Just when you think you've seen more than enough money and commercialization in major college football and basketball -- in what was intended to be amateur competition — you see even more money and commercialization enter the system. The line gets crossed again and again. To explore this subject and to address what might be done in response, FutureU is pleased to welcome a panel of knowledgeable and distinguished guests. Jason Kelly is associate editor of the Notre Dame Alumni Magazine, and he serves as acting director of Notre Dame's journalism school. His recently published "The (Next) Line that Can’t Be Crossed" ends with a quote from ND's Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick: "We better be asking what we want college football to be, and how we make sure it still fits inside a university environment." Ellen Staurowsky, a professor in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, is a nationally prominent author. A fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management, her co-authored book with Allen L. Sack, College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA’s Amateur Myth, is a seminal contribution to the literature. Jared Good, a third-year law student at Penn State Law (Penn State University), is keenly interested in legal and ethical issues associated with college and professional sports. He has written a number of articles on the Olympics, Formula 1 racing, the NFL, college sports, and other topics. Our panel also includes legacy college athletes — Mickey Plumley, Dick Roberts, Charlie Fisher, and Bob Zitelli -- who played football at West Virginia University during a different time and era, the late 1960s. They are adept at comparing the game played then with the game played today. The program is hosted by Frank Fear, professor emeritus, Michigan State University, and managing editor of FutureU.
