Jim Harbaugh lobbies for revenue-sharing in college sports: 'That's what I'd like to see change'
Jim Harbaugh has discussed revenue-sharing extensively in recent weeks and months, and he took several minutes on Tuesday morning to go back to the well.
Echoing comments from last week, Harbaugh said after winning the national championship that “we’re all robbing the same train” and that players should share in the ever-increasing revenues.
“I mean, it’s billions,” Harbaugh said. “I keep reading facts about how much money is being made. I mean, product placement. I can’t have a can of a different kind of soda up here. I have to put it into a cup here. I mean, everybody, they’re maximizing every single revenue source there is, but they’re not sharing it with the talent. There’s no business that that would ever fly. I mean, the Supreme Court has said the same thing. So, yeah, that’s a big one. I would change that one.”
Harbaugh added that there’s no voice for student-athletes, but there are “armies of attorneys” at the NCAA, universities and conferences.
“It just needs to change,” he said. “That’s a wrong that needs to be righted. Starting to compile a list of just the excuses that people give for not — it’s complicated. What about this? What about that?”
Harbaugh also reiterated his plan for anyone profiting off of student-athletes to take 5% to 10% less and redirect it to a pool of money for the players.
“Every organization, universities, a lot of them are collecting money tax-free. At least if you give it to these guys and it will go back to the economy through taxes,” he said.
Harbaugh even addressed unions, and predicted that that’s the next step.
“I think that’s the way you’ve gotta go. That’s what I’d like to see change in college athletics,” he said.