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Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall.
by Bowen West
TOPICS:
MISSOULA, Mont. — The landscape of college athletics is rapidly evolving, following the approval of Name, Image and Likeness deals by the NCAA in 2021. Now universities in Montana are grappling with the next steps for student-athletes.
"College athletics is shifting. It's changing. It's changed dramatically over the years," said Kent Haslam, director of athletics at the University of Montana.
This new territory presents opportunities and challenges. On one hand, athletes are being compensated for their hard work, but concerns have emerged, including the growing disparity between wealthier schools with better sports programs and the impact on students' education. There are also worries about a lack of transparency in how the system operates.
Haslam voiced frustration over the lack of transparency, saying, "All of that stuff, nobody knows because there's no transparency. There's none whatsoever. And so that's part of the problem, you have some people that are kind of juicing the system."
In our previous reporting, officials with the University of Montana stated that local businesses are the largest contributors to athlete endorsements.
The University of Montana restricts endorsements in four categories: tobacco, marijuana, sports-enhancing drug companies and gambling. Montana State University adds alcohol to its list of prohibited categories.
Marcus Welnel, a former UM football player, expressed concerns that Montana is losing athletes to wealthier programs offering more money.
"We're just continually seeing our players get call after call after call — 'We have a lot of money to dish out, do you want to come move up and make a lot more money?'" Welnel said. "It's starting to slowly affect us here in Montana with our athletes."
