Is the NCAA playing a game of championship-extortion with California lawmakers? And is it a game that will ultimately backfire?
In a new letter to the California Senate, NCAA president Mark Emmert warns that if the Fair Pay to Play Act becomes law, it would become “impossible” for the NCAA to deem California colleges eligible to participate in national championships.
A brief primer on the Fair Pay to Play Act
As explained in a Sports Illustrated story published last month, the Fair Pay to Play Act would require that California colleges treat its student-athletes along the lines envisioned by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon in his historic case against the NCAA.