Chuck Neinas has been involved in college sports so long that he served as the commissioner of the Big Eight in the 1970s and commissioner of the Big 12 in the 2010s. He lives in Boulder, runs a consulting service and closely monitors the relentless flow of news.
“That took up two or three years of my life,” Neinas said with a laugh. “Did you know that case is cited at universities when they teach antitrust law, as an example of Rule of Reason.”With John Paul Stevens writing for the majority, the Supreme Court determined the NCAA did not control television contracts — that media rights were the property of the universities, which could negotiate deals directly with the networks.
Neinas’ favorite example of the “ridiculous” situation: When No. 1 USC hosted No. 2 Oklahoma early in the 1981 season, the game was assigned a regional broadcast slot on ABC. The Trojans and Sooners received the same paycheck as unranked teams involved in regional broadcasts that day. And with that, the modern era of major college football — with all its cash, chaos and contradictions — was born.CFB recruiting: Cause for concern at USC after losing two 5-star DL
That wasn’t the CFA’s intent, of course. The plaintiffs were opposed to the NCAA limiting the number of appearances and determining the size of the paychecks.“The case opened up college football,” Neinas said. “It was the greatest marketing tool ever for the sport.”