By Johnathan Gonzalez

St. John Bosco’s varsity soccer led by Coach Dave Sabet has been on a tear this season with an outstanding record of 14-2-2, and a league record of 2-0-1. The Braves are coming in with fire to prove to their rivals within the state and the very tough Trinity League that they are very here to win it all and become a team that can challenge for a State title.

While not having the greatest season last year, the Braves have proved that it was a fluke and are coming off a big win in the Trinity league against JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) in winning a close 3-2 game. They have returned to the top and will continue to fight until they bring home the Trinity League title.

This year’s team is playing with a higher level of confidence than previous years and junior Gabriel Torres believes it is a key to their success.

Junior Gabriel Torres said, “Coming into this year I did expect to have run that we are having. I believe with all the talent we have on the team this year we all play with major confidence in one another,” said Gabriel Torres.

St. John Bosco’s soccer team has been embracing the Bosco brother-hood. They act as if they are brothers, not just friends and classmates or teammates they play as brothers on the field and in the class having each other’s back no matter what. Junior Christian Briseno really likes how the team is playing but understands they must stay consistent if they want to win titles.

“Coming into this new soccer year I had high expectations with the guys we had and with our coaching staff we had I knew we were going to have something special but our goal going into the end of the season we need to stay consistent to be able to win trinity and make a run for CIF,” said Christian Briseno.

The team seems to have a new sense of clarity following their down season from last year and looks to be out to prove who they really are, a team not to be looked down upon following defeats of Top tier teams like JSerra, Servite even Hamilton a school from Arizona.

There were still some doubts heading into this season with David Veloz unsure if there was enough good players for the team to succeed well into the post-season run.

“Coming into the new season I didn’t know what to expect. My expectations were for us to win Trinity but heading into the pre-season it was going to be a struggle and I thought we were going to need help as previous years in our teams only had 1-2 really good players,” said Senior Captain David Veloz.

However, these doubts were gone quickly into the season with Veloz’s confidence in the team going way up.

“Our goal as a team is to have each other’s backs and do what’s best for the team to be able to win trinity and move onto CIF we have a very good team this year and I’m hyped coming to the final stretch of this season thus being my last season,” said Veloz.

St. John Bosco has a very deep and talented team not to be messed with, especially with the streak they have coming off two very big interleague games. With the confidence they have with each other to win trinity and make a run for CIF, they will do anything to make it come true.

by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

Braves versus the “Team in Red:” a rivalry as old as time. One will stand, one will fall. But who will come out on top?

The Braves are riding the wave of two wins which came against Orange Lutheran, and most notably a win versus the Servite Friars. The final score of the road win was 71-67. The team was lead by Josh Camper, and Wynton Brown who combined put up 24 points. Brown was also the leading rebounder with 14 rebounds, Holm was right behind him with 9 rebounds as the Braves dominated the glass against the Friars.

However, two days after the Braves defeated the Fiars, the Braves took on the Lions of JSerra and were defeated by a score of 55-54. The game came literally down to the wire as star Isaiah Holm attempted a buzzer-beater, however, it bounced up and down four times before it bounced off the back iron for a miss. A true killer for the Braves. 

“It looked good, it felt good, and it was continuing to bounce up and down and roll around like it was so sort of joke. Until it finally hit the ground. It hurt I felt like I let my team down. But it is what it is nothing I can change now,” Holm said. 

Now the Braves face the Monarchs tonight, which will be no piece of cake. As the Monarchs continue to prove to be one of the nation’s most recognizable teams. 

Both teams are having excellent seasons, as the Braves and the “Team in Red” will take the court tonight inside the “Thunderdome.” The Braves come into tonight’s game with a record of 15-5 (2-1) and will be lead tonight by their seniors: Chico State-commit Isiah Holm, Northern Arizona-commit Wynton Brown and captain Josh Camper. All three of these young men have been nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game.

