The NCAA spent the better part of 70 years stamping out threats to amateurism wherever they could find them. From big scandals to seemingly minor violations, the Association was there to defend the idea that college football shouldn’t be about money, at least for the players. For a while, the courts, media, and public opinion all backed them up. But as the riches in the sport grew, the NCAA became something of a comic villain, and when the time came for college football’s relationship with labor to evolve, the NCAA never seemed ready to lead the charge.
Producer: Michael Henahan
Researcher: Alex McDaniel
Suspect Number 3: The NCAA
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Suspect Number 3: The NCAA
College football's watchdog defended amateurism to the bitter end. Did they leave the sport completely unprepared to change?
Who Killed College Football?
College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes.
College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes.Listen on
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Appears in episode
Ryan Nanni
Steven Godfrey
Suspect Number 3: The NCAA