An FBI probe reignited the debate over whether collegiate basketball players should be compensated. But Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman has one suggestion that could fix the issue: let top athletes go to the NBA straight out of high school.
“I think that if these top players can start earning those big dollars more quickly, that would be an instant correction,” she said Wednesday. “And that would help, as well, in the kinds of issues that were surfaced in this criminal investigation.”
Her argument echoes the sentiment of ACC Commissioner John Swofford, who on Tuesday told Cheddar there should not be a pay-for-play system in college sports.
The statements come as the federal government investigates recruiting agents and more than 20 Division I schools for giving players under-the-table bonuses or other perks, violating NCAA rules.
Some say that the NCAA, which generated more than $1 billion in revenue in the year ending in [August 31, 2017](http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016-17NCAAFin_FinancialStatement_20180129.pdf), should pay student athletes. But Ackerman told Cheddar that players get other kinds of compensation.
“I was a student athlete at the University of Virginia. I got my education paid for, we didn’t make any money,” she said. “There’s a quid pro quo that I don’t think gets talked about enough.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-big-east-tournament-returns-to-madison-square-garden).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, June 13, 2019.
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Trufan, a new platform letting brands and influencers reward their most loyal fans on social media, has attracted the attention of big names in sports and entertainment, but CEO Swish Goswami told Cheddar he's taking a "very Canadian approach" by catering to mom-and-pop shops as well.
Professional lacrosse league startup Premier Lacrosse League has big ambitions to take professional lacrosse mainstream ー and now it has funding from big investors to do it. Premier Lacrosse League announced on Tuesday it closed a series A round of funding, co-led by Alibaba billionaire Joseph Tsai's J Tsai Sports, the Raine Group, and Brett Jefferson.
The star-studded Golden State Warriors is adding another flashy name to its team: Google. The NBA defending champions and the Chase Center just formed a new partnership with Google Cloud to create a high-tech sports and entertainment area. The Warriors' Chief Revenue Officer Brandon Schneider joined Cheddar to discuss the partnership.
About half of U.S. gamers are women, but you wouldn't necessarily know it by looking at hardware design. Vivian Lien, chief marketing officer at ASUS North America, joined Cheddar Friday to discuss how her company is trying to make gaming more welcoming for women.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 8, 2019.
The battle royale, "last man standing" phenomenon has all but engulfed the video game industry. Though whether you prefer realistic bullet drop, zombies, or even trampolines, the premise still involves cutting down your competition with conventional weaponry like swords and firearms. Spell Break IS one of these games, but what if you'd prefer to incinerate your enemies with a fireball? Or choke them to death with a cloud of poison?
