The NCAA Rules All!

I must say, the NCAA knows exactly what they’re doing. For so long, we have all endured the age-old debate of college student-athletes being paid to compete. After all, the money that these athletic programs and the NCAA earns from the blood, sweat, and tears of the young men and women that sacrifice their bodies and mental wellness is staggering. And to top it off, the NCAA dictates how and when student-athletes can pursue professional sports. Well, on Wednesday, August, 8th, 2018, the NCAA finally made a move to change the game.

The thing is, all change isn’t good change. As a former Division I basketball player and former professional athlete, I believe that the most recent NCAA rule change will further exacerbate the current issues we see concerning the long-term success of athletes. While the rush to the ‘money’ is the ultimate goal for many student-athletes, there are several reasons why this rule change benefits the NCAA a lot more than it benefits the NCAA student-athlete. I will just list my Top 5:

1.      The NCAA transfers all risk and responsibility for sports career trajectory and college completion to the student-athlete.

Requiring our student-athletes to endure some schooling prior to the jump to pro sports wasn’t a bad idea. I understand that the sports industry is a billion-dollar industry. I understand that many student-athletes grew up at or below the poverty line. I also understand that for many student-athletes, this opportunity to play professional sports is an easy way to attain more wealth than they could otherwise dream of. While the NCAA is offering a 10-year window for degree completion assistance, the funding only covers tuition, fees, and books for players that had been in school for at least two years prior to leaving. It is very difficult for an older player to return to school when they have the pressures of LIFE hanging in the balance, i.e. caring for a family, living expenses, etc. If a poor decision is made in this professional sports pursuit, the student-athlete is the one that suffers, while the NCAA doesn’t skip a beat.

2.      The NCAA still gets to keep the money they earn from the talent of the college student-athletes.

This conversation started long ago with public pressure for the NCAA to pay student-athletes. In response, the NCAA says they will keep their earnings but give the student-athlete an earlier opportunity to gamble with their future. Doesn’t seem like the trade-off everyone anticipated. I know some people will be happy, but my grandmother always told me that anything worth having is worth waiting for. It seems we have lost focus of what the true issue is and what our student-athletes actually need.

3.      The NCAA does not address the career and life readiness gap that they acknowledge exists among student-athletes.

The issue I have is that the money has always been there, and the student-athletes have found a way to get it. Whether it is under the table or by signing a professional contract, we have seen incredible amounts of money placed into their hands. Salary caps are going up, and athletes are signing lucrative contracts and marketing endorsements every day. However, the problem has been helping them understand what to do with it when they get it and what to do with their platforms when they transition into life beyond the game. A large percentage of athletes struggle beyond professional sports, not because they never earned any money, but because they didn’t have the proper information or blueprint. I created a system, entitled Surviving the Lights Athlete Coaching System, to aid the pro-bound student-athletes in their transition to the pros and to teach them how to use their sports experience to be successful beyond the game. I am surprised we haven't found a solution to this unresolved issue. We see far too many multi-millionaire athletes suffer from a lack of readiness for business and the inevitable career transition they will face.

4.      Student-athletes will rush to replace maturity and education with the pursuit of money.

One huge reason I am a fan of student-athletes being required to endure some schooling before making the leap to professional sports is because it gives them time to mature. If we see twenty-somethings struggle to manage the sudden thrust into wealth, public scrutiny, and business, how can we think that teens will fare better managing those areas? With time comes wisdom, and that is something no amount of money can replace or buy. The trial and error of young adulthood is something we overlook as a necessary ‘practice’ tool to managing adult business. Oftentimes, we overestimate the power of money to fix all of our problems. In my best-selling book Surviving the Lights, I discuss how the majority of poor, minority athletes grow up looking for money to solve all of their problems, and when they get it, fail to prepare for all of the problems it introduces. Our student-athletes need time to mature, learn, and grow.

5.      This rule change keeps a corrupt system in place, one that further capitalizes on the talent of student-athletes.

We watched as a story we had all heard came to life last year, as college basketball took a hit for paying and negatively influencing student-athletes. Instead of providing additional protections for our student-athletes, the NCAA made this practice a lot easier by allowing agents to represent high school and college student-athletes, pay for some of their expenses, and sign agreements with them. I must point out, that the NCAA still wins by keeping its earnings and off-loading responsibility to young kids and their parents for their protection in this business; the agents win because they now have more access to student-athletes at younger ages (although they were contacting them anyway); but the student-athlete loses as they are shopped around for their talent, with little regard for their futures. Maybe they will make enough money to stop them from caring how much everyone else is still making in this process. Wait, isn’t that what started this debate in the first place?

BONUS: This creates an additional DISTRACTION to an already distracted generation.

What’s the real goal of this experience? To make a lot of money? Or to attain true wealth? Opportunity? Freedom? It is so noisy out there, that sometimes I have to remind myself what this is all about. Young people, student-athletes, ballers…if you are only valuable to someone based off of what you can do for them, you need to reassess your value! Is this a race to being rich? Or a marathon to life enrichment?

I am a fan of everyone, student-athletes included, having opportunities to grow. I’m an even bigger fan of student-athletes having the right opportunities to LEARN. There are some student-athletes that will make this transition and succeed. However, there are some that will struggle mightily, simply because they aren’t ready to play this game.  I am praying all of our student-athletes SURVIVE THE LIGHTS!

My mission is to educate, empower, and elevate athletes, and you can learn more about my athlete arsenal at www.tywannasmith.com. I manage the lives of professional athletes through The Athlete’s Nexus, and I prepare aspiring professional athletes for the ‘lights’ through my best-selling book blueprint and athlete coaching system - both entitled ‘Surviving the Lights.’ I also offer a coaching system for business professionals who want to break into the athlete market and better serve athletes. Please email me or visit www.survivingthelights.com for more information.