So What Does This Mean for the Big East?

[robinreed]

Does title IX still apply in the same way if "student-athletes" are determined to be employees?

That is question number one! I would assume that "employees" would be covered by federal employment laws but would they also be covered by title 9?

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

The latest news is 'no news' in this lengthy article:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... no-answers

NCAA's latest cost of attendance debate offers questions, no answers
CBS Sports - May 6, 2014 - 11:11 pm ET

PHOENIX -- When it comes to the five major conferences creating their own rules to help college athletes, no topic dominates the conversation like cost of attendance. Good luck getting details yet about the latest attempt to pay college athletes a stipend.

“I don't think anybody knows exactly how it's going to work,” Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder said. “It's like anything, if it's in athletics or state legislation or national legislation. You enact rules and changes and sometimes there's not enough research on it and you just don't know until you experience it and then you try to fine tune it. I think that's what's going to take place.”

All around the country, questions about drilling down into cost of attendance are met with shrugs and more questions. Schools are starting to discuss the topic at their conference spring meetings, including this week with the Pac-12, Big 12, Mountain West and Mid-American Conference all in Phoenix.

[dmac80]

My take on the whole union and paying athletes thing is this: it will destroy competitive collegiate athletics, and it will face a mountain of lawsuits, congressional meddling, etc around title IX, etc (you're going to pay male football and basketball players X amount, but you're not going to pay female badminton players????? etc).

I think there has to be a fair way to allow the athletes to profit outside of the school directly paying them: ie signing autographs, etc.....Unfortunately this will make the under the table cash payments and gifts from "boosters" etc that much harder or impossible to track and punish, but its already going on. I get that its seen as unfair for the athletes to be playing for tuition and meals while the institutions are bringing in tens and hundreds of millions in TV and other money.....But paying the athletes will essentially turn this into professional sports not collegiate athletics and it will completely tip the balance in favor of the football powers for all sports.

Whatever the case I hope the BE is able to find a way to cling to the biggest schools/conferences for basketball or its all over. My hope is the $$ and long term TV contracts associated with the NCAA March Madness tournament and litigation surrounding this issue will tie it up and slow it way down.....Will be interesting to see this unfold.