I hope to open up some discussion on this documentary too. This was very interesting and had me going back and forth a little bit about what the perfect system looks like. In the end, I mainly came away with the idea that college athletes should be paid like a professional athlete. The NCAA can still exist but they should no doubt be dishing out lots of money. The NCAA needs to fit into the capitalistic side of our society, they are not a non-profit and should be classified as one.
The problem then becomes, why would these kids do any school work while they're in school? They won't. They'll just have their papers done for them or professors who try to flunk these kids out because of poor grades or performance will be silented and not ackowledged.
It is amazing the power of the NCAA and the strings that they can pull with all of the money they make. The idea of amateurism is idealistic and sure it would be great if all kids were perfect and able to handle a full academic load responsibly, play big-time college basketball, and not ask to be paid for it. This is not the reality. If kids/families need money, they should go directly into a professional, paid league. It is hard to blame the coaches at the NCAA level paying these kids and families because they really could use the money, there are too many top athletes who are not white-collar suburban kids with a superb family financial situation.
All-in-all, IMO the system needs to be set up where kids that deserve to be getting paid, get paid. I think the best options are 1) For kids to go directly into the capitalistic professional leagues. Seems like a great opportunity for another league in the US to be the bridge between High School and the NBA. The NCAA level needs to be for kids who want to be in school. The level of basketball will go way down, but the spirit would continue to live on and fanship would stay high. The NCAA would be a league for kids who don't have a career in basketball. ZERO tolerance for paying players beyond full scholarship and legal perks (meals, etc.) Or 2) The NCAA could possibly join the capitalistic world and pay the money these kids deserve. I just don't know how you would force kids to do school work in that scenario. It's almost as if the NCAA could create and fund, or have the schools fund, a branch league attached to schools, but kids don't go to class. Basketball would be their major, just like others majors in college prepare you for that profession. Coach as the professor. Seems like this is how the system works now, it's all "under the table". NCAA calls it illegal like it's wrong and sticks to their "amateurism" idea. Really it's just because they want all the money. Very greedy.
The problem is the NCAA has so much terrible money and power over the current system they're trying to hold on, but I think it's going to unravel or they need to change. We need change or an overhaul here.
I'm interested in others thoughts on what they think the best system would so we woudn't continue to have NCAA violations and issues..