Coming into this game the Braves have been playing well, but they will need to step their game up to another level in order to beat the “Team in Red” for the third year straight. The “Team in Red” are sporting the same starting lineup as last year, and this gives them a huge chemistry advantage. However, the Braves do have a core of seniors that for the most part have been playing together since freshman year. 

This season, the Braves shooting has been the story, as they are averaging 65 points per game to go along with shooting 45% from the field. The most notable scores are Camper who averages twelve points per game along with Lamaj Lewis who also averages twelve per game. 

One area the Braves do struggle in sometimes is ball movement, as they only average 14 assists per game as a team. 

“Yes, we lack in assists, no excuse. However, we have a quick-fire offense that can put up a shot within the first 5 seconds of our shot clock,” said Josh Camper.

But the Braves will have to do more than hit shots to beat the “Team in Red.”

“We gotta fight. Simple as that. They are a tough team. They have the same roster as last year and continue to get better from game to game. We need to take them down early and light up the scoreboard. It will be a team effort.”

The Braves take on the “Team in Red” at 7:30pm and will have a tough match up on their hands. The Braves will rely on each other to win and look to hand the “Team in Red” their fourth loss of the season.

FINAL SCORE:

64 – 61 Braves

by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

Championship weekend continues to loom on the horizon, and we could potentially see a rematch of Super Bowl 1, which would make Roger Goodell ridiculously happy. On the other hand, we could see the “feel good” story of the year surprise all the doubters and make it to the big dance. Whatever teams move onto the Super Bowl will provide some high-end entertainment for viewers across the world.

AFC

Titans vs. Chiefs, arguably the most unpredictable match up, takes place Sunday at 12:05pm (PST). The Titans are rolling on the offensive side of the ball because of one man. The man nicknamed “Tractorcito” finished the regular season as the league’s leading rusher and has been steamrolling over defenses this postseason. 

Derrick Henry ran the ball 64 times over the last two playoff games and put up 377 rushing YDs, but wait he only has 1 TD. How have these Titans knocked off the Patriots and the Ravens? The answer: head coach Mike Vrabel, who continuously this season has proved he can coach.

He’s adjusted his defensive scheme each game this postseason and made the decision to put the ball in Ryan Tannehill’s hands week 6 and make him the starter for the remainder of the season. Vrabel continues to show that if you run a balanced offense, and adjust your defense each week to who you are playing, you will consistently contend against any team. The Titans will be a headache for Andy Reid and the Chiefs this week.

The Chiefs have arguably the league’s top Quarterback, an innovative coach, and a new and improved defense. Kansas City this season overcame the loss of Patrick Mahomes, for two weeks, and completely reshaped their defense, which proved to be the Achilles’ heel last season. We all remember the Dee Ford incident. The Chiefs’ off-season included several moves to bolster a weak defense and add one key piece to an offense that lost their Pro Bowl running back to suspension.

Kansas City began this off-season by adding defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and allowing him to bring in the defensive position coaches that would allow the Chiefs to be elite. The second large move was trading for Frank Clark, who in my personal opinion is a huge upgrade over Dee Ford, who has moved on to the 49ers. Then general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid signed free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu and drafted safety Juan Thornhill. 

Thornhill continuously proves that he is going to become a star. Thornhill, however, suffered a devastating injury. Yes, he tore his ACL, an injury that has become more and more prevalent in the league. Before his injury week 17, Thornhill forced 3 INT, 5 PD, and 1 TD. But, not all is lost, Tyrann Mathieu continues to be the unsung leader of this defense. All experts thought that Mathieu was having a Pro Bowl season, but unexpectedly was snubbed from the roster. Mathieu has put up numbers, which include 4 INT and 12 PD. Those are Pro-Bowl numbers, and Mathieu is such an impact player that when he is just in the zone a QB will think twice about throwing to his side of the field.

