“Legalized cheating taking place with portal and NIL” - legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale says the NCAA must wake up in the wake of Oscar Tshiebwe getting 2 million from Kentucky
Name, image and likeness deals and the transfer portal have changed NCAA sports recently. But Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe receiving $2 million has ESPN's Dick Vitale protesting against them.
NIL deals and the transfer portal have been two controversial issues because of how they impact sports.
College athletes receive the money many feel they deserve, and now have the freedom to move the same way professionals and coaches do.
The flip side is that the change to college sports is seeing more coaches like Villanova's Jay Wright reevaluate their careers in the new era.
Someone who is becoming one of the more vocal critics of the NIL deals and transfer portal situation is Vitale, who recently tweeted:
LEGALIZED CHEATING taking place with portal & NIL.I’m happy players can get some $$$ but mega schools have a big adv. How many schools can put deals worth $2 mill ala what OSCAR TSHIEBWE is going to get to remain @KentuckyMBB?
Much like other sports leagues without salary caps, the NCAA is seeing a rise in elite players choosing their college based on the size of the check they receive. Players are transferring if they feel there is more money elsewhere.
LEGALIZED CHEATING taking place with portal & NIL.I’m happy players can get some $$$ but mega schools have a big adv. How many schools can put deals worth $2 mill ala what OSCAR TSHIEBWE is going to get to remain @KentuckyMBB? Portal & NIL r out of control! @NCAA must WAKE UP!
Calling it legalized cheating is a bold claim by Vitale, but the gap between the have's and have-nots could continue to grow in the NIL and transfer portal era.
Oscar Tshiebwe's massive NIL deal could be the start of the NCAA changes that Dick Vitale is complaining about
Oscar Tshiebwe was coming off an elite season and was one of the best players not entering the NBA draft as he decided to return to the Kentucky Wildcats.
A large part of the decision to remain in the NCAA is the significant size of the NIL deal he is receiving by staying.
Oscar Tshiebwe will likely earn in the neighborhood of $2 million this season through NIL, source told @Stadium. twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/s…
For a player who was not a lock to be a first-round pick, the possibility of receiving $2 million is a pay increase over what he would have received in the NBA.
While the money is fantastic for Tshiebwe as he continues to develop, Vitale is correct about the negative financial impact on other schools.
Many elite programs with prominent alumni bases can afford to pay multiple players millions of dollars. Smaller schools will not be able to compete with pay.
Still, Kentucky lost in March Madness to a much smaller Saint Peter's school with nowhere near the financial support, so there is still hope.