Cody Campbell Is the Proof: College Football Is Becoming a Billionaire’s Playground
The latest clash between a mega-booster and a conference commissioner exposes a bigger problem: money now speaks louder than the game itself.
I am honestly getting sick and tired of hearing the name Cody Campbell. Quite frankly, I’m getting tired of saying his name and talking about him on Full Ride.
I am exhausted, and I can’t be alone.
College sports should not be run by the rich. College sports should belong to the people. These are public universities and teams that should feel communal—yet they’ve been perverted by the rich and powerful.
NCAA sports should be run more like German soccer clubs, where fans retain controlling power so that someone like Campbell can’t just come in and take over because he wants to—and because he has the means.
We have to stop letting things that matter so much to us be ruined by the wealthy. College sports should be treated more like the performing arts—something accessible and available for all to enjoy and participate in some form. Not just another billionaire’s playground.
Once again, Campbell is back in the news—this time for publicly sparring with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.
Here’s the gist of it:
Campbell, a Texas Tech booster with a massive financial footprint in the sport, took issue with the Big 12’s scheduling approach—specifically games being played on Friday nights. I get it. It’s Texas. High school football matters—blah, blah, blah. I understand Fridays in Texas are sacred ground. He voiced concerns publicly, essentially arguing the league shouldn’t be putting its own schools at a disadvantage or disrupting local football culture.