NFC

The Packers will travel to the West Coast this week to take on the 49ers in Levi Stadium, Sunday afternoon at 3:40 (PST). Both teams this season have had Super Bowl contending years and would be fit to represent the NFC. However, these teams faced off earlier this year and the 49ers won convincingly by a score of 37-8. Do I expect the same outcome? No, the Niners, in my opinion, have taken a step back since that game, but still are great, but the Packers are a different team in the playoffs and are nothing short of DANGEROUS.

The Packers have a former league MVP and arguably the most talented QB to ever play the position in Aaron Rodgers, along with a young and innovative head Matt Lafleur. Packers fans also have two huge playmakers on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to look forward too, respectively.

Aaron Jones, who tied for first place in league rushing TDs and averaging 4.7 yds per carry, is a top-three rusher in the league this season. Jones posted numbers that included 1,084 rushing yds, 236 rushing attempts, which all resulted in a league-best 16 rushing TDs. The Packers also have arguably a top-five WR in the NFL, Davante Adams.

Adams this season struggled a bit with production early on. However, he was able to turn this around the second half of the season, and posted numbers which included 997 receiving yds, 5 TDs, and 83 receptions. Yes, these are low numbers for a leagues star WR, however, the majority of these numbers were posted second half of the season which allowed for him to be top 15 in the league numbers second half of the year. 

On the defensive side, you have the “Bash Bros,” Preston and Za’darius Smith. These two guys continue to prove that they are headaches for offenses. Za’darius Smith is popularly viewed as either one of, if not, the best pass rusher in the NFL this season. Smith posted numbers that included 41 solo tackles, 13.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

The 49ers this season proved that they are the league’s best all-around team. Niners fans waited for years for their team to return to the top. They’ve done it, and you might be asking, “How?.”

Well, it began with drafting smart, namely Nick Bosa, Mike McGlinchey, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel. Every single one of these guys brings something to the table. The Niners’ front office was also smart by allowing themselves to spend money on big free agents and trading for Stars. Most notably, Richard Sherman, Emmanuel Sanders, and Kwon Alexander. The Niners will prove to be a headache for the Packers.

This weekend will show either a true underdog story, a rematch of Super Bowl 1, or even a team most people overlooked before the season started. Either way, we are in for an exciting weekend and an even better Super Bowl.

FINAL SCORES:

Chiefs 35 – Titans 31

Packers 28 – 49ers 21

by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

LSU overcomes shaky start to roll over the Clemson Tigers. Joe Burrow was nothing short of immaculate for the majority of the game as Coach O gets his National Title. However, this game has seemingly ended with two things, one Joe Burrow sealed himself as the number one pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The second fact being, is Trevor Lawrence as great as we thought he was? 

 

 In the first quarter, LSU was struggling to keep pace with Clemson as it looked like Trevor Lawrence and Clemson were gonna keep up their undefeated streak. The Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers both began the game with back to back defensive stands and punts. Until Clemson was able to strike first with a 1 yard Trevor Lawrence run for 7. This touchdown left a lot of questions in LSU fans and the announcers’ heads, what is happening to Joe Burrow, as he was making passes out of character. This included missing wide-open receivers, and through a very wobbly ball.

Then in the blink of an eye, Joe Burrow answered Trevor Lawerence TD with a 52 yd back shoulder through to Ja’marr Chase. Chase had an impeccable game finishing with 9 receptions, 221 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns.

However, the seemingly unstoppable LSU Tigers all of the sudden were facing down the barrel of a 17-7 deficit with 10:38 left in the second quarter. LSU then would answer with a Joe Burrow TD run, a Ja’marr Chase TD reception, and a Thaddeus Moss TD reception to go up 28-17. All this offensive success, however, was backed by their outstanding defense.

Heading into halftime, many people thought we were going to see a shot for shot second half. However, this could not be farther from the truth.

Clemson did open the second half by forcing a three and out against the LSU offense which allowed Trevor Lawrence and Clemson Tigers to march down the field and score. Travis Etienne(RB, Clemson) capped off the strong opening drive by Clemson with a 3 yd touchdown run. Then after the touchdown head coach Dabo Sweeny left his offense on the field to attempt a two-point conversion. 

