Draymond Green On California’s NCAA Legislation

He has some points but misses a couple of things too

Draymond Green has an article up at the Washington Post about the recent California legislation meant to change the NCAA and as much as we admire Green - we’ve been huge fans since his college days - there are a couple of things that should be addressed in his article.

First, he mentions Zion Williamson’s shoe blowout: “On Feb. 20, something bizarre happened: Williamson’s foot broke through his shoe during play. He fell to the ground, and everyone held their breath. It looked bad. Thankfully, he eventually returned to the court, but a serious injury would have been a disaster, especially with a pro contract and endorsement deals months away. Current NCAA rules would have meant that he would walk away with nothing.”

A big part of the reason why he was in position to do so well was precisely because Duke offers such high exposure. If he had accepted his first offer from hometown Wofford, he would have been on TV some but not nearly as much. Williamson leveraged Duke’s brand to maximize his potential this year.

And years ago the NCAA allowed top prospects to insure themselves against injury. We don't know the ins-and-outs of the rules, but given Duke’s thoroughness, we’d be shocked if he was eligible for it and didn’t have it. It’s nowhere near what he is worth now, but it’s a long way from nothing. And this is lost in the current environment but if he had had a career-ending injury Duke would certainly have honored his scholarship until he graduated. That’s not worthless.

And second, he says this: “I describe the NCAA as a dictatorship. If you’re an NCAA athlete, it controls everything you do. And if you don’t follow its archaic rules, it will prohibit you from playing.“

Green is a guy who has never had trouble speaking his mind, but that’s an awkward term to use this week because the NBA is dealing with a true dictatorship in China and if the Chinese government decided that a citizen would not be allowed to play basketball ever again, it could and he wouldn’t. For that matter, it could tell Green he couldn’t play in the country too.

The NCAA can’t tell anyone not to play. It can’t even tell anyone not to play in college. It can only control what happens in the NCAA and its member schools. It doesn’t control the NAIA or various other organizations that regulate smaller schools and junior colleges. There’s nothing to stop American kids from playing college basketball in Canada or the Philippines either.

The NCAA has rules, many of which are stupid and poorly thought out. Nonetheless, schools and players voluntarily agree to abide by them. No one forces them to and there are increasingly more options for people who don’t want to play basketball for a college or university. The NCAA does not and cannot control what those people do outside of its own structure.

Green is an unusually smart guy so we’re sure he chose the word dictatorship carefully and quite intentionally. He’s got some fair points about the NCAA. However, look up what critics say about the Chinese government, from persecuting religious and political dissenters to concentration camps to forced labor and forced organ donation. Now compare that to the things the NCAA does and see which one is more of a dictatorship.