Very interesting points. It's a deep discussion, but there should be balance between the invisible hand and some market tuning, regulation, and intervention. In this case, the PAC asked for trouble, nor doing enough for its most productive teams...even failing Stanford and Cal.
I live in San Francisco and follow Stanford after ND. Good outfit. Absolutely commendable school, not only academically, but athletically the ideal. Suffice it to say, a college system built on the Stanford model would enhance society beyond the give me grades for money we have today...as not only athletes but all students get dubious grades that don't work in the real world.
I'm happy Stanford has found a home. Just like ND, they will find a way to stay competitive while maintaining academic and social standards. Ironically, USC has the best case for abandoning a sleep at the wheel PAC leadership.
The PAC let the NCAA death penalty USC for things the SEC institutionalizes. That alone changed college football. Think if Pete Carroll and the Trojans maintained their momentum. USC was a PROVEN SEC killer...and now may be gettin back there.
I hate partisan politics and know there are no saints. I live in CA but also lived in the Deep South when I was a US Army officer. So I'll make a controversial statement: what happened was some good old boy red state BS...namely the SEC. I could be wrong, but they cynically destroyed even a nominal student-athlete ideal.
I'm grateful we still have the likes of Notre Dame and Stanford. Yeah, cold comfort if you don't win titles. I still think both schools can be more academically AND NIL accommodating, doing it the right way...but they haven't sold their souls.
Even an unsaintly cynic like me likes this.
