We have spent a bunch of time talking about the future of college softball. While on most fronts, the future appears very bright, there are also reason for concern. We all know money talks and BS walks which leads me to worry, a lot!
The NCAA is not a perfect organization. There are flaws in the system and they are going to require people much smarter than me to resolve them. But I do know that without the NCAA and the rules they have created about the number of sports a school must sponsor and the number of those sports that must be female is why women’s sports are so strong.
The Power 5 has a list of complaints that are at the core of my concerns. There is a strong push for the power schools to create their own organization because they are tired of the NCAA trying to enforce rules that attempt to keep a competitive balance across the organization.
The NCAA rulebook is supposed to reflect rules that allow Georgia and Georgia State to compete for the same national championships in all sports. Well, we all know that the likelihood of that happening is already pretty slim, but if the big schools have their way there will be no chance.
When the Power 5 creates their super conference, and I do mean when not if, they will write their own rules. They will have a ridiculous amount of money so they may decide that they want to keep non-revenue sports, out of the goodness of their hearts, or they may take a more bottom line look to the future,
If they act like businessmen then we know what the results will be, only the sports that pay the bills will be supported and all the others will be collateral damage. Now, we know that softball has become the most financially viable of the women’s sports but does anyone think that softball creates enough income to pay for the facilities, coaches salaries, scholarships and all the other expenses related to their operation.
Of course not!
And that as they say, “Is the rest of the story”!
About the Author: Tory Acheson brings a wealth of knowledge to the Fastpitch Prep staff. He has coached at all levels of the game, including the last 25 years at the college level at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State. He began his coaching career at the high school level spending 9 years Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wis. and is now working as a professional softball instructor.
