I do not know how any of this will be resolved. What I do know is that cheating in recruiting, including paying players, has been going on consistently since the 1950s. The only thing that has changed is the amount of money being paid, and the fact that we now know a lot more due to advances in technology.
The challenge for those who desire to effectively clean up college basketball is the premise that you are cleaning up college athletics. That is actually not an accurate appraisal. That might have been the case decades ago. Now, however, folks would be seeking to clean up an entertainment industry - which is what college basketball has become. It is a multi billion dollar business. The colleges are no longer in control. I strongly doubt anyone with the ability to do so is going to substantially penalize the blue bloods and other high level schools who contribute in a material fashion to this multi-billion dollar industry. There is simply too much money at stake, and the industry cannot be financially supported by the modest sized schools who do not cheat (and make no mistake about it, schools at all levels cheat in a significant fashion).
Some assert paying players is the answer. I am a long time advocate in paying the players, but I acknowledge all of the complex issues associated with doing so. Moreover, unless you are permitted to pay players whatever you desire, there will always be cheating because schools will still be willing to pay more than is allowed to obtain the services of certain players.
The cheating is emblematic of other negative societal issues. I am simply skeptical that a multi billion dollar industry is going to be shattered because schools cheat at recruiting. There will be some slaps on the wrist, schools may lose titles they won in the past (does anyone really care), and there may be some well intentioned, but impractical, efforts made to modify rules. At the end of the day I do not envision any truly meaningful change.
The challenge for those who desire to effectively clean up college basketball is the premise that you are cleaning up college athletics. That is actually not an accurate appraisal. That might have been the case decades ago. Now, however, folks would be seeking to clean up an entertainment industry - which is what college basketball has become. It is a multi billion dollar business. The colleges are no longer in control. I strongly doubt anyone with the ability to do so is going to substantially penalize the blue bloods and other high level schools who contribute in a material fashion to this multi-billion dollar industry. There is simply too much money at stake, and the industry cannot be financially supported by the modest sized schools who do not cheat (and make no mistake about it, schools at all levels cheat in a significant fashion).
Some assert paying players is the answer. I am a long time advocate in paying the players, but I acknowledge all of the complex issues associated with doing so. Moreover, unless you are permitted to pay players whatever you desire, there will always be cheating because schools will still be willing to pay more than is allowed to obtain the services of certain players.
The cheating is emblematic of other negative societal issues. I am simply skeptical that a multi billion dollar industry is going to be shattered because schools cheat at recruiting. There will be some slaps on the wrist, schools may lose titles they won in the past (does anyone really care), and there may be some well intentioned, but impractical, efforts made to modify rules. At the end of the day I do not envision any truly meaningful change.
