College sports are broken. This is not a complaint; it is an observation. The structure that held up college sports for a century has collapsed. It is time for a new one.
Administrators should view this as an opportunity. Stop making reactive moves and implementing half measures to salvage what is already gone. Don’t just adapt; create. Instead of grumbling about what they are forced to do, they should think about what they want. Instead of obsessing over amateurism, they should seek to reemphasize education. Instead of fighting athletes in court, they should partner with them in business.
A new model for college athletics can be better than anything that came before. Better for schools. Better for athletes. Better for coaches. Better for alumni. But it will take bold leadership, ingenuity and a skill that university administrators have not displayed often for the last 20 years: teamwork.