifetime, I started out my career as 421 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: a college coach, moved on to become a director of athletics, 422 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 1: and I've researched, written, and taught courses about a college 423 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: sport now for we're now moving into four decades, so 424 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: I'm very excited to be talking about this particular topic today. 425 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us. And our second 426 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: expert is Dallas Hobbes. Dallas, can you tell us a 427 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: little bit about yourself? Yeah, so I'm Washington State University 428 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:41,400 Speaker 1: defensive linemen on the football team here, originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 429 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: and found my way over to Pullman, Washington because of sports, 430 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: because of football, and really got heavily involved in some 431 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: athletes activism. It's about a year now. It was one 432 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: of the main leaders of the Reunited Movement group that 433 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: was really pushing a lot of athlete activism and stuff 434 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: on the table. So really happy to be here. Fantastic, 435 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:06,480 Speaker 1: So let's get right into this. The way this works 436 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: is I want all three of us to take no 437 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,360 Speaker 1: more than two minutes to present one idea, the single 438 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: most important action that you think the n c A 439 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: could take to better live their purpose. Alright, Ellen, am 440 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: I going to ask you to kick us off. You're 441 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: on the clock. I think that what's ailing the college 442 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,800 Speaker 1: sports system in Dallas. You're on the ground work with 443 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: the movement last summer is exhibit A. In terms of 444 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: what needs to happen, there needs to be the creation 445 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: of an independent players association that represents the interests of 446 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: the players, because from the early nine hundreds to the present, 447 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: we've had college sport leaders who have been putting forth 448 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: an agenda that has benefited the business of college sport, 449 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: but it has not represented the interests of the athletes, 450 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,479 Speaker 1: and so to the reform is not going to happen 451 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: without that step. That's a fantastic point. There is no 452 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: one really truly representing the interests of the players right now, Dallas, 453 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: over to you in two minutes. The single idea that 454 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: you would want to get Mark Emmert to agree to, 455 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 1: to get the n c A to actually walk their 456 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: talk minds with the athletes in mind as well, mainly 457 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: the the younger generation of athletes that are coming along. 458 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: I would like the n c A to create some 459 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: sort of program with the revenue that they are generating, 460 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,479 Speaker 1: because there is a lot of it, to set up 461 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: programs for lower income communities athletes that are lacking the 462 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:40,400 Speaker 1: right resources to get into sports. You know, I was 463 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 1: lucky to have parents and grandparents um that were able 464 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: to pay for these things, but there's a lot of 465 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: people that aren't even able to get into the sports 466 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: they enjoy and can't even make it to the collegiate level. 467 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 1: So that's something I really want to see happen, to 468 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: really create some better areas for athletes to get into 469 00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: the n c A. Yeah, another fantastic idea, right access, 470 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: which is absolutely not equitable right now, Thank you, Dallas. 471 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: So my turn. I noticed that a lot of the 472 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: talk is about the money, and I think that conversation 473 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,960 Speaker 1: is a super important conversation. But the n c a's 474 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: mission doesn't say anything about money. It does say that 475 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: the n c A exists to ensure that the academic 476 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: experience of the student athlete is paramount. And when you 477 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: look at the academic outcomes, particularly in Division one and 478 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: particularly in the money sports football and basketball, graduation rates 479 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: are horrible. In some cases, twenty per cent of a 480 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: team graduates, and many of the people who do graduate 481 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: are kind of sham graduations because the player got allousy 482 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: or non existent education. The story of dexter manly comes 483 