The Big Ball Theory

I always like the story of the Auburn player in 1972 who blocked two Alabama punts late to give Auburn the win. As the story goes, so many boosters and fans were giving him money as he was trying to get off the field, he had to stuff his uniform pants to carry it all back to the locker room.

 

Older guy I once worked with was a bench warmer for Tennessee in the mid-70s. He said one day at the beginning of a season they brought all the football players in and gave them the answers so they could then take their NCAA-mandated compliance quiz. Then more than a few of them had to retake the test.

 

As chic as it is to bash everything the NCAA does, this reasoning actually does makes some sense.

Allowing players to take sponsorship money would provide a mile wide loophole for boosters to pay players to play. They could essentially put players on a de facto salary by disguising the payments as sponsorship money. But if the money is paid directly from a minor league baseball team, and nobody else--well it's a solid bet that money's only for paying minor league baseball.

 

Fun fact: Katie Ledecky earned $355,000 in medal bonuses from the U.S. Olympic Committee and retained her eligibility at Stanford.

 

Here's what we think

 

His first single is a song named after his brother?

 

I smell a hit.

 

And the NCAA would have declared Christian McCaffrey ineligible had Jim Plunkett treated him to lunch at the Oasis.

 

The discrepancies between sports are truly astounding.

 

Video: LaVar Ball Surprises Business Partner With New Truck and Reduces Him to Tears | BSO - Part 2

 

And to think some of you haters have been questioning LaVar's character.