Let’s fix college basketball.

There are a ton of steps between where we are right now and having an entity representative of all athletes able to meet with NCAA leadership to discuss parameters. But in order to play “what if,” let’s assume we are to that point. For the sake of the argument, I will call the union of athletes the “Collegiate Athletes Players Union” (or CAPU). The NCAA is the NCAA.

Both sides have demands. Both sides are going to need to give up something in order to have their needs met, but not necessarily all of their demands. When discussing what the NCAA wants, it’s important to remember we are simply discussing what the universities want as member institutions. They pull the strings. This can be tricky as the needs/wants of Alabama are not the same as Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Ultimately, some of these issues will likely be left to hash out within each conference.

Likewise, while I’m concentrating on basketball, the needs of basketball, football, golf, women/men, etc. will not all be met here. There will need to be separate discussions as well.

...