Name, Image, Likeness, and Ed O’Bannon vs the NCAA

Ed O'Bannon

Tarlin and Mike return to talk about the recent changes to the NCAA regulations about college players’ ability to monetize their Name, Image, and Likenesses. We run it back to the case of Ed O’Bannon who was the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA on violation of antitrust regulations based on the use of his image in an EA Sports Video Game in 2009.

In addition to Easy Ed, we reflect on what we’ve seen since the temporary measure was put in place by the NCAA in July as we think about what this means for college athletes, the NCAA, and elitist notions of amateurism. We also talk Azzi Fudd, brainstorm ideas for Space Jam 3, recall Gavin Newsome’s appearance on The Shop with LeBron James and much more.

It’s a fun romp through a significant change to college sports that is opening up opportunities for players and also for sports like women’s volleyball and other women’s sports that may not have traditionally garnered broader support and attention.

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Steph Curry’s Legendary NCAA Tourney Run at Davidson

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about Stephen Curry, the shooter and gamechanger. What lessons can we learn from Steph’s first emergence onto the national stage in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when Davidson advanced to the Elite Eight as a 10-seed?

How does the House of Curry stack up against other NBA lineages? How does Steph compare to Reggie Miller and Dame Lillard? By analyzing the impact of an NBA legend who has been consistently underestimated, we learn how he changed the game and how his impact includes lessons that transcend the dimensions of a basketball court.

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Coach John Thompson’s Georgetown Hoyas and the Ewing Era

We begin by reflecting on the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, aka Black Panther, before diving into the history of the other legend who passed recently, Georgetown Coach John Thompson. Coach Thompson was a towering figure who established a program whose legacy we’re still experiencing to this day. We explore his impact on college basketball by focusing on getting young black men access to education while giving them support as men. We extol the timeless ways in which he connected with his players for good times and bad as we tell the stories of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Allen Iverson, and Michael Graham. And we explore the lessons in his decision to walk out in 1989 to protest Proposition 48 and its impact on traditionally underserved student-athletes.

And, of course, we dive into Ewing and Thompson’s storied run from an appearance in the NCAA Finals against Dean Smith, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Michael Jordan in 1982 to a Championship in 1984 to a legendary run in 1985 which culminated in the shocking upset by Villanova in the Finals in 1985.

While we mourn the loss of Coach Thompson, we take some solace in running it back to another time and learning from the life of a man who had the courage to stand by his conviction and the vision to establish a legacy that changed the world.