NCAA Reform Will Only Come Through Focused, Open-Minded Discussion

Apr 13, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

We’ve all been there at sometime or another. Whether it was with a roommate, friend or significant other, an argument ensues. Quickly, the original topic argued mutates into a back-and-forth wherein every minor gripe and complaint comes to light. A minor argument turns into something much uglier, which is less easily solved.

Every married reader is nodding in argument.

The debate over NCAA amateurism is conducted in much the same way. From Nerlens Noel and Marcus Lattimore, to Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney, revenue sharing and the relationship between the amateur NCAA and professional leagues have never been hotter topics.

Discussion is good, but only if it affects worthwhile change. And, worthwhile change only comes through focused discussion.

On Wednesday, USA Today ran this op-ed by a far more seasoned scribe than I. That said, the main crux is off-base and deviates from the true issue.

The NFL age limit is not the underlying problem for Johnny Manziel, and it certainly isn’t absurd.

The age limit issue is one I addressed at length, through the context of injured Kentucky Wildcats basketball star Nerlens Noel and Jadeveon Clowney.

A facet of the ongoing NCAA debate focuses on college football and basketball programs becoming a minor league system for the pro — a minor league system neither the NFL nor NBA has to operate.

There’s certainly merit to this point, though more so for the NFL than the NBA. The latter has its Development League (that the majority of players continue to opt for the collegiate route is a whole different discussion).

The NFL has no formal farm program. Unless a player wants to ply his trade in the Canadian Football League — a much different style of game — his option for playing in the three years before he is draft eligible is college.

Thus, football stars are more married to the NCAA than their basketball brethren, and for that reason the NCAA system needs retooling. But the answer isn’t to simply remove that middle step between high school and the pros.

In agreement with me are 74% of college football players, polled by ESPN.

Now, I am not so naive as to believe the age limit is enforced primarily for player safety. As friend of the site Michael Felder points out, money is the primary motivator — as with most decisions made in sports.

As ChopChat.com‘s Joseph Nardone states, the NFL makes no bones about being operated as a business. The NCAA does.

Therein lies the real debate. Now, that’s a very broad topic with several nuances to it. The age limit and how it pertains to the NCAA model is one such nuance, but it’s not the sole factor. And it certainly is much more complex and worthy of more meaningful discussion than simply being waved off as “absurd.”

My intention isn’t to single out the USAT column, though it is a pertinent example of the black-and-white, all-or-nothing nature the debate has taken.

This tone certainly isn’t limited to the NCAA’s detractors. The Ed O’Bannon-led lawsuit against college sports’ governing body has actually put the debate into action, and critics have done their best to misrepresent the motivation.

It’s easy, albeit erroneous, to convey the player argument as simple “pay-for-play.”

When I spoke with Arizona linebacker Jake Fischer for Rivals, he painted a picture that doesn’t jibe with critics’ charges of players simply cashing in on their collegiate notoriety.

He advocated healthcare for players after their careers. That’s a whole lot different than the new laptops and Beats headphones Lou Holtz railed against on a 2011 game broadcast. Of course, ignoring such a point furthers the narrative.

Alas, that’s the problem. Passionate arguers on either side choose to stick their fingers in their ears and shout generalizations dismissively. We know from our own relationships that never results in meaningful change. Rather, it ends in expensive sessions with a professional.

The problem for the NCAA? There is no counselor specializing in football player-governing body relationships.