Weekly Column: The Professionalization of College Sports

In his capacity as a Columnist for California Sports Lawyer®, Founder and Managing Attorney Jeremy Evans has written a column about the professionalization of college sports.

You can read the full column below.

In the recent past, this column has addressed the changing landscape of college sports, particularly football and men’s basketball. Name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) has certainty expedited the change in college sports. However, the growth in value of licensing sports television and streaming copyrights has also pushed college sports to be able to pay for change with the legal system, advocacy, and social media serving as catalysts, platforms, and servants to change.

Along with change comes adjustment and new rules. New ways of doing business. Change eventually led to discussions and settlement in cases that forever altered college sports removing nearly all restrictions to pay players beyond NIL contracts.

For one, if the overturning of the “Venu” (Disney-Fox-Warner streaming platform) sports court decision is successful on appeal and possibly confirmed with the United States Supreme Court, there will be one streaming platform that houses over half of America’s sports programming, including college sports. With antitrust concerns, it seems like a tall order. However, a joint streaming platform is actually something most American’s would prefer as to spend money and scrolling less.

Venu and their partners will have to prove that their consolidation is for distribution purposes only as other studios and networks might sell and license content to the other. It is the equivalent of Hulu for Sports. The opposing argument will be that it stifles competition. Setting aside the legal arguments for a moment, a combined streaming distribution platform will only increase viewership and dollars for college sports thus increasing their value and influence.

The “Hard Knocks” of college sports is not far away. Certainty, studios and streamers realize the popularity and value of sports documentary content. The value of sports content as entertainment does not stop at the gates of professional sports ballparks, stadiums, and arenas, it naturally extends into the college landscape.

As mentioned earlier with rule changes, college football can now use technology on the sidelines to help make play calls. This is the latest step in modernizing and professionalizing college football. The technology will help marry analytics and play-calling with the use of technology. The potential is that technology can help level the playing field when it comes to talent with the use of play-calling. Meaning, a team’s talent is just as important as their preparation before the game and during the game with execution and decision-making.

The professionalization of college sports has already happened. However, it will also take time to change. Are the changes such that the game will unrecognizable or just a continuation of progress? Or maybe both.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.