College Presidents Call Personal Foul on Fantasy World
Da'Rel Scott, running back Maryland formerly known as Maryland running back # 23.
“This weekend, Terrapins, Trojans, Mustangs and more take to the gridiron, kicking off the college football season. This week also marks the start of a new era in college football, one in which fantasy leagues run by commercial entities exploit college players as their virtual game pieces.”
— William E. Kirwin, Chancellor, University of Maryland
— R. Gerald Turner, President, Southern Methodist University
The NCAA and college chancellors and athletic directors are not happy with the decision of companies like CBS Sports in using real names of student-athletes in their fantasy football games this year. Major sports portals, bouyed by the Supreme Court decision in the case brought on by Major League Baseball, have been using players’ names for the first time ever this year in their college fantasy football games.
They are amateurs and real names should not be used, said William E. Kirwin, chancellor of the University of Maryland and R. Gerald Turner, president of Southern Methodist University, in an opinion letter sent to the Los Angeles Times. Chancellor Kirwin and President Turner go on to say that the Supreme Court decision does not apply to amateur athletes and that the NCAA, universities, and college athletes should make a firm and united stand to put pressure on college fantasy football providers to stop using players’ names in their games.
Read Chancellor Kirwin’s and President Turner’s letter about college fantasy football to the Los Angeles Times.
Publisher’s Note: Your position seems hypocritical gentlemen. Don’t the Terps and Mustangs sell uniforms adorned with the jersey numbers of your best and most popular players at your own football games? Is that merely coincidence?
Oh yeah, it’s ok according to the NCAA, because the back of the jersey doesn’t have the player’s name on it, just a number that happens to be the same # 15 worn by Heisman Trophy winner and anti-Playboy all-american Tim Tebow. It must be that the 10,000 fans in the stands are wearing # 15 on their Gators’ jerseys just because that happens to be their favorite number.
Or, is it that you’re just not making all the money this time for information that is clearly part of the public domain? I wonder how your journalism professors feel about information in the public domain?
You state that other entities are now exploiting college football players. What you really mean is that only you are allowed to exploit college football players.
Note to Chancellor Kirwin and President Turner — College Fantasy Basketball starts in late November.
