Thinking out loud…while wondering who is this “Alston” guy, and can I pick him up in fantasy?
• This week’s new acronym – AINO.
• Amateurism In Name Only. And, there AINO more of that in college athletics. Rah-rah, sis-boom-bah, the almighty dollar wins by fah.
• The result of the NCAA v Alston case before the Supreme Court? A 9-0 shutout for Alston, in favor of the Court this week. That’s a big “L” to hang on the NCAA here, among the many they’ve suffered over the years.
• But college athletes shouldn’t yet be lining up to collect paychecks, either.
• In essence, the Supreme Court ruled the NCAA is violating antitrust law by limiting the amount of “non-cash education-related benefits” schools can offer FBS football and basketball players. It’s one small part of amateurism, and not yet about ‘paying’ players for their athletic abilities, but it’s getting there.
• Of course, this is because big time football and basketball make big time bucks, which has long cast a very long shadow over “amateurism.” And the justices on the Supreme Court unanimously don’t believe athletes are receiving their fair share, based on what the NCAA brings in.
• This is way more than just free tuition and books, which these days can total well over $250K for four years…and it should be considered compensation for athletes that help schools rake in millions.
• Plus, unseen by many in the public eye are the tutors, the food, the gear, the training and the mentoring many student-athletes already receive on top of their scholarships. So how did the Supreme Court miss these things? Or did the NCAA just screw this up again?
• Does this mean the rich will now get richer in college athletics? That some smaller schools with lesser budgets and shorter alumni pockets might be priced out of the competition for victories, if not athletes in recruiting?
• It could mean that. It also could mean the current FBS schools might finally decide to pack up their footballs and go play somewhere else, leaving the more than 200 non-FBS schools in Division I to fend for themselves…at places like Providence, URI, Brown and Bryant, too.
• Not for nuthin’, but Alston, in effect, could have asked for MORE in compensation from the NCAA and the Supreme Court sez they would have gotten it.
• This also means the name, image and likeness laws being considered and passed by states throughout the country could, if the NCAA (or states) makes them too restrictive, also violate antitrust laws.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurring opinion that gets to the heart of the matter, saying “the NCAA’s business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America.”
• Kavanaugh also said the “NCAA and its member colleges are suppressing the pay of student athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in revenues for colleges every year. Those enormous sums of money flow to seemingly everyone except for student athletes.”
• The question now becomes…can the NCAA somehow make this right and create a proper balance here, or do college athletes basically become paid professionals in sports that generate income? And what happens to athletes in sports that don’t generate that kind of quid?
• Let’s remember, football and basketball basically pay the freight for sports and athletes that do not generate much, if any, income at all.
• Whoa. The future is here. Or at least, the handwriting is definitely on the wall. It’s very different from the past and what we’ve known.
• The word “amateurism” is going to have a completely new meaning very soon – if it doesn’t already.
• And the nation’s Supreme Court, supposedly a group of very smart people, just made it that much tougher for the NCAA, and the rest of us, to figure it all out.
• Will the NCAA Division I Council vote on NIL legislation to appease the masses, without being sued (again) for antitrust violation? There will be an apparent attempt at creating some interim rules governing NIL rights until a permanent (or non-litigating) solution can be decided upon.
• It may mean schools and/or conferences might have to tackle the issue of athlete compensation themselves…without help or guidance from the current governing body.
• Six states are set to enact NIL laws next week. Rhode Island and Massachusetts will follow as of January 1st. We’ve got way more on our plate than just touchdowns, passing yards and ‘who can shoot the 3 or rebound?’ to think about before then.
• It was great to see and have the chance to speak with former Friar basketball coaches Pete Gillen and Tim Welsh this week, who were both in attendance at the funeral services for ex-PC athletic director and Big East Commissioner John Marinatto this week.
• Both were hired by Marinatto, both maintain residences in the area as well as ties to the school and college basketball through their work in television, primarily. Good people, and at various times during their careers here (subject to interpretation), good coaches.
• The Big East and Big 10 “Gavitt Tip Off Games” matchups are back after being cancelled due to scheduling difficulties during the pandemic last year. The Friars add to what should prove to be a solid non-league schedule by going to play at Wisconsin on Monday, November 15th.
• Wisconsin’s team was under a microscope this week after the teams’ seniors were openly critical of coach Greg Gard, as a secretly recorded February team meeting was leaked to the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper.
• The Badgers were 18-13 last season and lost to eventual national champ Baylor in the NCAA’s 2nd round in March. They were preseason ranked 7th nationally a year ago – but only one of the team’s seven seniors from last year has said he’ll return for a ‘super senior’ season this year.