Lawerence then after scrambling around for several seconds, which felt like an eternity, Lawerence then would sling one into the hands of Amari Rodgers to cut the lead down to a score of 25-28 LSU. 

After this score, you would not see Clemson hit the endzone again. Burrow continued his spectacular performance by capping off a 3-minute drive with finding Thaddeus Moss for his second TD reception of the game. Moss as of late has been nothing short of a TD machine just like his father Randy Moss. Moss a Junior, has the option of coming out for the NFL Draft this season, however, he can also return to LSU. Either way, whenever Moss declares for the NFL draft, whatever team lands him will be adding a large target for their QB as well as adding an additional blocker.

Burrow, and the LSU Tigers would then march down the field one more time for yet another passing touchdown this time finding Terrance Marshall Jr. for a 24-yard touchdown. The highlight of the drive was when Joe Burrow, would run off the field pointing at his right ring finger saying time to fit me.

LSU would cap off the game by forcing one more punt and stripping Trevor Lawrence of the Ball allowing LSU to run out the clock and hold up the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.

Joe Burrow ended the night with being the record holder, for the all-time college football touchdown leader with 60 total on the season. Joe Burrow is an all-star talent, and will most definitely be someone to change a franchise around.

by Lucas Garrison, Sports Editor

The Houston Astros are the first of the two teams being investigated for cheating in the 2017 and 2018 World Series against the Dodgers. The second team hailing from the great cheating region of New England, the Boston Red Sox. Ken Rosenthal broke the news around 11 AM (PST). The headline news is that the Astros have fired Manager, AJ Hinch, and General Manager Jeff Luhnow. 

The punishment laid down by the league front office, prior to the firings included a 1-year suspension for both the Astros Manager, AJ Hinch, and General Manager Jeff Luhnow. The Astros has also been stripped of their 1st and 2nd round draft picks in the 2020 and 2021 draft. The draft picks being that of the heftier portion of the punishment as MLB teams rely heavily on those draft picks to build their “Farm System”(Minor League). The Punishment also included an additional 5 million dollar fine. 

Now the suspension does not include any players. At the time, Carlos Beltran was a player on Astros. Since then Beltran has been hired as the new manager of the Mets. So far, it has been made clear that Beltran will not face any sort of punishment, and any chance of that changing is truly unrealistic. 

The other big news looming with the punishment of the Astros is that of Alex Cora, the manager of the Red Sox who was a bench coach for the Astros when they were caught with the initial cheating scandal. Cora and the Sox were accused of cheating by using an illegal video replay room to steal signs during their 108 win regular season, which would result in a world series win for the organization back in 2018. On Tuesday The Athletic reported that three anonymous sources had come forward with proof and allegations against the Red Sox.

According too Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal Alex Cora will have a “Far Harsher” punishment than AJ Hinch. However, the Red Sox organization itself will most likely face a ban similar to that of the Houston Astros. However, the investigation has just begun against the Red Sox and the Astros investigation took several months. The Red Sox now will just have to sit and wait to see what happens to their organization.

The Astros will be allowed to keep their World Series Championship, which is all the organization and fans care about. This has left MLB fans wondering is the punishment strong enough? This has left Dodger fans to ask the question, why wasn’t there more?

 

by Hunter Richardson, Assistant Sports Editor

The time is now for the Braves, with everything on the line and the “ultimate goal” closer in grasp than it has been in six years. Saturday night the Braves look to win the CIF State Championship and National Championship against Concord De La Salle.    

Brave nation is buzzing after one of the best games in Bosco and CIF History, defeating the “Team in Red” 39-34 to win the CIF-Southern Section Championship. For this program, winning that game was more than just beating a rival. It exorcised the demons  of last year’s CIF-SS Championship game as well as another loss to the “Team in Red” earlier this year in Trinity League play.