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 1: to mind. Less than four percent of athletes ever get 484 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: to the pros, which means that a huge number of 485 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: D one athletes leave college and are sort of tossed 486 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 1: away like refuse, with no ucation, no real prospects, and 487 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: I think that's a crime. I propose that the n 488 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 1: c A immediately begin forcing colleges to ensure that incoming 489 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: athletes get a real education. Give them all a scholarship, 490 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: but not for a year, not for four years, but 491 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: a scholarship for life. A student athlete should be able 492 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 1: to play for four years so long as they're a 493 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: student in good standing, and when that time is done, 494 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,200 Speaker 1: they should have a lifetime ticket to return to that 495 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: school to finish their degree, and that scholarship should cover 496 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: living expenses as well. If the n c A wants 497 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,920 Speaker 1: to claim that they're about the primacy of education, they 498 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 1: need to back those words up with some immediate action. 499 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: They have a great story, they just need to do 500 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:45,480 Speaker 1: that story. So I'll stop there. I think all three 501 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 1: ideas are provocative, ellen starting with yours. This idea of representation, 502 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: that's another thing that struck me as just completely unfair. 503 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: That until very recently, although it seems like some of 504 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: these rules are changing, college athletes weren't allowed to have 505 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: a lawyer or an agent, and there wasn't anybody looking 506 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: out for them. Meanwhile, coaches have agents and the schools 507 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: themselves have the n c A to enforce rules. What's 508 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: it going to take for that to really be put 509 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 1: in place? Do you think it may end up being 510 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,919 Speaker 1: an Act of Congress? Quite literally? Senator Chris Murphy from 511 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,319 Speaker 1: Connecticut has a bill before Congress right now which is 512 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:31,200 Speaker 1: arguing for athletes to have the opportunity to collectively bargain 513 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:36,160 Speaker 1: and to have an association that would allow for the 514 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: kind of advocacy that a group like that would provide. 515 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,759 Speaker 1: I want to cycle back to two things that you 516 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: talked about in your proposal for reform with an emphasis 517 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:51,239 Speaker 1: on education, and the first one is that even though 518 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 1: in the n c AS Mission statement it doesn't say 519 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 1: anything about money, within that four and fifty page manual 520 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,920 Speaker 1: that they've got for Asian one, and who doesn't want 521 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:04,359 Speaker 1: to read that on any given night? I mean I 522 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 1: read it daily, of course, as we all do. But 523 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 1: buried within there is a philosophy statement, and in the 524 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:14,640 Speaker 1: philosophy statement, it expressly talks about money, and it does 525 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:16,919 Speaker 1: so in a variety of ways. Um. You know, there's 526 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: an ongoing narrative around college sport has been connected to education. 527 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:25,320 Speaker 1: But at the same time, this is a multi billion 528 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: dollar global industry and it really needs to be understood 529 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: as such. And I think part of our conversations around 530 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: reform really need to acknowledge the fact that athletes have 531 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:42,000 Speaker 1: their interests have been sacrificed. I think that this is 532 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 1: one of the things that athletes would benefit from in 533 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 1: terms of having a players association, because this is certainly 534 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 1: this conversation and Dallas, I think, given the activism that 535 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: the Pack twelve players had last summer, this is about compensation, 536 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: but this is about basic humanity and treatment. This is 537 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:09,520 Speaker 1: about education, This is about safe workplaces, this is about healthcare. 538 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: And I'd really be curious to know, Dallas, what you 539 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: think about that and frankly, what you think the critical 540 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: issues are. Yeah, and that's something we were definitely trying 541 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:22,680 Speaker 1: to attack last summer. Our main focus was COVID at 542 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,920 Speaker 1: the time, you know, that was what was at the spotlight. 