• The rest of the Gavitt Games’ matchups feature Illinois at Marquette, Seton Hall at Michigan, Michigan State at Butler, St. John’s at Indiana, Rutgers at DePaul and a couple of in-state grudge matches with Ohio State at Xavier and Creighton at Nebraska.
• Creighton’s athletic program has been penalized and put on probation for two years by the NCAA because of infractions committed by former assistant coach (and one-time URI player and coach) Preston Murphy.
• Murphy was found to have accepted a cash payment from Christian Dawkins as part of the FBI’s investigation into influence and bribery committed by shoe companies, even though he was never charged with a crime. The school’s athletic director also failed to properly report the violation – hence the probation.
• The basketball team will lose on campus recruiting visits, recruiting days by the staff and two scholarships over the next two years. Murphy was hit with a two-year show-cause penalty, which effectively bans him from the sport for two years – even though he’s already been a pariah for the past couple of years.
• It’s overkill, and unfortunate for Murphy…who deserves to move on here. But the NCAA (as we know) has long been known for heavy handedness…and for deeds best described as ‘stupid is as stupid does.’
• The Blue Jays will NOT receive a ban on postseason play. There’s still more to come, and perhaps larger fish/schools to fry, as the investigation of bribery throughout college basketball continues.
• And things will get better with athletes now potentially eligible to receive compensation? Yeah, anxious to see how ‘honest’ this’ll work out.
• Brown has released its’ hoop schedule for next season – after sitting on the sidelines last year. Local DIII schools Salve Regina and Johnson & Wales are both on the non-league slate, as are DI foes Bryant (November 26) and URI (in Kingston, December 22).
• Oh, and the Bears will also tackle North Carolina and Maryland, in addition to the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. That’s making up for lost time, amiright?
• Don’t close that portal door just yet – now nearing 1700 entrants. But in case anyone is thinking about transferring, they’d better hurry. The deadline to transfer and be eligible for the 2021-22 school year is July 1.
• I’ll admit, I know he’s been around for a few years, but I know little about Ime Udoka and what basketball savvy he might bring to the Celtics. But if the players already like him, that’s a huge step in the right direction for this team and what it needs to get on track.
• So I’mma cut Ime some slack. Just like much of the national media should cut the Celtics some slack – especially the ones who like to bring “race” into the mix.
• ESPN’s Jay Williams mistakenly tweeted this was the Celtics’ first hire of ‘color’ for their head coach. I’d expect someone with his knowledge and ability within the sport to AT LEAST remember Doc Rivers…if not KC Jones, Bill Russell, Satch Sanders or even ML Carr?
• And then, Williams made it worse by tweeting someone ‘hijacked’ his twitter account for that one factually incorrect tweet. Uh huh.
• Step. Away. From. The. Twitter. Machine. Jay.
• The Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons shot 34% at the free throw line? He out-shacked Shaq? Dude. Try it underhanded.
• Rick Barry did that and rarely missed. He shot 89% from the line throughout his 14-year NBA Hall of Fame career, first in the ABA in career free-throw percentage and 7th all-time in the NBA.
• My broadcast partner Joe Hassett shot 86% from the line during his six-year NBA career, and during his stay at PC…94% from the line as a Friar senior. Point being – they’re free. Barry and Hassett were good at it.
• It’s embarrassing, really. “It is what it is,” is his explanation? Ben Simmons could care less, and it shows. The question now becomes – will he try to do anything about it?
• And even though he could play in the Olympics for Australia this summer, the Aussies might have rejected that thought outright.
• Kevin Durant and James Harden BOTH making themselves available to the US Olympic team tells me that at the very least, they have souls.
• If not a bit of class in there, somewhere.
• Anyone paying attention to the NBA Playoffs, outside of Milwaukee, Atlanta or Phoenix? The Clippers don’t count, and never have…especially without Kawhi Leonard.
• The dreaded ‘downtime’ for the NFL is here. Expect the league to work on a way to have NO downtime in future years. Especially with a few players making headlines for the wrong reasons.
• We performed a “vision quest” this week on Patriots.com Radio…trying to get a sneak peek into the 2021 season through the Magic 8 Ball.
• Can the Patriots return to the postseason? “It is decidedly so,” was the answer. And how many wins can the Patriots reach this season? “Concentrate and ask again” came the response.
• I’m tellin’ ya’, that thing knows me, and has known me for nearly 60 years. Scary.
• Will it be possible that no one will care about Carl Nassib’s proclaimed sexuality when players take the field this fall?
