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BUYING IN. Aaron L. Miller.



 

Buying In.  Aaron Miller.

Big-Time Women’s College Basketball and the Future of College Sports.

The phrase “buying in” can mean a lot of different things.     For some it may infer a belief in a culture or system.    In other cases, it may be a movement for giving something new, or venerable, a chance to blossom.    Both sentiments are very likely in Aaron Miller’s highly detailed book, Buying In.

This is a report about college athletics with a strong slant towards women's sports, particularly women's college basketball.    Miller provides many case scenarios, observations, and suggestions for how to change and make better of the college game.   It is written with the intent to promote women’s sports but also for the betterment of all college athletes especially regarding academics, quality of life and now appropriate compensation.  

The story starts and revolves around the Women’s Stanford basketball team during the 2010-2011 season.    Miller follows the team throughout their journey all the way to the final four.    Through much research and observations, (author took about 9 years to complete this book) the manuscript unpacks the issues of college sports over the past decade.   Included are conversations with Hall of Fame head coach Tara VanDerveer as well as myriad Cardinal assistants along the way.   Miller also perpetually references numerous supportive sources throughout each chapter.

Miller advocates a positive and can-do attitude when discussing the possibilities for college athletics reform.    Whether the quagmire be working to provide more equity between male and female sports, the need to not compromise school goals and missions by admitting students for athletic purposes that may not be able to do the academic work, an overemphasis on sports first and less time for studies, or even the need to hire more qualified female coaches to coach girls’ teams, all are interesting and thoroughly addressed. 

The topic of paying players has been and remains a central issue in college athletics particularly for the “revenue” producing teams at each university.    Miller makes his case for why players should either be paid by the schools, be allowed to profit from name, image, or likeness, or at least be able to collectively bargain where warranted for player rights, privileges and of course compensation.  Miller cites the enormous revenue produced by the NCAA including the annual basketball tournaments as reasons for supporting play for pay among as many college athletes as deemed appropriate.  

The author wants the college fans to buy into the notion that female sports deserve more attention and should be given more consideration by fans everywhere, particularly males that are quick to dismiss women’s sports as legitimate entertainment and competition.    He poses a strong case for the less than enchanted to give the female games/sports a try since it is a growing source of entertainment and now supported by an ascending female fan base.    In the end, though, as much as the author tries to convince the reader that women’s college sports are “big-time”, the argument likely has a long way of sinking in among the masses.  

The future of college sports, particularly the concept as we currently know it, is up for debate and perhaps uncertain.    Miller suggests that a total reform of the NCAA is unlikely.   He asserts that numerous subtle changes could make the game more equitable for the players and for females, both coaches and players alike.  Chapter ten highlights and details myriad proposals for the authors version of college athletics reform.   Perhaps not all are realistic or likely but they do address concerns and needs of the people that count most in these games.    The ideas are a welcome start to combat the status quo.    And while college football and basketball have endured many twists and turns in just the past half decade, to the intended benefit of college athletes, including graduate transfers, transfer portal and now NIL opportunities, the next question that needs addressed and answered, at least according to Miller, is whether schools can balance the athletics and academics to best support the mission and goals of the typical American University.

Invariably, the book gets the reader to recognize and ponder the many difficult challenges that college athletes, coaches and administrators face on a daily and global basis.   Miller boldly asserts his suggestions for how to remedy the ethos and pathos that have perpetually belied the student athlete since their inception.     While not all of Miller's suggested solutions are practical or possible, it is still a worthy topic and a positive start towards making changes for the advancement or perhaps even the survival of the college sports as we know them.    At more than 300 hundred pages (counting the epilogue), the book contains numerous examples and relevant stories that inform and attempt to address concerns.  Miller also impeccably credited myriad sources throughout the book including key citations at the end of each chapter.   This is not an easy read and can feel like a textbook but efforts to finish reading this book, however, equip the fan with a better understanding of current college athletics issues far more so than prior to reading it.

·         You might like to read this book if you follow Stanford women’s basketball.

·         You might like to read this book if you are fan or supporter of Stanford athletics.

·         You might like to read this book if you seek literature about college athletics reform.

·         You might like to read this book if you are looking for compositions addressing women’s sports.  

Learn more about the author on twitter:   https://twitter.com/aaronlevimiller

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