NBA legend and commentator Charles Barkley has never been one to hold back on an opinion and that was especially true for his most recent hot take on name, image and likeness deals (NIL) in college basketball.
Appearing on Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich, Barkley ripped the concept of NIL and how it has gotten out of control. He called the NCAA "a bunch of idiots fools" that have ruined the sport.
"The NCAA, they’re a bunch of idiots and fools. They have ruined the sport. I don't know how you put the toothpaste back into the tube," Barkley said.
Barkley then likened the current state of NIL to annual free agency in sports - something that no other professional sport has. He said that he doesn't oppose players getting paid, but believes that the system is just too wild right now.
"This notion that you have to come up with tens of millions of dollars to pay kids to play basketball, and have them be free agents every year and transfer to another school and get more money every year. Like, we don't even get to do that in the NBA. Can you imagine if players in the NBA got to be a free agent every year? I'm not opposed to players getting paid, I want to make that clear," Barkley said.
"But, this notion we gotta give college kids tens of millions of dollars a year, and basketball is the worst, because you're only gonna get a great player for six months. I don't even see how you're gonna get the return on investment."
It's a sentiment that plenty of people share though few have as big a platform as Barkley to address.
He makes a pretty good point though. Players being able to come and go for more money on an annual basis is something that not even professional athletes do.
There are no contracts, no real enforcement and no checks-and-balances to keep things from getting too out of hand. The Nico Iamaleava situation in college football encapsulates it all pretty well.
Is there any hope that the sport can save itself?
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