Knight Commission Supports Sweeping NCAA Changes

The Knight Commission announced on Thursday that it supports sweeping changes to the current NCAA model.

The biggest change would be the Football Bowl Subdivision teams leaving the NCAA altogether and forming their own organization.

University presidents and former athletic directors make up the Knight Commission, and it has spent the last year taking a look at the current NCAA model. This group was looking to help the NCAA implement changes that would keep the organization in charge of collegiate athletics moving forward.

Ultimately, it was decided that college football needs to be its own organization as it does not operate like other sporting events. The Football Bowl Subdivision generates a large portion of the revenue, and then that money is shared between other athletic programs.

If this change were to take place, this new group of college football teams would have to create its own organization. Rules would need to be created to govern the FBS teams, and eligibility requirements would need to be established.

This new group could use almost the same rules that are currently in place with the NCAA, but the biggest change would be in terms of revenue. The college football programs could create their own revenue sharing systems, and that would eliminate some of the current problems.

The College Football Playoff is a separate entity from the NCAA already, and that is the one sport that does not have guidance from the NCAA in its championships. Lower level college football programs would remain a part of the NCAA because they don’t generate the same revenue as FBS schools.

The Knight Commission did recommend the remaining sports to stay under the guidance of the NCAA, and that includes men’s basketball. The NCAA Tournament is the biggest revenue source for the organization.

NCAA Now Must Respond

The biggest news from the Knight Commission centered around FBS football, but the group also made recommendations for other athletic events as well. The Knight Commission urged that the entire current model of college sports be changed, and it starts at the top with school presidents.

University presidents would be responsible for monitoring and controlling the athletic departments, especially when it comes to funding. This change would need to center around the educational mission and would continue to prohibit athletes from being paid.

There have been several court cases and new legislation introduced that have put a ton of pressure on the NCAA to make these changes. It is now up to the NCAA to take appropriate action and change up the current model before it is too late.

The NCAA still controls its own destiny and fate up to this point, but that might not be the case for much longer. State and federal governments could implement new laws that would override what the NCAA has planned.

This plan was presented to the NCAA, but that group does not have to follow any of the recommendations. NCAA leaders sent out a blanket statement on Thursday afternoon but did not discuss any of the proposals offered by the Knight Commission.

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