This week’s Sync features a column by our Sports Seer, Evin Demirel, on the Arkansas legislature’s approval of the Athlete Agent Reform Act.
Here’s a snippet from his column: So it seems with proposed state legislation that amps up the punishment for agents and others who engage in unscrupulous dealings with college athletes.
The “Athlete Agent Reform Act of 2011,” by elevating the punishment for those who arrange gifts to be given or give gifts to college athletes, temporarily slakes the NCAA’s thirst for more justice.
But the National Collegiate Athletic Association, poisoned by exorbitant money, has become very sick. It needs far more help than for a state law to exchange slingshots for crossbows when nailing baddies.
On the surface, it’s hard for college sports fans to argue with this bill – a main reason why Arkansas’ House of Representatives passed the measure 89-0 last week.
Expanding the definition of an athlete agent from those who call themselves agents or are authorized by athletes to act on their behalf to anyone who works for an agent or solicits benefits not allowed by the NCAA is smart, especially in light of recent pay-for-play schemes revolving around Reggie Bush or Cecil Newton’s peddling of his Heisman Trophy-winning son.
The bill also increases the maximum civil penalty from $50,000 to $250,000 and possible jail time from one to six years for those who would escort college athletes down the path of iniquity.
Read the rest of his column here. And if you’d like to weigh in on the debate, vote in our poll or leave a comment below.
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When it comes to Division I sports, the athletes with the poorest backgrounds (i.e. football and basketball men) end up making the most money for their schools. Yes, it’ll shake up the establishment and may be the gateway to fundamentally changed “amateur” sports, but these players deserve monthly stipends.