543 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: But you know, there's a lot more things we can 544 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:30,400 Speaker 1: put on the table. Health and safety, protections, protect all sports, 545 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,960 Speaker 1: in racial injustice in the college sports and society, and 546 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 1: then economic freedoms and equity. Economic freedoms are starting to 547 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:40,319 Speaker 1: happen within I L coming out, which is a big 548 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 1: win for US education is still in major one protecting 549 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:46,279 Speaker 1: all sports. We see all these sports keep getting like 550 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:50,640 Speaker 1: Stanford had what twelve sports discontinued last year. When we 551 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: keep seeing it at other schools, you know, there's a 552 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:55,520 Speaker 1: lot of main, big concerns that are still happening that 553 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: need focus. Everyone thought once we got in l A 554 00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 1: and all these things, you know, we hit them along. 555 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 1: It's all it now, you know. So I want to 556 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,799 Speaker 1: return to sort of our main theme here, which is 557 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:08,040 Speaker 1: what are the actions that the n c A should take, 558 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: and maybe I want to look at it through a 559 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: slightly different lens. One of the things that just I 560 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: found stunning was the degree to which the n c 561 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:22,560 Speaker 1: A has resisted any of these reforms over the years. 562 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 1: There have been people trying to change these rules for years, 563 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:28,759 Speaker 1: and the n c A has used every means at 564 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:34,040 Speaker 1: their disposal to avoid sharing the money, instituting safety reforms, 565 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 1: making sure that college students get an education, all of 566 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:41,919 Speaker 1: the ideas that we've been talking about today, Ellen, maybe 567 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 1: I should go to you. Why do you think that 568 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:48,560 Speaker 1: they are even today seemingly continuing to drag their feet 569 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,840 Speaker 1: and what's it going to take to get them to 570 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:55,920 Speaker 1: actually want to do it. We're in such a different 571 00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: environment than what we were in the or what we 572 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,400 Speaker 1: were in the nineteen hundreds, but the system itself has 573 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:08,120 Speaker 1: remained status quo. And I think that's part of the 574 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:14,040 Speaker 1: reason why there needs to be a players Association, because 575 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: there's no incentive for the leaders to change. In a 576 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:25,239 Speaker 1: classic labor construction, owners don't change until they have to, 577 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:28,640 Speaker 1: until there is an imperative for them to change. You 578 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:31,399 Speaker 1: can bring moral arguments to the table, you can bring 579 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,080 Speaker 1: economic arguments to the table, but the plain fact of 580 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:38,760 Speaker 1: the matter is until the power dynamic changes, nothing really 581 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,359 Speaker 1: changes at all. And I think that's what is exciting 582 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: about the n I L era and about what's happening 583 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 1: with athlete activism in general, and frankly, I think it's 584 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 1: part of why THEN is failing so badly in its 585 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 1: leadership right now. It is completely misread the landscape. For instance, 586 00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:01,520 Speaker 1: they've got a convention coming up in November to talk 587 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: about reform, but they did not go to the different 588 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:10,400 Speaker 1: organizations that are representing athlete interests right now. They didn't 589 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: ask them for feedback, and they stayed internally with the 590 00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:17,400 Speaker 1: people they generally do, and to me, that's the tell 591 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:20,279 Speaker 1: that they have no intention of really changing unless they 592 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:24,920 Speaker 1: absolutely have to. Athletes from the ground are making a change. 593 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 1: I think legislators are calling for a change, and frankly, 594 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 1: I think the American public is beginning more and more 595 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,680 Speaker 1: to see the inequities and to get with why this 596 00:39:34,719 --> 00:39:38,960 Speaker 1: is so dramatic And Alice, you talked so eloquently about 597 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: the racial injustice in all of this, and this is 598 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,600 Speaker 1: the moment for the n c a A. Not to 599 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 1: be responding to that in a substantive way is really 600 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:53,120 Speaker 1: deeply problematic. And Dallas, I see you nodding along as 601 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: as Ellen spoke. And you've led some of these activists actions. 