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Some of the most powerful figures in college athletics are set to gather at the White House next week. Paul Finebaum is hoping the meeting results in more than headlines.
Appearing on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, the SEC Network host was asked whether President Donald Trump’s upcoming roundtable on the future of college sports could produce anything meaningful for college athletics in the future.
“I hope so,” Finebaum said. “And the easiest thing, guys, is just to say this is ridiculous. And I read the other day, ‘Why is Nick Saban going?’ Why is anybody going? The bottom line is this.
“If something doesn’t happen very quickly, and I mean in the next short period of time, and we’re talking about weeks, not years, then this thing could blow up.”
Alas, Trump is expected to host a wide-ranging group of influential voices on March 6, including the former Alabama coach in Saban, Urban Meyer, multiple Power Four commissioners, athletics directors and prominent figures outside of college sports such as Tiger Woods and NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The meeting comes amid growing frustration around NIL, the transfer portal and the overall structure of college athletics.
Finebaum made it clear he supports the effort, but only if it produces real change: “So however it came about, I’m in favor of it,” he said. “The question now becomes, with some of the most powerful people in Washington in the same room, including the most powerful person in the country, can anything get done or will it be a circus? Will it be just another show?
“Let’s not forget the president issued an executive order in July that was supposed to implement certain things. We don’t need any more shows in college football. We need action.”
Moreover, Finebaum called the gathering one of the most critical moments the sport has faced in recent memory. He warned that the current environment is bordering on unsustainable.
“I think the sport is already unmanageable,” he explained. “Will there be this inflection point? Some tragedy that the current infrastructure or lack of structure creates? Or does somebody just go rogue? Somebody in the Big 12, the Big Ten, the ACC or even the SEC say, ‘You know what, we’re leaving this charade?’”
While he stopped short of predicting a breakup of the sport, Finebaum suggested there is growing tension within college athletics leadership circles: “There are really a lot of angry people inside the bubble,” he said. “I’m not saying the sport is coming apart.
“We still have a great sport. It’s just everything around it could start to loosen. And when you have something that is freaking along on the highway, ultimately it will crash.”
For Finebaum, the stakes are simple. This can’t just be another meeting: “The key isn’t for sound bites. The key isn’t to grandstand,” he concluded. “The key is to actually get something implemented.”
— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.