William Bryan: “the NCAA has threatened for years to deny NCAA-sponsored tournament press credentials to newspapers that publish lines…”

“the NCAA has threatened for years to deny NCAA-sponsored tournament press credentials to newspapers that publish lines, but they have never done so. These hollow threats are further evidence of the futility of this exercise. Secondly, we have been told that this legislation, while admittedly no panacea, will ``send a message'' to students and others that sports gambling is illegal. Again, there is a complete absence of any empirical evidence or fact-based testimony that America's college students, or adults for that matter, will heed such a so-called ``message.'' By this logic, we should reinstate Prohibition on serving alcohol to adults over the age of 21 to ``send a message'' to minors about drinking and to reduce binge drinking by underage students on college campuses. The absurdity of such an approach is self-evident, and it applies with equal force to this legislation. The real message that this legislation will send is that shirking responsibility and pointing fingers at others is the appropriate manner in which to handle a serious national problem. Everyone should agree that a problem so pervasive on college campuses should be addressed comprehensively and with a serious commitment from the NCAA and its member institutions, including federal requirements enshrined in appropriate legislation.”