The NCAA is charged with overseeing college athletics, but it has struggled to adapt to the growth of sports at major universities into a multibillion dollar enterprise. A history of scandals and controversies have revealed significant weaknesses in the NCAA’s structure and raised questions about its function and mission. The coronavirus pandemic’s dramatic impact on college athletics is, as one observer put it, driving “a forced modernization of the NCAA” and raising significant questions about the NCAA’s future. Other major developments will soon further alter the college sports landscape, including new rules to allow college athletes to receive name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, and to permit transfers without waiting periods. These developments present an important opportunity to reinforce compliance and promote a culture of integrity within the world of big time college sports.

As a membership organization with little centralized authority, the NCAA’s competence as a governing body has been limited. Its organizational shortcomings are perhaps most apparent when it comes to football, an estimated $6.5 billion industry. Last summer, prompted by the pandemic, the NCAA and the “Power Five” athletic conferences—the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC—debated whether and when to hold a 2020 football season. According to a number of reports those talks included serious discussion about the Power Five separating from the NCAA. Ultimately, the Big Ten and PAC-12 decided not to play, while the  ACC, Big 12 and SEC went ahead. Roughly six weeks later, the Big Ten and PAC-12 reversed themselves and started their seasons, but much remains unsettled.

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