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![Should college athletes be paid? The majority of blacks in the U.S. think they should. The majority of whites do not. (Keith Srakocic/AP)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1012_oag_ncaa-1000x521.jpg)
Power, Money And Corruption: The Story Of The NCAA
This week on Only A Game, we dedicate an entire hour to the NCAA, race and amateurism.
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Is 'The System' Broken? Amateurism In The NCAA
The college sports industry brings in about $10 billion in annual revenue, but how much of that do the athletes themselves see? Only A Game's Karen Given and WBUR's Shira Springer take an initial look at how the NCAA's amateurism model can lead to scandal.
![The "ra-ra spirit" lives on at Rutgers University. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1012_rutgers-1000x736.jpg)
Tracing The Origins Of College Sports Amateurism
Today, sports are seen as a way for kids to get a college education. But that's not how college sports started out. Only A Game's Karen Given looks at amateurism's role in reinforcing class divisions.
![Kyle Hardrick (right) enrolled at Oklahoma in 2009. Here he is with his father. (Courtesy Valerie Hardrick)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1011_oag_kyle-hardrick-1000x750.jpg)
Power And The NCAA: One Athlete's Fall From The Big 12 To The Oil Fields
Kyle Hardrick was once a top basketball prospect. Now he pulls 12 hour shifts in the oil fields near Odessa, Texas.
![Former Wisconsin basketball player Nigel Hayes became well known for speaking out against the NCAA, But unknown to most fans, Hayes hatched a more ambitious plot to disrupt the NCAA. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1012_oag_nigel-hayes-1000x695.jpg)
How Two Wisconsin Basketball Players Decided To Take On The NCAA
Zach Bohannon used to agree with the average American that college athletes should not be paid. But while playing basketball at Wisconsin, Zach started noticing more and more problems with the NCAA system. And then he found an unexpected ally.
![Walter Byers, the first executive director of the NCAA, spent more than 30 years leading and shaping the organization. (Charles Gorry/AP Photo)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1012_byers-1000x694.jpg)
Walter Byers: The Man Who Built The NCAA, Then Tried To Tear It Down
Walter Byers established the NCAA's enforcement division and turned the league into a moneymaking operation. But after more than 30 years of defending amateurism, he started speaking out against it.
![Would a college basketball league made up of HBCU teams torpedo the NCAA and amateurism? (Ryan M. Kelly/AP)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1012_grambling-bball-1000x670.jpg)
HBCUs And Their Role In Disrupting The College Sports 'Cartel'
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) once boasted some of the best sports programs in the country. But they've been all but shut off from the big-time NCAA economy.
![Doug Gottlieb has fond memories as a student-athlete, both on and off the court. (Al BeDoug Gottlieb has fond memories of his days playing college basketball, both on and off the court. (Al Bello/Allsport)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1013_gottlieb-1000x672.jpg)
No Pay, No Problem: Former College Hoopster Says NCAA Doesn't Exploit
For former Oklahoma State men's basketball player Doug Gottlieb, college was a time when "you didn't have to worry about anything." He doesn't believe he was exploited. In fact, he says he was the one doing the exploiting.
![Emmert's new commission will focus on the relationship between "student-athletes," colleges and the NCAA. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20171017180500im_/http://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2017/10/1013_emmert-1-e1507914208396-1000x1000.jpg)
Littlefield: The NCAA Needs To Do More To 'Do Right' By Athletes
NCAA President Mark Emmert called for "substantive changes" in support of "student-athletes." Bill Littlefield believes that for the NCAA to truly change, it must abandon amateurism.
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An award-winning weekly sports magazine hosted by veteran NPR commentator Bill Littlefield, Only A Game puts sports in perspective with intelligent analysis, insightful interviews and a keen sense of humor.
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