NCAA Throws Wet Blanket on the Gridiron Bash

I don’t know why I keep writing about this, but it’s fascinating. Just weeks before the Gridiron Bash was scheduled to go live on campuses across the country, an NCAA rules interpretation has doomed the event.

I thought the Gridiron Bash was an excellent idea and if it increased exposure to spring football, I was all for it. I was less than thrilled with the choice of Dwight Yoakam to perform at the particular event at WVU, but all in all I thought the Bash was a fantastic idea.

Now the NCAA says you can’t allow the “student-athletes” to be used to promote the concert, and you can’t allow the “student-athletes” to get free admission to the concert.

The real meaning of the rules interpretation is “someone came up with a better idea than anything the NCAA has put out in 20 years, and somebody was going to cash in and we’re not getting our share.”

The Gridiron Bash issued a press release that said the Bash would return in time for fall, but rest assured if it does it will be only after the NCAA has negotiated with the promoters to receive their cut of the revenues. The NCAA, much like the federal government, defers to the almighty dollar.

Now that the NCAA has thrown the wet blanket on the Gridiron Bash, they can use their resources for more important things. Like making sure your beverage at the Final Four is in a paper cup with a Dasani logo. Or making sure, God forbid, nobody buys a basketball player a cheeseburger.

Tags: Dwight Yoakam, Gridiron Bash, Hypocrisy, NCAA, Wet Blanket