Fire the NCAA's Handling of Players Selling Jerseys

Ohio State can sell this, but the guy who wears it cannot.

In the last few years the NCAA has tried to crack down on football players who sell their jerseys (we have been lead to believe basketball players aren't in on this), but it seems the governing body is fighting a losing and fruitless battle as new revelations surface regularly about players who cashed in on their memorabilia. Add Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder to that list after he said recently that he "hypothetically" sold his college jerseys to businessmen "that really hypothetically liked [his] play."

The NCAA gets all upset when guys like Terrelle Pryor sell their jerseys because they are getting a benefit not available to other students. While that's true, so what? A lot of these guys have little-to-no money of their own so this isn't a case of the rich getting richer. Beyond that, the most important thing to the NCAA is keeping a level playing field. Theoretically any player is equally capable of selling his jerseys regardless of his star status or school, but we all know a Pryor jersey is more coveted than some practice-squad guy's uni. Even so, how many players would really be swayed to attend a school just because they know they might be able to make a few hundred dollars here and there over their four two-three years at the school? And let's not forget the hypocrisy of it being ok for schools like Ohio State to license or sell Pryor jerseys for $74.99.

It's clear the NCAA is fighting a losing battle on this. They catch a few guys selling jerseys here and there and make an example of them, but it seems pretty safe to assume that many players have been getting away with this stuff for years and that this "scandal" isn't limited to football. The NCAA has far bigger problems than jersey selling, and should stop making this issue a major enforcement effort.