This had been brewing for weeks if not months. A lot of chatter had circulated throughout the Pac-12 that a group of athletes in the conference was preparing to either make demands of the conference or protest the attempt to play a 2020 sports season, if not both. Former Arizona State Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter was reportedly helping a group of athletes in formulating a specific approach toward a public action of some kind.
While Carpenter’s level of involvement is unclear, a group of Pac-12 athletes — the size and scope are currently unknown as of 10:35 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday — have finally put forth a public statement in the Players Tribune. You can have a look at the full article.
Pac-12 expert Jon Wilner offered a good one-tweet summation:
The #Pac12 player demands include 50% revenue share, 6 yr scholarships, NIL rights, 2% of conf revenue to support low-income black students and more per article in @PlayersTribune
(no indication how many, or who they are)https://t.co/Inf327nVnr— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 2, 2020
So, you might be asking yourself and your friends: “What does this mean?”
It is the question I am asking myself. It is the question everyone is asking.
What is my initial response?
As I get older, and as I write more about sports — and as I see how politically tumultuous American politics have become — one of the central lessons I have learned as a news analyst is to withhold immediate judgment unless I have complete confidence in a given outcome. I find that it is generally best to admit I don’t know the answer if I can’t really nail it down on all (or most) fronts.
Such is the case here.
Sure, this COULD turn out to be a game-changer on so many levels. It COULD carry a lot of impact.
Yet, Saturday night brought about a lot of murmurings that the Power Five conferences might break away from the NCAA:
Sources: If the NCAA doesn't go ahead with fall sports championships, the Power Five is talking about holding its own. First step in a long-theorized breakaway from the NCAA? “If I were Emmert, I’d be really worried about it." News with @RossDellenger https://t.co/BwH9Id6JaP
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 1, 2020
Who would take that seriously, at least right now?
The Power Five conferences couldn’t coordinate nonconference games among each other, so how would they possibly be able to coordinate the current set of NCAA-run sports championships on their own? It makes absolutely no sense in the current climate. A million other things would have to happen first for that to become a realistic possibility.
So, back to this Pac-12 athlete story. Does it mean the game has changed and that massive upheaval is just around the bend?
You would probably like an answer to that question from me or anyone else who covers college sports. Well, I’m here to tell you that the answer can’t really be known yet. Other things have to happen. It might be an unsatisfying answer, but many times in life, the unsatisfying answer is PRECISELY the answer citizens need if they want to get the straight story.
The bottom line, though — something which points to a direct answer instead of “I don’t know” — is as follows: The extent to which this player movement will change college sports (and/or affect the 2020-2021 sports cycle, including college basketball and baseball and all the other sports) will be connected to the extent players are willing to continue or intensify their protests.
If Pac-12 (and maybe other college) athletes are really willing to see this through, and not relent in their public pressure — if they have the stomach to keep pushing for a long time — this story will mean a lot.
If the athletes think this public presentation of demands is most or all of what they need to do to get the Pac-12 and college sports to change, this story probably won’t mean very much in the end.
Much more on this story is coming your way at Trojans Wire.