602 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:06,040 Speaker 1: Why are these not more widespread? What is preventing the 603 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,840 Speaker 1: players from really getting together, because at the end of 604 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:12,480 Speaker 1: the day, you have a monopoly on the sports right 605 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: without players, no sports. I'd love to hear you just 606 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,920 Speaker 1: talk about your experience as an organizer, what the conversations 607 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 1: were like with the other players, what you guys felt 608 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:26,160 Speaker 1: like you had on the line, and what it would 609 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:29,000 Speaker 1: take to really make more of that kind of thing happen. 610 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 1: The biggest thing we call it now is this conveyor bell. 611 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,440 Speaker 1: You're moving along. You're told to focus on your sport 612 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:37,520 Speaker 1: in your school, and you just keep on going by. 613 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,080 Speaker 1: You know, everyone is grateful for you know, their scholarship 614 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: or the equipment they have, the support they have from fans. 615 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:44,799 Speaker 1: You know, they're on this conveyor belt and they keep going. 616 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:47,759 Speaker 1: And then some people, you know, finally get to look 617 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:49,200 Speaker 1: to the right or to the left and they can 618 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:51,759 Speaker 1: see outside the conveyor belt. You know, the windows open up. 619 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm grateful. I still I'm grateful, but I have finally 620 00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,560 Speaker 1: noticed all the wrongdoings that are happening, all the programs 621 00:40:57,560 --> 00:40:59,720 Speaker 1: that could be put in place to see the success 622 00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:01,360 Speaker 1: of the athlete and not just the n c A 623 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:05,360 Speaker 1: as a whole. I think I talked to probably two 624 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:07,880 Speaker 1: thousand Pact twelve athletes you know at the time, mainly 625 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:11,840 Speaker 1: football players, and they, you know, all had concerns. On average, 626 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:14,359 Speaker 1: maybe like five people from each school that came out 627 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 1: and wanted to be a part of the United and 628 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 1: really saw what was going on, and they came into 629 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,600 Speaker 1: our conversation, I came into our zoom calls. They saw 630 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 1: everything that was happening, and they listened but we also 631 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:26,359 Speaker 1: had another two thousand people we were talking to, and 632 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,839 Speaker 1: those people, a lot of them didn't repost it. They 633 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: didn't share the graphic that said they were with us 634 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:34,320 Speaker 1: because they were scared. They sat in all those calls 635 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,440 Speaker 1: and they said, you know, this is what's going wrong here. 636 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,440 Speaker 1: You know, I have these concerns. I'm scared of this. 637 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 1: I've had all these issues at my school. We heard 638 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,719 Speaker 1: all their stories. Whatever it was, they were scared. Can 639 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:46,880 Speaker 1: you talk a little bit more about that fear? Like, 640 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:49,600 Speaker 1: what are they afraid of? It comes down to the 641 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:51,960 Speaker 1: main thing. You want to play your sport and you 642 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,840 Speaker 1: get scared. You want to stay in your lane. You know, 643 00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,839 Speaker 1: I respect their decisions. You know, some people can't risk 644 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:01,759 Speaker 1: their scholarships. It's interesting in terms of the framing of 645 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:07,239 Speaker 1: labor issues in general and athlete activism that whenever you've 646 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:11,359 Speaker 1: got a group that has the kind of power inequities 647 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:14,560 Speaker 1: that we've got within college sport, whenever we've got that 648 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:19,279 Speaker 1: kind of dynamic when players step up and challenge the 649 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:23,719 Speaker 1: status quo, there's this question about, well, why weren't there 650 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:27,399 Speaker 1: more of you? Rather than really putting into perspective just 651 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:32,680 Speaker 1: how profound that action was We've got the Northwestern players 652 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:37,200 Speaker 1: organizing and actually gaining the right to collectively bargain until 653 00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:41,040 Speaker 1: they got derailed with the National Labor Relations Board. That 654 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:43,720 Speaker 1: was an action where people kept saying that will never 655 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,719 Speaker 1: ever happen. It will never happen. And there we saw 656 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:50,000 Speaker 1: football players who were signing union cards. And then we 657 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:54,920 Speaker 1: have Missouri where the entire football team boycott's on racial 658 00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:59,080 Speaker 1: injustices at Missouri. So rather than thinking about this in 659 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,680 Speaker 1: terms of who and sign on, officially, we should be 660 