Charles Barkley Drops Bombshell on NCAA’s Controversial Gamble Proposal—Is This the End of College Sports as We Know It?

So, here’s the kicker: NCAA student-athletes—yes, those same kids who we still call “student-athletes” in this wild NIL era—might soon be sliding into the world of legal pro sports betting. You know, the thing regular college students can already do with just a tap on their phones if they live in a legal gambling state. Now, imagine handing that power to the very athletes on the field. Genius move? Or a recipe for absolute chaos? Charles Barkley, no stranger to taking shots both on and off the court, calls it “the stupidest sh-t” he’s seen lately. The Division I committee’s ready to ditch the longtime ban on wagering sports specifically where college is involved, pending approval from Divisions II and III. If it passes, November 1 might just mark the day college athletes legally join the betting fray. But here’s the million-dollar question: If plenty of these kids are already gambling under the radar, what good will changing the rules do—other than lighting an even bigger fire under an already volatile situation? The NCAA’s supposed to keep a lid on this stuff, yet it feels like the toothpaste’s long outta the tube. So, who’s really steering this ship, and where’s it headed?

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NCAA student-athletes, if we’re still calling them that in this NIL era, may soon be allowed to legally gamble on professional sports. While regular college students in legal gambling states can place wagers on sports at the touch of a button, student-athletes being able to do so would be something new.

For Charles Barkley, it wouldn’t just be new, but also incredibly stupid.

Earlier this month, the Division I Administrative Committee adopted a new policy that removes the longtime ban on wagering on sports, specifically college sports. In order for the policy to be finalized, the proposal must also be approved at the Division II and III levels. Both are set to consider it during meetings at the end of October.

If the proposal is passed, the change will take effect on November 1.

As things currently stand, college athletes, coaches, and staffers are barred from betting on any sport the NCAA sponsors. This new policy would change that, and allow athletes and staffers to gamble on pro sports.

Spoiler alert: plenty of them already are.

There has never been more money in collegiate athletics, and young adults with money make questionable decisions, such as betting on 11-leg parlays that have exactly a 0.00% chance of hitting on the weekend.

Barkley, a man known to dabble in the wagering department, thinks the new proposal is “the stupidest sh-t.”

“I saw something last week that let me know we need to do something about the NCAA where they announced they’re going to let college players bet on pro sports. If that’s not the stupidest shit. You talk about putting your kids in the kitchen and turning the stove on. Like, when I heard that, I said: ‘This has got to be a joke,’” Barkley told reporters at the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic on Monday.

“I mean, these are the people we have running college sports right now, and we want to know why it’s a shi-t show. Anybody that thinks that’s a good idea should have their head examined. Why would you even do that if you’re the NCAA? Are you serious right now?”

Barkley went on to note that there is already an issue with kids gambling now, even with it being banned.

At this moment, there are multiple gambling investigations involving 13 players from six different schools, with some of the athletes facing permanent bans.

There is no denying that the toothpaste is so far out of the tube when it comes to college athletics, NIL money, and sports gambling around the country. One would imagine the NCAA would try to keep one shred of money-related governance in check, but it appears not.