ACC Commissioner John Swofford Says No to Pay-for-Play
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).
Dems race for a deal on President Biden's economic agenda ahead of his big foreign trip. What to make of the latest threat assessment in Afghanistan. Plus, the meme cryptocurrency of the moment that's now worth more than many Fortune 500 companies.
Jill and Carlo discuss the pending approval for Pfizer's vaccine for kids, the state of anti-Semitism three years after Tree of Life, potential criminal charges in the 'Rust' prop gun shooting and more.
DraftKings is walking away from a deal to buy Entain, a major company in the international gambling industry, for $22.4 billion. The deal reportedly fell through after the companies could not come to agreements about BetMGM, the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, and a joint venture between MGM resorts and Entain. Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams joined Cheddar Nws' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jill and Carlo cover the news out of Facebook's latest earnings, Tesla's monumental day, Dave Chappelle addresses controversy and the tragedy of the climate emergency.
Zaire Wade and Jalen Newsome, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of 'YNG DNA' join us to talk about their new NFT collection available Oct. 25 on WAX NFT blockchain.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks defending its title with nearly the same team, bettors are putting their dollars behind "King" LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook is laying odds that the Larry O'Brien trophy will be hoisted by the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA's 75th season gets underway tonight with the Brooklyn Nets facing off against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the LA Lakers. The league also is expected to celebrate its anniversary by unveiling its list of 75 greatest players.
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
Amal Shah, co-host of 'Odds On', joins 'Cheddar Bets' to share how he likes to handle teams that just lost a coach when gambling, and whether the Arizona Cardinals can stay undefeated another week.
Sponsored by BetMGM