The opportunity that faces the Braves tonight is a special one with two of the biggest prizes in high school football on the line: a chance to capture the State Championship and National Championship for the first time since 2013. They only have one obstacle in front of them and that is the Spartans of De La Salle.

De La Salle has been a powerhouse name in California high school football for years, dominating the Northern Section as a familiar opponent to whoever comes out of the South. The Spartans are currently 12-1 and ranked 8th in the nation. The Spartans are one of the most disciplined and well-coached teams in the country, so this will be no easy task for the Braves.

For the Braves, this game will be the last for the seniors are lead out on the field by head coach Jason Negro. The graduating class for Bosco football is one of the most talented this school has ever seen. This will be the last high school game for players such as quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, wide receiver Kris Hutson, defensive tackle Kobe Pepe, defensive back Kourt Williams and offensive lineman Drake Metcalf.

This journey for the Braves has been one to remember for the graduating class with all of the ups and downs they have gone through. Losing to Mater Dei twice in a row in the CIF-SS Championship and then finally defeating them this year. With all the success they have had this year, these players can go off on the highest note possible with winning this game and the National Championship.

For Brave Nation, we can get one last look at one of the best players to ever wear the Blue and Gold in D.J Uiagalelei. Brave Nation will definitely show out in the stands for one of the biggest games in school history and the atmosphere in the crowd and on the field will be electric.

Kick-off tonight for the CIF State Championship is at 8:00 PM at Cerritos College.

Score Prediction- Braves 45- De La Salle 28

by Robert Johnson

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially back, as they continue the best start to a season in the illustrious history of the franchise.

The Purple and Gold have a current record of 22-3. This year has proved to be not only the changing but tipping point for the Lakers franchise. The Lakers began the season with the addition of key players such a Dwight Howard, Danny Green, and Anthony Davis which have been a major contributing factor to the Lakers’ success.

Without a doubt, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been the best duo in the league with James averaging 25.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists, while Davis averages 27.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.

LeBron James has been in full effect offensively thus far, averaging the most assist in a regular season for his career with 10.8, which currently leads the league. Now having the experience that a young Lakers team desperately needed last year, LeBron has seemed more comfortable in the Laker offense under new head coach, Frank Vogel.

The Lakers have also shown a significant improvement on the defensive end, which Vogel is known for, with Vogel previously being the Indiana Pacers head coach known for giving Lebron James’ Heat team problems on the defensive end back in 2013.

This season, the Lakers are one of the most difficult frontcourts to score against thanks to Javal Mcgee’s 1.2 blocks per game, Dwight Howard’s 1.4 and Anthony Davis’ 2.7. This monstrous frontcourt has wreaked havoc for opposing teams on both ends.

Two notable spark plugs that really get the Staples Center going are Kyle Kuzma and fan-favorite Alex Caruso.

Recently NBA media and fans alike have been attempting to appoint a new rival for the Lakers. The most obvious cause for a rival has been made for the Clippers, but the history between the two teams isn’t quite there.

Do the names Magic and Bird or Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel ring a bell to anyone? Or maybe 2008 and 2010 championship matchups between Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, with the Celtics and Lakers playing each other twice in three years winning a title one apiece appeal to anyone.

The Boston Celtics’ current record of 16-5 (2nd in the East) is no luck of the Irish. This is a truly talented team that is being led by Eastern Conference star point guard Kemba Walker. Being accompanied by his two young co-stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

For this season Walker has averaged 21.9pts, 4.6reb, and 5ast. Tatum and Brown have also had great seasons with Tatum posting 21.2pts and 7reb while Brown has had 20pts and 6.9reb per game.

This green three-headed monster is what has haunted the Lakers all throughout NBA history, with their first NBA Finals appearance against each other going all the way back to 1959 which the Celtics won in a sweep.

Although the Lakers have won their most recent Finals battle against the Celtics in 2010 with the series going 4-3. The Lakers are losing the overall Finals matchup, with Boston having 9 NBA Titles to the Lakers 3 against each other.

