What are the NCAA and NBA going to do now?

For years I have felt that the way the NCAA handled student athletes was completely unjust. They use these players to secure multi-million dollar endorsements and TV deals, and all the player’s got in return was a scholarship.

Now, some may say that should be enough. But, I have never agreed.

I have long believed that the players deserve some sort of stipend for their services.

And when you talk about a star player that is really all it boils down to. These college teams are basically leasing these athletes for a year a two before they leave to go pro.

Now, most of the star athletes receive some under-the-table compensation from agents and others competing for their services, we all know that. But, they get vilified for doing so. And get their scholarships revoked if caught.

And that is wrong.

Why shouldn’t they get a piece of the pie also?

But now things may be changing.

Brandon Jennings, a big-time basketball recruit has decided to forego a year in college and play basketball overseas where he will get paid, and quite well, for his services. He was committed to Arizona, but he has had problems passing his SAT.

But, who could blame him?

The question now is how many others are going to follow his footsteps, and the potential problem that may bring to the NCAA and the NBA.

For the NCAA, the problems are obvious. If these teenage talents decide to forego college and play basketball overseas, that will obviously hurt their talent pool and their marketability.

The same holds true for the NBA who uses the NCAA basically to help promote and market these players prior to them coming to the league.

Will that force the league to begin allowing these players to enter the league directly from high school as they did before?

Or, will the NCAA finally offer to pay these players and allow them to share in the wealth?

That would be the right thing to do.

The Wizard has spoken.