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Dayton Daily News, Ohio, Brian Kollars column [Dayton Daily News, Ohio :: ]
[August 10, 2014]

Dayton Daily News, Ohio, Brian Kollars column [Dayton Daily News, Ohio :: ]


(Dayton Daily News (OH) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 10--My head is spinning from last week's landmark vote and court rulings involving college athletics, and it's not just because I went to Germanfest on Saturday. First, the NCAA Board of Directors voted to allow the so-called Power Five conferences to make their own rules, basically setting the stage for bidding wars. Then the Ed O'Bannon case provided the knockout blow to amateur sports at the Division I level.



Nobody seems to know what all this means, but I know this: It's bad news for colleges not among the Power Five. That's you, Dayton, Wright State, Miami and Cincinnati. Let's look at UD's predicament. It's tough enough to recruit against the Big Ten, but it will become nearly impossible as soon as the big boys start paying their players.

There's some talk that the Power Five will pay only their football and men's basketball players, but that won't work (Title IX). So, who's going to sponsor Scoochie Smith for $2,000? Where's the money going to come from? Fewer than two dozen college athletic departments are self-sustaining right now. The college football playoff will provide a windfall for the big conferences, but they'll need more. Ticket prices will skyrocket, parking won't be free and parents of regular college students will have to take out loans to pay for student fees.


If the NCAA cared about amateur sports and its "student-athletes," it would let the money-hungry big schools leave. Hundreds of colleges field programs not populated by future NFL and NBA players, and that's great. But the NCAA really doesn't care, despite the stupid TV commercials. Plus, Mark Emmert's salary would have to be reduced.

Loved the hire of Becky Hammon as an assistant coach for the Spurs. I chatted with Hammon a couple times during her high school days in South Dakota and saw her almost single-handedly win a state championship. She's tough, smart and knows basketball. And, being from the Great Plains she won't put up with any nonsense.

Trending up: Little Leaguers, Dre Kirkpatrick, Kristopher Negron. The Little League World Series begins Thursday as some of the world's best 120-pound players descend on Williamsport, Pa. It's a great event, but it would be better if Little League played on larger diamonds.

Trending down: Venric Mark, Anthony Bosch, Ed FitzGerald. Northwestern suspended Mark, its star running back, for two games for undisclosed violations of team rules. In the future, when players are paid, will coaches be able to fine kids who don't live up to their contracts? ___ (c)2014 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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