The Celtics and Lakers have yet to play this year, but we are all itching to see the possibility of old school NBA rivalries coming back. So now as fans, we have to wait until January 20, 2020, to see what transpires in a game between these two outstanding franchises.

NBA fans would love to see this rivalry be reinstated but the odds of it happening are still uncertain.

The Western Conference is stacked from head to toe, with any team being able to give you a tough game on any given night.

The Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets are all teams that could potentially knock the Lakers out of the playoffs.

The primary threat to the Lakers in the West is the team they split the Staples Center with the Clippers who are 17-7 (2nd in the West). Experienced head coach Doc Rivers has been given the perfect roster to go on a championship run with. The Clippers are arguably the best defensive team in the league with Paul George being a 3 time NBA All-Defensive Team awardee and Kahwhi Leonard being a former 2-time Defensive Player of the Year.

With Paul George just recently getting back to playing regular-season games, Leonard and George haven’t had a real opportunity to build real on-court chemistry. Yet.

If these two are healthy, they could potentially claim the throne for the best team in L.A. which they would only do so by winning a title.

Looking back out East, Giannis Antetokounmpo is running everything with the Milliwuake Bucks, who currently are 20-3.

The Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and reigning NBA Champs Toronto Raptors also have the potential to make real noise in the playoffs.

The NBA hasn’t had real parity in a while, the title is up for grabs with the 2020s along with it. The league has now shifted from building a franchise with 3 big superstars to make a roster with 2 superstars and more second and third-tier talent.

by Kourt Williams

It was the game on everybody’s minds. The rematch. Part two of the royal rumble. High school football couldn’t get any bigger. My teammates and myself couldn’t have had a better week of preparation leading up to the game, and we were prepared for anything that came upon us. 

The preparation was relentless. We knew what we had to do in order for us to be successful. We had to score as much as possible on offense, and on defense, we had to limit their big plays and play makers. The game plan was set.

The days of practice were nothing but electric. The starting offense competed against the starting defense every practice leading up to the game. It was all a part of the strategy. Our coaching staff knew having us players play against the best competition everyday at practice would more than prepare us for the game.

The feeling on the night before the game, is hard to describe. You wish the game would come already. Falling asleep the night before playing in a game like that is not the easiest thing to do. This was a game I had been waiting to play in since I was a freshman at Bosco. No matter what happened, I told myself would leave everything I had on the field because it could be my last game in a Brave uniform.

So the day the finally came. I woke up in the morning with adrenaline coursing through my veins. Knowing within the next six to seven hours, the whole nation would have their eyes fixated on one event, one showcase, one game: the rematch of number one versus number two.

The pregame atmosphere was unreal. Families on both sides tailgating outside the stadium made it feel like a college football game. I had been feeling butterflies in my stomach since the night before, and it was now time to lay it all on the line.

The game started out rough. The “Team in Red” got a headstart on us. We had started off the game on a slow start and they jumped ahead on us quick and took advantage of every opportunity where we fell short. Before we knew it, it was 28-12 at halftime, and it looked as if the game was over. So much so that fans on the “Team in Red’s” side left during halftime. But the crazy thing was, things had only just begun.

Going into halftime, we knew something had to change. Therefore, myself and the other leaders on the team took it upon ourselves to deliver the message to the team on what had to be done.

Whatever we said in the locker room worked. In that second half, we stepped on the field and were a different team than what was witnessed in the first half.

When things started going our way, you could sense a shift in the air. It was funny, because personally, there was no part of the game when I felt worried or lost hope. I knew the reason why the game had started the way it did; we were beating ourselves.

When the game started to unfold in our favor, I wasn’t surprised because I knew that we were capable. My teammates, like DJ Uiagalelei, Logan Loya and Kris Hutson made the difference for the offense in terms of putting points on the board. Myself, Jonathan Vaughns, Jake Newman and James Smith were heavy contributors in stopping the “Team in Red” from putting up any more points.

