With March Madness around the corner and the FBI investigating benefit violations at Division I schools, the debate around whether to pay college athletes is back in the spotlight.
But ACC Commissioner John Swofford told Cheddar there’s a flaw in allowing these players to profit as they would in the pros.
“I’m not a proponent of pay-for-play,” he said during an interview Tuesday. “I think we’ve got something very special in this country, that’s unique to our country, in terms of combining education with a very high level of competitive basketball and collegiate sports. And it presents a tremendous opportunity for a lot of young people.”
Swofford’s comments come as federal authorities look into collegiate basketball players at 20 top-tier schools who were allegedly getting money and other perks under the table from recruiting agents, a violation of NCAA rules.
The conference head pointed out that it’s primarily revenue from two sports, basketball and football, that funds a broad array of athletic programs. Instead, he says, the entire system needs to be revamped.
“What we need to do in this country is provide better opportunities for those individuals who aren’t interested in going to college,” he said. “If you have that interest in going professional out of high school, I think there needs to be more opportunities to do that, without having to go directly to the NBA itself, because only very, very few players are good enough to do that.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/acc-tournament-returns-to-brooklyn).
Shoes off and dropped near the visitor’s dugout in San Francisco, Christian Walker begins his barefoot stroll through the perfectly manicured grass and makes his way into right field, where he plops down for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D on a sunny, summer Bay Area day. It's a welcome chance for a good stretch and fresh air following a cross-country flight from Washington.
PGA Tour leaders defended its merger deal with Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf tour before a Homeland Security subcommittee on Tuesday.
Olympic Champion Caster Semenya Wins Human Rights Case but Testosterone Rules May Remain for Years
Pro surfer Mikala Jones has died at 44 in a freak accident.
Pro surfer Mikala Jones died at the age of 44 after an accident while surfing in Indonesia.
Northwestern University fired its head football coach Pat Fitzgerald over allegations of hazing. Fitzgerald said he was "disappointed" to learn of the allegations.
A new pickleball venue has just opened up in Connecticut in a most unlikely location: a former department store. Here's an inside look.
Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university's reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations.
The New York Times is disbanding its sports department and will rely on coverage from The Athletic, a website it acquired last year for $550 million.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please, if you are opening a bottle of Champagne don’t do it as the player is about to serve. Thank you,” Australian umpire John Blom announced just after the start of a match on No. 3 Court.