• No. But can we at least hope so? Good for you Carl. But what about that tackle you missed on 3rd down?
• Although, considering our general landscape, your move is still a brave one. And an important one.
• Nassib made a $100K donation to The Trevor Project, the leading national organization centered on crisis and suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ young people. The NFL stepped up and matched his donation.
• Little surprise that Nassib also has the top-selling jersey right now in the NFL on the Fanatics sports apparel website.
• Eli Manning is back with the NY Giants. Sort of. Just not as a QB. Manning has been hired to work in business ops, fan engagement and content development for the team. No booing allowed…except from New England.
• Fifth straight home win for the Revs? Yup, got it this week. That’s a franchise-best start at home to a season for the Revolution in their 26-year existence, who right now may have the best thing going in MLS.
• My buddy “Big E” sez his grandkids kept asking him to make the sound of a frog this week. “Grandpa, can you please make a frog noise?” They kept pestering him about it, so he finally asked, “why do you want me to make a frog noise?”
• They answered. “Because Mom said when you croak, we’ll go to Disneyworld.”
• Good nugget from Bill Ballou at the Worcester T&G this week – there are only four organizations in baseball whose major league team and Triple A affiliate were playing at better than a .600 percentage at the start of this past week.
• Three of them are in the AL East – Boston, Tampa Bay (although the Rays have fallen back a bit) and the Yankees (also now dropped back slightly).
• If there was a way to drop back and punt on Matt Andriese and Garrett Richards, maybe the Sox could maintain that level of play? Or maybe not…unless Richards can figure out a way to grip a ball without rosin and sunscreen.
• But gripping the ball isn’t the only thing the Sox seem to have trouble with. They are still shaky-to-horrible on defense…worst in the majors. It cost them Thursday in Tampa…and there’s still time.
• I’m getting the impression we will all expect way too much from Chris Sale once he eventually returns to the Red Sox rotation. But hurry up and get there anyway, will ya’?
• This week marked the 40th anniversary of the completion of pro baseball’s longest game, played at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. Couldn’t find it recognized anywhere, except for Pawsox.com, where a team no longer exists.
• And no link, online or otherwise, with the current Woosox, either…almost as if it never existed. Sad.
• Oh, Canada? Two reasons to celebrate. The Habs have reached the Stanley Cup Finals. And sports betting has been approved to begin in every province, most likely online by the fall.
• A real “PC” moment this week when NHL postseason awards were handed out. Former Friar and current Pittsburgh President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke presented the General Manager of the Year award to another former Friar, Lou Lamoriello, of the NY Islanders.
• Did ya’ like the finish in the US Open at Torrey Pines last week, won by Jon Rahm? Did ya’ know the very same US Open is returning to The Country Club in Brookline for the first time in 30 years…next year?
• The last three US Opens at The Country Club were all decided in 18-hole playoffs. Just sayin’.
• Saturday might be a good day – and the last day, for a while – for the public to walk the course at Wannamoisett in Rumford, RI, where the NE Amateur is wrapping up play. The Donald Ross, par-69 layout is scheduled for a major renovation beginning this fall.
• I bleep you not. The Professional Pickleball Association will hold 16 “tour” events across the US in the next year, possibly one in New England, and they will be televised and produced by one-time WJAR Channel 10 sportscaster and Providence native Harry Cicma.
• Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, in case you didn’t know. I used to play pickle as a kid in my backyard, would that count as experience?
• His was a voice you were sure to have familiarized. Long-time Rhode Island radio traffic reporter Mike Sheridan passed away this week. A ‘tap of the brakes’ to a long career, and to a witty guy who helped just about everyone, at one time or another, get to where they were going.
• Ok, show of hands here. Without Googling, how many of you knew that “Alston” in NCAA v Alston was a former running back from West Virginia, Shawne Alston, who was used as the lead plaintiff in this class-action case of former athletes arguing the NCAA rules on education-related compensation were unfair?
• Although the NCAA’s ‘loss’ this week won’t decide whether athletes can be paid salaries for their performances, it will decide whether athletes can receive more from schools that choose to give them more for their “education.”
• Wait, wut?
• Ray in Florida emailed to say: “Great sharing on John Marinatto. Spot on. I was one of John’s teachers in HS at OLP. Kept a friendship with him over the years. Always a special young man to me. I’ve been retired in SW Florida for past close to 20 years. RI and NE still home.”
• Appreciate your kind words, Ray. And so many emails coming from Florida…is someone trying to tell me something, or has the entire state of Rhode Island relocated?
Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
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