We typically try to stay away from the world of politics on this site. However, when President Trump starts to dip his toes into the college sports landscape, it is worth taking notice. That's especially true when he tabs Texas Tech's top donor to help lead his inquiry into the NCAA's NIL policies.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that he was creating a presidential commission on college athletics. The goal of that commission is to investigate and report on the out-of-control NIL practices that many feel are threatening the college sports landscape.
Two men have been named the co-chairs of Trump's landmark commission. The first is legendary former college football head coach Nick Saban. The second is Texas Tech regent and alum Cody Campbell.
In other words, the chairman of Texas Tech's board of regents is on the fast track toward becoming one of the most influential people in college sports.
Some believe that Trump may go so far as to issue an executive order on how college sports are to be run, but what exactly that would entail is anyone's guess. While it is uncertain just what the commission will be officially tasked with doing and how much sway it will hold over the world of NIL payments in college athletics, the fact that Campbell will be working side-by-side with Saban and reporting to the President of the United States of America is amazing for Texas Tech.
What better way for the university to have a grasp on where the world of NIL payments is headed than to have its billionaire booster leading the presidential commission? Now, Campbell will have unique insight on how to guide Texas Tech through the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletic spending.
What's more, Campbell is now not only associated with Saban, but he will also be considered a leader in the college sports world thanks to Trump's appointment. That will open doors across the college sports landscape (not that a multi-billionaire needs much help working his way into prestigious rooms).
We already have an idea of how Campbell feels about the current state of NIL payments. This year, he has authored a number of articles on the subject for The Federalist. The titles of those articles are:
Only Congress and the President Can Save College Sports
D.C. Decision Makers Could Kill College Sports By Giving NCAA Big Dogs a Legal Monopoly
The Saga of Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava Is The Latest Expression of the Brokenness of College Sports
In one of those articles, Campbell wrote, "The top 40 most-viewed college football programs already hog 89.3 percent of TV eyeballs and 95 percent of media cash. Give the Autonomy Four (especially the Big 10 and SEC) a free antitrust hall pass, and they’ll build a super conference, a gilded monopoly that starves everyone else of the revenue needed to provide opportunity to more than 500,000 student athletes per year.
"Of 134 FBS schools, 90 or more could lose funding for Olympic sports, women’s teams, and even football itself (not to mention the FCS and Division II). Local towns could crumble. Smaller colleges would fade. College sports would shrink from a national treasure to an elite clique, and countless dreams would be crushed."
Some may find it ironic that the man who is spearheading Texas Tech's historic spending spree in the football transfer portal this offseason is worried about the wild nature of the funding of college athletics. However, Campbell is uniquely positioned to see the big picture and understand where the NCAA might be headed if regulation does not come to the NIL and revenue-sharing spaces.
While many Texas Tech fans may not find the business side of college sports interesting, none can deny that it is where the future of the NCAA will be shaped. Fortunately, Texas Tech's leading donor is at the forefront of the movement to bring reformation. Campbell has already reshaped the Texas Tech football program, and now, he might just have a hand in guiding the future of the entire college sports world.