Josh Rosen Has Intriguing Plan for College Football
By Ken Reed
Josh Rosen has always been a progressive thinker. He’s also never shied away from sharing his ideas.
Those traits continue for the former UCLA quarterback and Arizona Cardinals rookie.
Along with a couple others, he’s come up with an economic justice proposal for the NCAA and its student-athletes.
Rosen likes college athletics but wants to make them more fair for the players.
“I’m not against the NCAA,” said Rosen about his plan.
“I do strongly believe in the student-athlete experience, and I don’t think the free market is the way to go. I also don’t want a system that was created in the 1950s to stay the way it was. I want it to be like the iPhone, constantly updating to stay current with the times.
“I want this idea to get people talking. I want this to sort of be the WD-40 that unlocks the stuck gears of how to compensate student-athletes.”
The working title of Rosen’s proposal is: “The Modernization of College Athletics as an Incentive for Graduation.” Rosen’s co-authors are Tye Gonser, a partner in Weinberg Gonser LLP, a Southern California business law firm, and USC law student Bryan Bitzer.
Basically, under what I’ll call “The Rosen Plan,” athletes can earn revenue from various opportunities that might arise during their college careers. The key is, they won’t get the profits until after they graduate. No graduation, no profits.
Under Rosen’s proposal, a non-profit “clearinghouse” would be formed to serve as as an intermediary between the players and companies looking to leverage their name, image and likeness. Money earned for name, image and likeness – jerseys, trading cards, video games, etc. — would go into an individual player’s account. It could only be accessed once the player graduates.
Players wouldn’t be allowed to get the money if they are rendered permanently ineligible to compete in NCAA athletics, or if they are convicted of various felony offenses, regardless if they graduate or not.
Rosen knows his proposal isn’t a perfect idea but he hopes it spurs conversation about ways to keep the spirit of college athletics while treating players in a more economically fair manner.
“It’s an idea, and I think it’s a cool one,” he said.
“We need to find a way where we can mutually push in the same direction. This can legitimately help both sides, the college side and the student-athlete side.”
— 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.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
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
Books