Last Call for Leadership: Intercollegiate Athletics in an Era of Commercialization

Intercollegiate athletics is experiencing an existential threat that, frankly, is being ignored by the institutions with arguably the most at stake. With the recent Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation passed in California and proposed in a number of other states, the NCAA Board of Governors recommendation allowing athletes to be paid by third — parties for endorsements (NCAA, April 2020), a number of major TV network contracts up for renewal between 2023–2025, and some form of Pay-For-Play (PFP) likely not far down the road, institutions need to decide what they will accept as its future (Mandel, 2019). Since NCAA members will have the summer and fall to deliberate about mechanics and policy, what is certain is the timing for institutions to weigh-in is critical, and the time is now.