The NCAA has loomed so large over college sports long enough that it’s hard to imagine life without it. It’s such a massive bureaucratic behemoth that it settled an antitrust lawsuit last fall.
Side note: Potentially the biggest upside to the antitrust settlement is that it paves the way for a revenue-sharing model for schools and athletes that may rein in name, image, and likeness (NIL). Or maybe not.
But a new proposal that is making the rounds in the sports media could upend the NCAA as we know it. The larger conferences in college sports are discussing ways for conferences to have more control over rules, policies, and events.
“The proposal, a collaboration of the four power leagues, would grant the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC rights to manage postseason championships, such as the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, assuming control over events that have long been operated by the national association,” reports Ross Dellinger at Yahoo Sports.
“The proposal is described only as a ‘working document’ and is not a complete or approved product,” Dellinger continues.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Big 12, and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) seek more power to create what Dellinger refers to as a “new subdivision within the NCAA umbrella,” but unlike a mere power grab, this proposal contains some of the ideas that NCAA president Charlie Baker bandied about over a year ago.
Conference leaders caution that these discussions are preliminary.
“There have been seven to eight months of discussions about the NCAA governance decision-making process,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told Yahoo Sports. “We have a responsibility to develop an idea. We’ve circulated this with our conferences. We’ve let the NCAA president know. This is an important time for change. We think it is important to provoke thought.”
“More work needs to be done,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips agreed. “To me, this is part of the ongoing evolution of college athletics.”
Related: College Football Playoff Blowouts and a Modest Proposal for Future First-Round Games
Many people aligned with the smaller “mid-major” conferences fear that giving more authority to the four largest and most influential conferences will shut them out of tournament bids and shares of revenue. It’s easy to see why, given the history of these bigger conferences threatening to break away in order to get concessions from the NCAA.
That lack of trust between the big conferences and the “mid-majors” is easy to understand. It may also put the kibosh on any of these moves the power conferences want to make to solidify their power.
“Such changes to the NCAA governance structure may require a vote of the full Division I membership — likely a difficult majority to obtain,” Dellinger reports. “Those in the other 28 conferences fear repercussions of ceding more authority to the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and ACC, multiple non-football playing and FCS executives told Yahoo Sports this week.”
The NCAA is a massive behemoth that, to borrow a phrase from my friend and colleague Stephen Green, often has the "merde touch." It needs reform, but I'm not sure if handing too much power over to the big conferences is the answer. I guess we'll have to see what happens.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member