Editorial: Openness, transparency critical as money plays bigger role in college sports

CBC Editorial: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023; editorial #8818

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

North Carolina legislators – who opened their 2023 session Wednesday –express plenty of interest in college sports as fans and to promote gambling -- but they haven’t yet made a top priority of some rapidly emerging issues involving student athletes and the integrity of competition.

They need to get down to work and follow the money concerning rules on “name, image and likeness” (NIL) activities that allow college athletes to receive compensation for a variety of endorsements and sponsorships along with the liberalization of limitations on student-athletes ability to transfer and play for other schools without any delay or loss in eligibility.

While the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has adopted rules concerning NILs and the transfer portal, those rules are being ignored or out-and-out violated with little oversight or consequence. College athletes and boosters openly talk of NILs being tied to recruitment. Players are being enticed to some schools, before they even enter the transfer portal, with offers of compensation.

All is in violation of current NCAA rules while the colleges either don’t know, don’t say or won’t publicly acknowledge what they do know or the deals being made.

Gov. Roy Cooper, to his credit, quickly moved 18 months ago with an executive order to at least put some broad state rules in place for how college students in North Carolina can both make money and gain representation (agents). It is past time that he updated his order to require all NIL deals be:

• Approved by the institutions the athletes represent.
• Reviewed for conflicts of interest and know the details—particularly sources of payment.
• Disclosed as a matter of public record.

Further, anyone who deals directly with student athletes concerning NILs or in the transfer portal must be registered as an athletic agent with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office -- or a university athletic official or employee.

The General Assembly should create a special study committee on NILs, the Transfer Portal and other issues concerning college athletic competition and student athletes. The goal should be to develop laws that assure athletes are treated equitably, intercollegiate athletics are fair and competitive without undue advantages resulting from the corrupting influence of outside compensation.

Money, as much as athletic performance, is becoming the currency for recruiting collegiate athletes and it is distorting athletic programs and competition.

This is a dangerous time for collegiate athletics and the institutions that operate the system.

Openness, transparency and honesty are the ways to assure competition isn’t victim to money’s undue influence or worse, corruption.

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