Before you knew it, you looked up and we were in the lead by five points with the final possession of the game was among us. My heart was pounding so fast because I knew this drive would determine the outcome of the game and the legacy we left.

My defense and I were able to hold them to fourth down and caused them to throw a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game. As loud as the stadium was, I could still hear myself breathing and my heart beating. The ball is snapped and I run to the end zone because I know for them to win they have to throw a touchdown. The ball is thrown and it felt like the ball was in the air for hours.

When it made its way down and I saw Hutson with it in his hands, it was almost surreal. At first, everything happened so fast. I looked up and saw everyone from my sideline sprinting onto the field with nothing but pure joy on their faces.

It was difficult to wrap my head around it. I looked up in the stands and saw my family screaming at the top of their lungs, and then it hit me. The feeling in my heart was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life.

This was a storybook ending, and with it being my senior year, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Our back’s were against the wall, and people started losing hope in us. But we never lost hope in ourselves. We knew that as long as we had each other, we could tear down any wall in front of us.

We proved everyone wrong and showed them who the real number one team is this year. I am proud to say that I was blessed and fortunate enough to be a part of it.

by Matthew Ruiz

As Fall rolls into Winter, the NCAA has turned the wheels on allowing athletes to get paid for their likeness, name and image, which marks a major shift in the rules. 

Even though these athletes are still amateurs and still student-athletes, the NCAA wants to move in a different direction in January of 2021. A decision was announced on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 by the NCAA Governing Board.

According to NCAA Board of Directors Member Michael V. Drake, “Action directs each of the NCAA’s three divisions to immediately consider updates to relevant bylaws and policies for the 21st century.”

Some guidelines the NCAA has released:

• Assuring student-athletes are treated similarly to non-athlete students unless a compelling reason exists to differentiate.
• Maintaining the priorities of education and the collegiate experience to provide opportunities for student-athlete success.
• Ensuring rules are transparent, focused and enforceable and facilitate fair and balanced competition.
• Making clear the distinction between collegiate and professional opportunities.
• Making clear that compensation for athletics performance or participation is impermissible.
• Reaffirming that student-athletes are students first and not employees of the university.
• Enhancing principles of diversity, inclusion and gender equity.
• Protecting the recruiting environment and prohibit inducements to select, remain at, or transfer to a specific institution.

A lot of the board’s actions were based on recommendations from the NCAA Board of Governors Federal and State Legislation Working Group. This group include presidents, commissioners, athletics directors, administrators and student-athletes. This group will continue to make changes going all the way through April and work side by side with the state and federal legislation.

“As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.

Many people have seen the news and consider this info as a positive for all student-athletes. Some big influencers are NBA legend LeBron James and player Maverick Carter who helped fund the empowerment brand UNINTERRUPTED, which began in 2015 and has a website uninterrupted.com that provides student-athletes the platform to share their stories.

On Monday, October 1st, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act into law. This bill permits college athletes in California to hire agents and also be paid from endorsements.

The California law is to go into effect in 2023, which will allow them to reap the financial rewards for their athletic abilities. This law will have the NCAA on the ropes with the organization realizing over $1 billion in revenue and profits of about $27 million in 2018. The NCAA, as well as other colleges, were trying to fight this law saying, “It would bring chaos to college sports” and “make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field,” according to reporting by Forbes.

If this law was to go into effect it would cause a disaster for the NCAA. Some may fear if they go this route they will turn into the NFL with players thinking of who is earning more money and complaints from players on why they aren’t getting paid. However, we are ignoring the fact that Universities are earning so much money off of ticket sales, merchandise sales and food sales.

Top universities are flourishing off the blood, sweat, tears, and essential risking their own lives for the love of the game. All of these athletes are putting their all into these colleges to keep the reputation of their school alive. While the entire school profits of their success, these athletes are left in the dust without any compensation for their hard work.