Friday's call by the NCAA Board of Governors for a Constitution Convention in November was the first step towards launching radical reforms in the way college sports, a multibillion-dollar business, is managed for the years ahead.The NCAA stated that it is reimagining how it serves its 450,000 athletes in the wake of a devastating loss at the Supreme Court.In a short teleconference with reporters, Mark Emmert, President of NCAA, stated that the goal was to ensure that authority and responsibilities are aligned.This begins by looking at the foundation of the NCAA, which is a six-article constitution. It outlines the purpose, principles, and general policies of the association. At the January convention, the NCAA will likely take action on any proposed amendments to the constitution."It is evident that we're going to take a hard-look at the structure, governance, and have a conversation about values, and a discussion on goals," said Jon Steinbrecher (Mid-American Conference Commissioner, Division I Council). "We have talked about modernizing the rules. Perhaps it is time to modernize this association. Here we are.Why not now?Emmert stated that "I think it is really the shifting legal and economic environment, as well as the political environment that creates this opportunity to stop and erase the chalkboard and draw a fresh chart again." Emmert said, "And that's really, really powerful opportunity that cannot be wasted."To revise the constitution, a 22-member Constitution Review Committee will be formed. It will include university presidents, conference commissioners and athletics directors.After each division has nominated candidates, the committee will be appointed."As the national landscape shifts, college sports must also adapt quickly to become more responsive the needs of college athletes, current member schools," Jack DeGioia (chair of the Board of Governors) said in a statement.Emmert, who made headlines two weeks ago when he suggested that college sports should be decentralized and deregulated. This would shift power away from the NCAA to campuses and conferences. This is a major shift for Emmert, an organization that was founded 115 years ago and is part of the foundation of collegiate athletics.Some conference commissioners, including Greg Sankey from the Southeastern Conference, made similar statements and stated that they were ready to start the process of taking over these tasks.A month after the Supreme Court made a shocking unanimous decision against the NCAA, it is now open to discussion about an overhaul. This was in response to a lower court ruling regarding education-related compensation caps.The Supreme Court also opened the possibility of more legal challenges to NCAA's rules. College sports observers and legal experts immediately wondered if there were other ways for the NCAA to govern college sports.The NCAA lifted the long-standing ban on college athletes receiving money for endorsements and sponsorship deals two weeks later. While athletes are already making money from their images, names and likenesses the NCAA still hopes that federal legislation will create a national standard for all schools.Some legislators want to go beyond NIL, and reform college sports through regulation and oversight."The schools must come together to create an organizational structure, define how they make governance decisions, and determine what those processes will be independent from all external dynamics. Emmert stated that it doesn't matter if the issue is political, legal, or economic. They need to take into account all aspects. But, they must decide what is most sensible and how to best manage college sports.
