The Most Important Article Ever Written About College Sports*

Just giving you what the official NCAA rule is. Whether or not schools get around that rule, well, that's the NCAA's problem.

And K and Saban have become top dogs, in part, because they were free to seek their own deals. Saban's broken a few contracts to get to where he is now. And please don't say that "Everyone does it!" It's not right. College athletes are not free to negotiate their contracts.

And K has become more powerful because he's able to market his own image. Something the players are not allowed to do.

 

Joe Nocera follows up in this week's NYTimes Mag on Branch's article with his own proposal for paying players:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

 

Does he offer them use of a school-owned unicorn? If he does, then it's at least a slightly realistic plan.

 

My column with my proposal for having Scarlett Johansson spend every other weekend at my place is almost finished.

 

Hey, that's my usual line.

 

Since this is the journalism board, whether or not you agree that things will ever change as a football/money/practical matter is immaterial. Nocera makes his case. And that the NYT magazine devotes this much space to the subject is itself a bellwether.

It's been a big year for undercutting the myth of the NCAA.