Nocera Plan for Reforming College Sports One of the Best Yet
Joe Nocera’s recent feature article in the New York Times Magazine titled, “Let’s Start Paying College Athletes,” along with his related New York Times op-ed piece, “The College Sports Cartel” represent some of the best thinking to date on how to fix college sports. Nocera’s plan would make college sports more honest and fair. We certainly could use a lot more of that.
Nocera is a SportsWorld outsider. As an Op-Ed columnist for the Times and a long-time business reporter and editor, he brings a fresh perspective to the mess that is big-time college sports. When Nocera started to dig into college sports he was amazed at just how ugly major Division I college sports is, in particular football and men’s basketball.
“The hypocrisy that permeates big-money college sports takes your breath away … It’s a system that enables misconduct to flourish” wrote Nocera in the NY Times Magazine piece.
But unlike many exposes on college sports that are heavy on analysis of the problem but woefully short on solutions, Nocera has laid out a well-conceived proposal. A short summary won’t do his plan justice. You need to read the article. However, the plan centers around facing the reality that big-time (read: BCS) football and men’s basketball are of a different breed then men’s lacrosse or women’s tennis. Football and men’s basketball are huge commercial entertainment entities. Lacrosse and tennis are, for the most part, still part of the educational mission of a university or college.
It’s past time to stop denying that basic truth and instead deal with it forthrightly and honestly.
Nocera does a good job of that.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #22 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Rethinking Sports Fandom with Author Craig Calcaterra – We discuss Calcaterra’s new book “Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game” and explore new ways to be a fan in the year 2022.
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Episode #21 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Chatting About a Broken Game With Baseball Writer Pedro Moura – Moura is a national baseball writer for Fox Sports. We discuss how and why the game of baseball is broken, what factors caused it, and offer a few thoughts on how to “fix” a great game.
Episode #20 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Coaching Youth and High School Sports Based On What’s Best for the Athlete’s Holistic Development – We chat with long-time youth, high school and college basketball coach Jim Huber.
Episode #19 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Capturing the Spirit of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with Anika Orrock – We discuss the hoops AAGPFL women had to jump through to play the game they loved as well as the long-term impact and legacy they have in advancing sports opportunities for girls and women.
Episode #18 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking about the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and the Lia Thomas Controversy with Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Hogshead-Makar is a triple gold medalist in swimming, a civil rights attorney and CEO of Champion Women.
Episode #17 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Talking Sports With Legendary New York Times Sports Columnist Robert Lipsyte – We chat about Lipsyte’s amazing career and some of the athletes he covered.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- League of Fans Sports Policy Director Ken Reed quoted in Washington Post column titled "What happened to P.E.? It’s losing ground in our push for academic improvement," by Jay Mathews
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
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