00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 1: looking at this as a movement where it's gaining ground 661 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:10,480 Speaker 1: and it's going to continue to gain ground. Coaches salaries 662 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,960 Speaker 1: are tied to in some cases winning and in some 663 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:19,319 Speaker 1: cases their ability to recruit top players, but they are 664 00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:24,040 Speaker 1: not tied to educational outcome. Mark Emmert's salary at the 665 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:28,640 Speaker 1: n c a A isn't tied to educational outcome at all. 666 00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:31,279 Speaker 1: It seems to me that one of the levers might 667 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:37,280 Speaker 1: be tying people's salaries to better outcomes for athletes, whether 668 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:43,000 Speaker 1: they be educational or remunerative. Depending on whose contract it is, 669 00:43:43,320 --> 00:43:47,040 Speaker 1: you will see coaches that will have bonuses in terms 670 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:51,800 Speaker 1: of their team APR scores and their graduation success rates. 671 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:54,120 Speaker 1: But think about that for a minute. Of that for 672 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:56,959 Speaker 1: a minute now. Actually, I don't think that is good. 673 00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:01,200 Speaker 1: I think that that is hypocrisy at the fight, because 674 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:04,800 Speaker 1: anybody who's working in higher education should be invested and 675 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:08,640 Speaker 1: athletes graduating. And the idea is that somehow we had 676 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:12,719 Speaker 1: to create a financial incentive for coaches to direct their 677 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:16,520 Speaker 1: attentions to graduating athletes. That just tells you how sick 678 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 1: this system is and how corrupt it is. Well, I 679 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 1: agree with that, Alan, but the sad reality of most 680 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:27,560 Speaker 1: of the world is that effort follows money. And maybe 681 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:30,680 Speaker 1: that's cynical, but I just think if Mark Emmert, like 682 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:34,640 Speaker 1: he makes north of a million, if fifty percent of 683 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:38,600 Speaker 1: that even was tied to academic outcome, in other words, 684 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:43,520 Speaker 1: graduation rates across the universities, he would pay attention to that, 685 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:47,160 Speaker 1: and n t A would start to enforce rules that 686 00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:49,839 Speaker 1: made sure that those rates got better. Now, you know, 687 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:53,440 Speaker 1: the n c A created the graduation success rate, but 688 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:58,239 Speaker 1: it's interesting that graduation success rate compares to nothing. There 689 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:04,480 Speaker 1: is no metric for graduation success rate for undergraduate students. 690 00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:07,279 Speaker 1: That's where we have the federal graduation rates, and that 691 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,840 Speaker 1: comes into play that's a different metric. So the n 692 00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:15,640 Speaker 1: c A has created this pr campaign around graduation success rates. Yeah, 693 00:45:15,719 --> 00:45:20,360 Speaker 1: they get gamed, right, Yeah, So creating that financial incentive, 694 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,879 Speaker 1: you're just going down another rabbit hole and effect. Well 695 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: that's grim. Thanks Alan, thanks for bumming us all out. No, 696 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:31,960 Speaker 1: that was great, And so I want to probe in 697 00:45:31,960 --> 00:45:35,319 Speaker 1: the same area with Dallas because Dallas you put the 698 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:38,839 Speaker 1: student in student athlete. You're carrying a three point eight 699 00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,240 Speaker 1: five g p A, is that right? And you've gotten 700 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:46,799 Speaker 1: awards for your academic achievement at Washington. How hard is 701 00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:51,440 Speaker 1: that to do because that's I would say, pretty unusual. 702 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:55,480 Speaker 1: How well you're doing in school and in your chosen sport. 703 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:58,640 Speaker 1: How big a commitment of time and energy is that? 704 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,799 Speaker 1: And is everybody on the team doing that? Are there 705 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,320 Speaker 1: people who are struggling? Yeah? I would say the biggest 706 00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:08,560 Speaker 1: benefit to my success is my ability to learn and 707 00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:12,080 Speaker 1: seek out as much resources that I can and completely 708 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:14,840 Speaker 1: suck those dry. And it also helps the fact the 709 00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:16,880 Speaker 1: major I'm in is something I want to do the 710 00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:18,960 Speaker 1: rest of my life. I love art, you know, I 711 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 1: love digital technology, so it's a passion of mine, but 712 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:24,600 Speaker 1: it is definitely a commitment once I get out of 713 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:27,600 Speaker 1: practice and get done, you know, studying playbook, you know, 714 00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,759 Speaker 1: watching film, I dive right into school. That's all I do. 715 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:32,400 Speaker 1: The rest of the day are I dive into work 716 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,520 Speaker 1: that's just super inspiring. Right, and you've found two things 717 00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:38,960 Speaker 1: that you love and that you're really good at, And 718 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:41,600 Speaker 1: to me, like, I look at you and I go, 719 00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:44,239 Speaker 1: that's the key to life. Right. You find things that 720 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:47,800 Speaker 1: you're passionate about and you pursue them with like ferocity. 