It feels like the walls are closing in on the NCAA, or at the very least like the end is nigh for the antiquated ideals that have propped up college sports for decades. And the year 2023 is shaping up to be a pivotal one, with more than one domino poised to fall and each capable of toppling the business model entirely.
What will the college sports enterprise look like five years from now — and who gets to decide that? The upcoming calendar year will begin to answer that question.
Multiple lawsuits aimed at the economic structure of college athletics are working their way through the courts in a legal environment that appears more supportive of athletes’ rights than ever before. The National Labor Relations Board is proceeding with an unfair labor practice charge filed against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA in a push to categorize athletes as employees, a process that could take months if not years to reach a resolution. There’s also a new Congress set to be sworn in next month, a new NCAA president with a background in politics set to take over in March and, perhaps, a new Big Ten commissioner coming in the new year.
It will also be the final year of a four-team College Football Playoff before the bracket expands to 12, the first and perhaps only school year for a bloated…
