I'm seeing more and more about this trend in the national media. I wonder if the publicity will lead to any sort of policy changes. But I guess for that to happen, there would have to be a sanctioning body that actually enforced rules.
Well I think the concerning part is it seems to be getting worse. NCAA really needs to try to do something.
The problem is what rule are you going to create that:
1. Is actually enforceable, and
2. Will actually stop these actions?
The only way to even start to clean up the process would be to eliminate all sponsorship of university sports teams, and extend that to high school/club teams (you can't have played on a corporately sponsored club team and still have college eligibility). Yeah right.
I always come back to the guy (Sonny Vaccaro) who literally built the university sponsorship programs for Nike, Adidas and Reebok (when Nike sponsored Michael Jordan for the first time, it was a pioneering idea that led the way to shoe companies sponsoring athletes, teams, leagues and, yep, universities - who was the Nike exec that signed that first deal with Michael Jordan? - yep, Vaccaro).
This is what he told a room full of university presidents in 2001:
"“I’m not hiding, we want to put our materials on the bodies of your athletes, and the best way to do that is buy your school. Or buy your coach.”
When asked why the universities should let him do that, here's his answer:
“They shouldn’t, sir. You sold your souls, and you’re going to continue selling them. You can be very moral and righteous in asking me that question, sir, but there’s not one of you in this room that’s going to turn down any of our money. You’re going to take it. I can only offer it.”
Now, tell me again what rules change is the NCAA going to make that will clean up the problem of shoe companies sponsoring high school club teams, and then steering top athletes from those teams to colleges that are affiliated with that same shoe company?