721 00:46:47,840 --> 00:46:50,560 Speaker 1: And the reason I'm probing so much on this is 722 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:53,440 Speaker 1: I want to figure out how to provide more of 723 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:56,799 Speaker 1: that for people, because no matter how good you are 724 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:58,560 Speaker 1: at your sport, the number of people who are going 725 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:01,920 Speaker 1: to go on to play professionally is vanishingly smaller. And 726 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,640 Speaker 1: so helping people find that next passion, the thing that's 727 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:09,320 Speaker 1: going to carry them beyond their sport and into success 728 00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:12,920 Speaker 1: in life, feels like a vital thing that college is 729 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:16,120 Speaker 1: supposed to do. That's what college is supposed to be for, 730 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:18,720 Speaker 1: and it doesn't seem to be working in the case 731 00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:23,400 Speaker 1: of many, not all, but many college athletes. You know, 732 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:26,200 Speaker 1: I see a lot of other athletes that aren't in 733 00:47:26,320 --> 00:47:29,360 Speaker 1: majors that are their passion, but they're in them because 734 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:31,840 Speaker 1: they fit the schedule of what we're doing. That's where 735 00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:35,279 Speaker 1: instead of you were talking about adding bonuses to coaches, No, 736 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:38,839 Speaker 1: we take that money and we add into academic resources, 737 00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:43,200 Speaker 1: into academic advisors, into tutors, into the resources we can have. 738 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:45,399 Speaker 1: That's where the money go. And we need to see 739 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:49,160 Speaker 1: policies put in place that allow for more academic success, 740 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:53,080 Speaker 1: that allow for schedule adaptations for student athletes that have 741 00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:55,200 Speaker 1: crazy schedules. You know, we need to figure out a 742 00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:58,000 Speaker 1: way where say this person's you know, wants to be 743 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,000 Speaker 1: an engineering or kinesiology one, to be an athletic trainer, 744 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,080 Speaker 1: wants to be, you know, a doctor, but that schedule 745 00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:07,120 Speaker 1: does not fit a student athlete or an athletic schedule whatsoever. 746 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:09,800 Speaker 1: So we need to figure out how we can push resources, 747 00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:13,800 Speaker 1: like you said, an extended scholarship that pushes onto six 748 00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 1: eight years where they can take a longer time to 749 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:18,480 Speaker 1: take a short amount of classes. There needs to be 750 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:20,960 Speaker 1: put that policy put in place. But instead, you know, 751 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,120 Speaker 1: we see things that are forced where it's you have 752 00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:25,839 Speaker 1: to have of your major complete by this time. So 753 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:29,000 Speaker 1: it's forcing these college athletes into majors that they're not 754 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,360 Speaker 1: passionate about, and then you see a success rate drop. 755 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:34,160 Speaker 1: They're forced to do do this, but then still hold a 756 00:48:34,239 --> 00:48:36,799 Speaker 1: high grade payerent average to be successful, but it's not 757 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:39,000 Speaker 1: something they're passionate about. So it's in the end they're 758 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:41,239 Speaker 1: just gonna drop it when they're done. So why not 759 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:44,120 Speaker 1: add in resources where they get this extended stay in 760 00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:47,120 Speaker 1: college because only two percent make it to the next level. 761 00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,800 Speaker 1: We're lacking in support for our advisors, were lacking in 762 00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:54,440 Speaker 1: a lot of things that you would really see increase 763 00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:59,080 Speaker 1: in real sustainable futures for college athletes because it's us, 764 00:48:59,120 --> 00:49:02,160 Speaker 1: the student athletes that are doing the work. It's our education, 765 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:04,800 Speaker 1: it's our future. So we need the money to help 766 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: us succeed and to do something we're passionate about. That's 767 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,759 Speaker 1: very well said, So let me try another area. There's 768 00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:16,840 Speaker 1: an economist who was quoted in Joe No Sarah's book, 769 00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:22,600 Speaker 1: and in it he advocates for just an open marketplace 770 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:25,400 Speaker 1: right now. He argues that the n c A is 771 00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:30,239 Speaker 1: essentially a cartel that artificially holds down wages in quotes 772 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:38,080 Speaker 1: for college athletes in a collusional and coercive manner. The 773 00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:41,839 