Richard Ford

the BigAmateurism monologues

Sports EN ↓ 133 episodes

A series of events over the last 18 months—some unforeseeable—have created a perfect storm that will change college sports forever. The NCAA's bait and switch campaign in Congress on name, image, and likeness, a historic case in the US Supreme Court, COVID, race-based social unrest, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (and the ascent of Amy Coney Barrett,) the Georgia special elections, and more have conspired to make this era perhaps the most consequential in the history of American sports. In this perfect storm, nothing is as it appears to the public. The NCAA and powerful conferences have mars...

Author

Richard Ford

Episodes

Prepping for the Supreme Court Argument in Alston: Antitrust Overview 27.03.2021 1:02:24

In this episode, we set the table for the upcoming oral argument in the Alston v NCAA antitrust case. In Alston, the NCAA responds to a challenge to its amateurism-based compensation limits by arguing that as the guardian of amateur principles in college sports, it is immune from antitrust liability. If the NCAA wins on that point, it will be halfway to its ultimate goal of sitting on the Iron Thr...

Big Ten Secrets 26.03.2021 1:03:24

In this episode, we look at the opaque world of university president decision-making in the context of the Big Ten’s deliberations in August 2020 regarding fall football. As in nearly all aspects of BigAmateurism’s business operations, nothing is as it is portrayed to the public.

The NCAA's "Omnipotent Czar" 20.03.2021 53:56

This episode answers a question that has been the bane of college sports fans and stakeholders for years: what does the NCAA president actually do? The NCAA president is perhaps the least understood power player in the business of BigAmateurism. While NCAA President Mark Emmert does the Indianapolis sashay at the mention of the word accountability, the office he holds has extraordinary powers that...

Presidents in Charge? 18.03.2021 57:13

In this episode, we look at the role of university presidents in BigAmateurism. Under the NCAA constitution (and in NCAA national office rhetoric), all roads—at the institutional, conference, and NCAA levels—lead to university presidents in the conduct and control of intercollegiate athletics. Where did this concept originate? And what assumptions underlie it? We answer these questions and more.

Meet The Circular Firing Squad: What Exactly Is The NCAA? 16.03.2021 1:13:12

In this episode we begin an exploration of the stakeholders in BigAmateurism. We’ll begin with primary in-system stakeholder-beneficiaries which include the NCAA, universities, university presidents/chancellors, university governing boards, faculty, students, and alumni. First up is the NCAA. What exactly is the NCAA?

Red Grange, Transistors, Two Knights, and Genomics 15.03.2021 51:38

Perfect Storm 10.03.2021 49:38

This episode offers a 30,000 feet overview of the BigAmateurism podcast and a brief description of milestone events from 2006-2021 (with an emphasis on 2019-2021) that have created a perfect storm that will likely be viewed as one of the most consequential eras in the history of college sports. Meet the host, receive a briefing on the podcast's itinerary, and enjoy the show!

BigAmateurism 25.02.2021 57:50