With this latest move perceived by most as the NCAA’s quest to break the flow in a changing landscape of sports, it seems even more of a push to reinforce the NCAA’s relevance. A fan commented, “Everyone else interprets NCAA as desperate to be relevant in any capacity whatsoever.” This is the general feeling people have had with the NCAA, especially about the recent decisions on athletes’ compensation besides summarizing the contentious issue of the NCAA’s relevance to college sports.

Loyalists are angry saying that such a move is due to the bias and rigid decision-making strategies of the NCAA. They feel that while the NCAA fiercely opposes any monetization effort by student-athletes; it is always in for other commercialization forms that can favor the body. 

The decision and its impact

The NCAA has stirred up controversy once again, this time over a seemingly small but significant issue: placing QR codes on football players’ helmets at Oklahoma State University. So recently, Brett McMurphy tweeted that the NCAA has declared these QR codes as advertisements, which are prohibited. According to Brett McMurphy, the NCAA has banned Oklahoma State from using QR codes on the back side of their helmets.

Another fan echoed the feelings with a straightforward conclusion: “This is trash” The strong reaction, such as an obscene language like, “F— the NCAA up and down left and right. Useless organization”, points out a lot of frustration people have towards the decision made by NCAA concerning college sports.

Inconsistent application of rules

The NCAA’s decision to block the QR codes from Oklahoma State’s helmets gives light to another problem, which is the abusive interpretation of the rules. The NCAA argues that the QR codes are a form of advertisement–critics argue that other logos and sponsorships are still allowed on helmets and uniforms. This has created a situation that many complained, that the NCAA was funnily applying rules. As one frustrated fan said: “But all the other logos are fine……. dumb.” The same reaction came from the media when it was reporting on the fact that the NCAA’s rules were once again accused of showing bias.

Inconsistency has fueled both fans and media to believe that the NCAA is trying to retain its authority as far as logos are concerned. A fan wrote: “NCAA always got a problem when the student-athlete makes money but no problem exploiting them” . Oklahoma State has felt that the QR code stickers fall under institutional decals, which are allowed by NCAA by-laws. NCAA has, however, noted that the stickers constitute adverts which are prohibited. This has created a lot of uproar, especially from the fans who view it as yet another power trip by the NCAA over the players.