Speaker 1: economist advocates that it should just be an open marketplace, 774 00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:46,520 Speaker 1: that players should get paid whatever the market demands, and 775 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:50,960 Speaker 1: that colleges should be forced to compete with each other 776 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:54,640 Speaker 1: for players and for coaches on the open market, and 777 00:49:54,719 --> 00:49:58,600 Speaker 1: that the market would eventually sort itself out, in other words, 778 00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:02,320 Speaker 1: having essentially no rules about who makes how much money 779 00:50:02,360 --> 00:50:06,520 Speaker 1: in what college. Ever, what do you both think about 780 00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,799 Speaker 1: that idea? Yeah, I see it. You know, it has 781 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:12,520 Speaker 1: as positives, but it has its negatives. Both sides have 782 00:50:12,640 --> 00:50:15,720 Speaker 1: super extremes to them. If we're talking about an open market, 783 00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:18,919 Speaker 1: we're seeing a lot of toxic environments. You would really 784 00:50:18,960 --> 00:50:22,400 Speaker 1: see a major decrease in academic success in the education 785 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,520 Speaker 1: side of things, because it be like a professional league 786 00:50:25,520 --> 00:50:27,919 Speaker 1: where say I could get X amount of dollars. Here 787 00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:30,720 Speaker 1: people would be just hopping from one school to another. 788 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:34,080 Speaker 1: But there are the benefits where players do see an 789 00:50:34,239 --> 00:50:38,160 Speaker 1: increase of financial success, you know, generational wealth, and there's 790 00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:39,839 Speaker 1: a lot of good things that could come from that. 791 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:45,880 Speaker 1: So before I let you go, I want you to 792 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,520 Speaker 1: think for a second and give the n c A 793 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:52,480 Speaker 1: a what we call a BS score, a bullshit score, 794 00:50:53,239 --> 00:50:57,040 Speaker 1: So on a scale of zero to one hundred, one 795 00:50:57,560 --> 00:51:01,880 Speaker 1: being the worst total bs and zero being the best 796 00:51:02,160 --> 00:51:06,040 Speaker 1: zero bs. What would you give the n c A 797 00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:10,319 Speaker 1: A on their level of achievement of their mission right now? 798 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:14,960 Speaker 1: I'd definitely say it's in that six seventy range just 799 00:51:15,040 --> 00:51:17,960 Speaker 1: because they're not they're not seeking change at all, so 800 00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:20,760 Speaker 1: that just jumps up to score a lot, you know, perfect, 801 00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:25,879 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Ellen, Oh goodness, hold onto your 802 00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:32,000 Speaker 1: hats and the gloves. Come on. Now, I'm going to 803 00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,560 Speaker 1: get in trouble. But you know, if you parse out 804 00:51:35,719 --> 00:51:40,240 Speaker 1: the language in that mission statement, you know, fair, equitable, ethical, 805 00:51:40,719 --> 00:51:46,520 Speaker 1: it's no, no, no. So then student athletes in that term. 806 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:49,480 Speaker 1: And we know that student athletes was an invention by 807 00:51:49,560 --> 00:51:52,960 Speaker 1: the n ci A to a order compensation. Keeping in 808 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:57,160 Speaker 1: mind that this is an association that's representing higher education, 809 00:51:58,160 --> 00:52:00,480 Speaker 1: is where we're supposed to put a free mean on 810 00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:04,120 Speaker 1: truthful and ethical condom. And so when I put all 811 00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:08,360 Speaker 1: of those pieces together, I come at zero one is 812 00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:12,160 Speaker 1: what you mean? Right? Total bs? Oh? Sorry, but yeah, 813 00:52:12,239 --> 00:52:15,600 Speaker 1: a hundred good. I was never good mat me either. 814 00:52:16,160 --> 00:52:18,880 Speaker 1: But I think it's deeply problematic because even this n 815 00:52:18,920 --> 00:52:23,120 Speaker 1: I L situation, people are referring to this as reform, 816 00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:26,919 Speaker 1: and this is not reform this is restoring a right 817 00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:31,200 Speaker 1: that athletes had in the early nineteen hundreds. I would 818 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:35,160 Speaker 1: hardly say that this is progress. You know, it took 819 00:52:35,400 --> 00:52:38,799 Speaker 1: over a hundred years to reverse that wheel. And I 820 00:52:38,840 --> 00:52:40,799 Speaker 1: don't mean to be flipping here, but I think that 821 00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:44,839 Speaker 1: the system really has failed and athletes deserve so much more, 822 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:47,960 Speaker 1: and frankly, I think that they have been the ones 823 00:52:48,239 --> 00:52:52,000 Speaker 1: that have demonstrated the leadership here. Thank you both so 824 00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:54,640 Speaker 1: much for being on the show today. It has been 825 00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:58,000 Speaker 1: an honor to meet both of you, truly, so keep 826 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:00,520 Speaker 1: up the good work both of you and fight on. 827 00:53:00,719 --> 00:53:03,720 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Time and Dallas has been a pleasure. 828 00:53:04,120 --> 00:53:06,680 Speaker 1: It has absolutely been a pleasure to listen to you 829 00:53:06,719 --> 00:53:13,920 Speaker 1: as well. I'd like to end the show today by 830 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:16,920 Speaker 1: giving the n C double A an official bullshit score. 