A lot has changed in the world of college sports since Charles Barkley first arrived on Auburn’s campus in 1981.
One recent change is the ability for athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness. That massive shift has created a number of changes to how college sports operate over the last three years.
“I’m not a big NIL guy,” Barkley said when speaking to reporters before the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic Monday morning. “I hate NIL, because it’s just become a bidding war, and I think a lot of schools are not going to be able to compete.”
That’s been a concern of many since NIL was first allowed in the summer of 2021. Collectives and boosters have had more influence than ever in recruiting, something that Barkley believes is unsustainable.
“You think about it: college sports is the only league in the world that doesn’t have a salary cap. That lets you know how s****y this situation is,” Barkley said. “Every league and every sport has a salary cap except college sports. That’s an unsustainable model to ask rich people, or your fanbase, to pony up millions of dollars every year.”
With NIL becoming more and more important in major college sports, the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic has become an event that also raises money for NIL at Auburn, along with other program expenses.
Barkley blamed the current state of NIL and college athletics on the NCAA and how players and schools were punished for recruiting violations before NIL was legal.
“They have nobody to blame but themselves,” Barkley said. “When they were suspending guys for getting peanut butter instead of butter on their bagels and suspending guys for more getting than one pair of shoes and suspending guys for selling their bowl jerseys. They’re just idiots. They’re the reason we’re in this situation right now.”
Despite Barkley’s issues with NIL, he recently donated $1 million to Auburn women’s basketball, a donation he said was in part “to take care of the women when it comes to the NIL.” That donation came after a previous $1 million donation to Auburn women’s athletics.
“I love Johnnie [Harris] so much, I said I should give another million just specifically for women’s basketball,” Barkley said.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m
