To whom it may concern,
I am a graduate from the Class of ’73, and I am writing to you to help garner support for the notion that the University of Notre Dame should sever all ties with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and become strictly an academic institution. This probably cannot occur until about four years from now, when all scholarship commitments to existing students have been honored. Once this is done, all programs that participate in NCAA competition are to be disbanded. That would include football and basketball, but other teams could be resurrected as club sports, like soccer, rugby and lacrosse. However, no athletic scholarship offers would be made from 2025 forward, and all scholarships would be based on academic achievement only. Henceforth, Notre Dame would be known solely as an institution of higher learning, and not a place where athletes enroll because they can immediately make big bucks off their internet profiles.
I attended Notre Dame at a time when the concept of the “scholar-athlete” was eroding, but remained the bedrock of college and amateur sports. As a freshman, two members of the football team lived on my floor in the dorm. Both were huge and intimidating, but when interacting with their neighbors, were friendly and humble. I was awestruck by how these guys could earn a degree from ND while playing football for a top ten team. We watched them play, rooted them on, consoled them when they lost and gave them comfort when they were injured.
It’s hard to imagine that such a dynamic exists today. If I am a student with little or no financial aid, paying close to 100K a year for a four-year degree, would I give up valuable study time to cheer for people who will make more money in one year at my school than I will for over half my employment career?
Probably not. I don’t see myself going to a pep rally to exclaim: “Go Irish millionaires! Beat Michigan’s nouveau riche.”
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame the kids for cashing in. This is America. If Taylor Swift can monetize her physical skill set, why can’t a linebacker or a point guard?
But is all this money good for college sports? I don’t think so. And things could be even worse in the future.
How soon will it be before most star players don’t even live on campus? Will they drive to and from school in fancy cars, and live in luxury apartments? Some of them will be playing for their third school, chosen simply because of earning potential. What percentage of players plucked from the transfer portal this past year took only “graduate” courses during their final year of eligibility? Should we consider them “scholar-athletes”? How long will it be before some judge decides that making these young men and women attend classes at all amounts to restraint of trade? How much time will pass before super talented athletes make their first million before they get a driver’s license?
Again, I have no problem with players getting compensated for their efforts. The NCAA’s coffers are filled every year with enormous sums from the popularity of college sports. That popularity is created by the athletes, and getting paid for the entertainment value of their skills does not make them jerks. Quarterback Sam Hartman, arguably one of the nicest people to wear an Irish uniform, was brought in this past season to lead the team to the playoffs. He failed. I felt sorry for Sam for a while, and then I learned that Sam Hartman walked away from his one-year stint at Notre Dame with a million dollars.
Riley Leonard will probably make twice that. Good for him.
I want the University of Notre Dame, my alma mater, to opt out of this madness. Let the university set an example and focus on its true mission: the education of its students.
Go Irish!
RJ Flynn
University of Notre Dame, Class of '73
rjflynn.hb@gmail.com
Aug. 23