831 00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:21,680 Speaker 1: You've heard our guests give their scores, so based on 832 00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:25,960 Speaker 1: what I've heard today, because they stubbornly refused to change 833 00:53:26,239 --> 00:53:28,280 Speaker 1: and have been dragged in front of the Supreme Court 834 00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:32,000 Speaker 1: three times and lost, I give the n C double 835 00:53:32,040 --> 00:53:36,520 Speaker 1: a n To weigh in with your own score, visit 836 00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:41,000 Speaker 1: our website Calling Bullshit Podcast dot com. We'll track their 837 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:43,239 Speaker 1: behavior over time to see if they can bring that 838 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:46,120 Speaker 1: score down. You'll also be able to see where the 839 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:48,759 Speaker 1: n C Double A ranks on bullshit compared to the 840 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:53,480 Speaker 1: other companies and organizations we feature on this show. So 841 00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:56,440 Speaker 1: if you're running a purpose led business or you're thinking 842 00:53:56,480 --> 00:54:00,600 Speaker 1: of beginning the journey of transformation to become one, here 843 00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:03,359 Speaker 1: are the three things that you should take away from 844 00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:10,120 Speaker 1: this episode. One. Truly purpose led organizations align their interests 845 00:54:10,160 --> 00:54:13,719 Speaker 1: with as many stakeholders as possible. In the case of 846 00:54:13,719 --> 00:54:17,080 Speaker 1: the n C Double A, they haven't considered the needs 847 00:54:17,120 --> 00:54:22,319 Speaker 1: of a major stakeholder, student athletes. Only by seeing to 848 00:54:22,360 --> 00:54:25,120 Speaker 1: the needs of student athletes can the n C Double 849 00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:29,120 Speaker 1: A hope to truly live their purpose. So the question 850 00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:33,920 Speaker 1: for you is what stakeholders do you need to see to. Two. 851 00:54:34,520 --> 00:54:38,080 Speaker 1: Once you've aligned on your purpose and your stakeholders, it's 852 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:41,840 Speaker 1: all about action. We've talked today about a number of 853 00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:44,400 Speaker 1: actions the n C double A could take to achieve 854 00:54:44,440 --> 00:54:49,320 Speaker 1: that alignment, offering student athletes scholarships for life, or using 855 00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:51,840 Speaker 1: some of the billions they rake in not only to 856 00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:55,400 Speaker 1: pay athletes directly, but also to fund a set of 857 00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:58,840 Speaker 1: programs to make access to sport more equitable. In the 858 00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:03,720 Speaker 1: first place, your actions will undoubtedly be different. The point 859 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:07,919 Speaker 1: is actions are a vital part of being purpose led 860 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:14,000 Speaker 1: and three. Change in any organization is led from the top. 861 00:55:14,719 --> 00:55:16,719 Speaker 1: This is not something that can be done from the 862 00:55:16,760 --> 00:55:19,919 Speaker 1: middle of the organization. In the n C double as case, 863 00:55:20,239 --> 00:55:23,200 Speaker 1: Mark Emmert needs to model the n C double as 864 00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:27,239 Speaker 1: purpose and use his bully pulpit to advocate for all 865 00:55:27,360 --> 00:55:31,160 Speaker 1: of the n C double as stakeholders. In your organization. 866 00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:34,960 Speaker 1: It's your founder or CEO who has to believe in 867 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:40,560 Speaker 1: your purpose and actively push it throughout the organization. Speaking 868 00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:43,600 Speaker 1: of which, Mark Emmert, if you ever want to come 869 00:55:43,640 --> 00:55:47,200 Speaker 1: on our show to discuss any aspect of today's episode, 870 00:55:47,600 --> 00:56:11,280 Speaker 1: you have an open invitation our thanks to our guests today, 871 00:56:11,480 --> 00:56:15,759 Speaker 1: Joe no, Sarah, dr Ellen Starowski, and Dallas Hobbes go 872 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:19,040 Speaker 1: to our site Calling Bullshit podcast dot com for their 873 00:56:19,080 --> 00:56:22,120 Speaker 1: social media handles. You can also find a link to 874 00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:25,799 Speaker 1: Joe's book Indentured, The Battle to End the Exploitation of 875 00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:30,200 Speaker 1: College Athletes, which he co authored with Ben Strauss. While 876 00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:33,880 Speaker 1: you're there, check out Allen's white paper This six billion 877 00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:37,319 Speaker 1: dollar Heist and a link to some design work by 878 00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:42,880 Speaker 1: Dallas Hobbes. Have any ideas for companies or organizations we 879 00:56:42,920 --> 00:56:46,400 Speaker 1: should consider for future episodes. Submit them there on the 880 00:56:46,480 --> 00:56:50,719 Speaker 1: site to Calling Bullshit podcast dot com and if we 881 00:56:50,800 --> 00:56:54,360 Speaker 1: scored points with you today, subscribe to the Calling Bullshit 882 00:56:54,440 --> 00:56:58,560 Speaker 1: podcast on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 883 00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:03,880 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast us. Thanks to our production 884 00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:10,440 Speaker 1: team Susie Armitage, Amanda Ginsburg, d S. Moss, Andy Kim, 885 00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:16,560 Speaker 1: Hannah Beale, MICHAELA. Reid, Lena Beck, Silison, Jess Benton, and 886 00:57:16,680 --> 00:57:21,320 Speaker 1: Basil Soaper. Calling Bullshit was created by co Collective and 887 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:28,720 Speaker 1: is hosted by me Tai Montague. Thanks for listening, hath 888 00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:54,680 Speaker 1: It and I supply before you go. We'd love to 889 00:57:54,680 --> 00:57:57,280 Speaker 1: hear what you think about the show. Maybe you were 890 00:57:57,360 --> 00:58:01,280 Speaker 1: inspired to take action, maybe you disagree of today's bullshit rating. 891 00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:04,440 Speaker 1: Either way, we want to hear about it. Leave us 892 00:58:04,480 --> 00:58:07,720 Speaker 1: a message at two one two five oh five three 893 00:58:07,800 --> 00:58:11,440 Speaker 1: zero five, or send a voice memo to CBS podcast 894 00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:15,000 Speaker 1: at co Collective dot com. You might even be featured 895 00:58:15,080 --> 00:58:16,440 Speaker 1: on an upcoming episode