NCAA Idiocy: Athletes, coaches could bet on professional sports

SPRINGFIELD–As the NCAA continues to navigate the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, it might be opening Pandora’s Box with sports betting.

On Wednesday, the NCAA announced the Division I Administrative Committee adopted a proposal permitting “student-athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports.” The proposed rule change has to be approved by all three NCAA divisions to take effect by November 1. Divisions II and III are likely to consider the motion at the end of October.

While passing this type of legislation sounds like it’d be in the best interest of the student-athletes and members of the athletic departments, it feels like this could have a catastrophic impact. Mainly to the student-athletes finances.

In just Division III alone, there are 430 schools with athletic programs, with over 195,000 student-athletes competing in various sports. This is the lowest tier of the three divisions for competition, notoriety, funding, and NIL deals. So, giving athletes, at just this level, the chance to lose what little money they have by gambling it away on professional sports seems extremely negligent and reckless on the part of the NCAA.

As of 2022, the average NIL deal for a Division II athlete was $200. Compare that to the average NIL deal for a Division I athlete of $20,000 – as of 2024 – there’s no way sports betting should be allowed, at least for Divisions II & III.

Student loan debt is already in the TRILLIONS, which has significantly crippled the Millenial and Gen Z generations, so it seems even more reckless the NCAA would open a new avenue for students to put themselves in further financial crisis.

The NCAA needs to be the adult in the room and not allow this to go forward. The list of losers who have gambled on professional sports far outweigh those who consistently win. The last thing the governing body of the NCAA needs to do is fail it’s flock. And by encouraging student-athletes and coaches to participate in sports gambling sounds like it could enable gambling addictions. While they’re probably doing this to sidestep possible legal challenges, it could prove to be a further detriment to the NCAA in the long term.

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