...tax issues. If they stay within the NCAA framework, it might be possible to avoid some of the legal and tax issues. But if they attempt to break away from the NCAA, its over for them. Major League (professional sports franchises) will file trust suites against each conference or some governing organization because the business models are way too similar for the university AD's to get away without paying the same taxes on revenue, without managing under the same business regulatory and labor law environment. The Detroit Red wings, Pistons, Lions and Tigers are NOT going to let Michigan and MSU compete for their revenue on an unequal tax and regulatory basis. The same will be true all over the country.

All these schools better be careful for what they wish for. They could quickly kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Already University Presidents at many major universities are finding that charitable and athletic department endowments and contributions are competing against NIL agreements for the same $$$ available. I know a lot of the fans think that money just falls from the sky and that NIL would be a panacea to player recruitment and retention...and it may be, but at whose expense. If there was $25 million in a community business pool for sponsoring BYU athletics in January of this year, it did not suddenly increase in July. I tend to be a PIE always gets bigger in most circumstances, but when it comes to universities competing for the same revenue dollars as its students, the pie doesn't suddenly grow bigger to accommodate both. Suppose the BYU AD was counting on that $25m and now $8 million is going to various athlete's NIL deals. How does BYU make up the missing $8 million? Did the pocket automatically get deeper? NO! Nick Saban mentioned something similar to this issue. The new NIL agreement has made a really bazaar business arena that Coach Day (Ohio State) says be believes can be good for the athletes, but on a team sport, is the QB really more important than the left tackle that protects his backside. He worries there will be a separation among the players that are marketable and those that are not. Such divisions can destroy team moral and its something he's worried about. Nick Saban alluded to the same issue.

THESE ARE THE ISSUES that frighten me a little; not if BYU ever officially becomes a member of a power league. BYU may in fact be held back by ESPN because (as I say elsewhere), BYU is the accommodating schedule princess that marries someone new weekly if it makes a buck for ESPN. If that ends up being the case, we need to embrace it and Tom needs to say to ESPN, fine but pay us for being your scheduling (word CB rejects goes here and means female dog) and make sure we are included as a power program whenever you speak of us. BYU has earned that right over the last decade.