The "new normal" brought about by COVID-19 has hastened a number of long anticipated changes in our culture - including the prevalence of working from home, the ubiquity of online education, and the fall of American movie theaters.
But can the pandemic, in conjunction with a heightened sensitivity to social injustice, serve as a catalyst for the collegiate pay-for-play model many consider to be long overdue?
This week, players of the Pac-12 recently leveraged The Players' Tribune to make unprecedented demands of their conference going into the conference-only 2020 season. While Pac 12 officials would likely meet player demands for safety precautions and racial equality in order to facilitate the return of their free labor force, player demands for 50% of the conference's revenue complicate matters.
In this podcast episode, Professor Mike Lewis breaks down why the Pac 12s handling of these demands will significantly impact the future of college athletics.
Additionally, Mike and I discuss fanless sports broadcasts, conference-only college football, and inter-conference rivalries affected by COVID-related schedule changes.
Listen to the full episode here:
Also streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher.