I was just saying that because many things in Virginia shift wildly between administrations. This hasn't and will not. There is a shared vision of leaving these young people free to hustle.
Yeah. VA is a little different. It's just this is one issue where most people agree. We don't see that often. I actually wonder if it would have divided more along traditional major party lines if each big party had taken a side early on.
The only divide on this is fans of the sport/common sense vs sports "journalists" in a dieing industry that are mouthpieces for the NCAA to try to keep themselves relevant.
I think one thing that needs to be exorcised from college athletics is the notion of amateurism. I get that the average cross country runner isn't going to get the same money from his or her sport as someone who plays football or basketball, but shouldn't we be wanting that person to? Where does this notion that college sports need to be amateur sports come from?
It is a 19th century notion of nobility when even practicing could be deemed as morally questionable. The Cincinnati Reds had the AUDACITY to pay their baseball club in the 1860s. The NFL was seen as a lesser product until the 1950s and amateur golf was still king in the 1920s/1930s because it was "pure" vs the mercenary players in the PGA.
The history of amateurism (and why) has morphed over time, especially in the U.S. I suspect like anything "scholars" and "defenders" each have their rationizations as to why it is needed and must continue. From what I can tell, the concept took hold in the timeframe that @NorrisAlan indicated. Here is one take, if you get through the Rutgers BS at the front. https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/10/13/ncaa-amateurism-origins-history It was driven by class in Europe and as it moved to America the "arguments" defending it morphed. Imo, the main reason today is money/power for those controlling the concept rather than education and fairness. The old days have changed. Things must change. This not limited to college sports.
