Jackson Free Press

Since winning the presidency in 2008, President Obama hasn't been shy about his feelings on sports. In fact, one of the first things he spoke about as president was the lack of a playoff system in Division I football. Obama felt there was a better way to crown a champion at the highest level of college football.

Obama has spoken about concussions in football, as well. He pressed the powers in charge of both college football and the NFL to make the game safer for the players. In May 2014, the White House even held a concussion summit, where Obama called for more research into youth concussions.

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Obama once again turned his attention to college sports. He spoke about the need for changes in the NCAA.

Obama said that NCAA member colleges should guarantee athletic scholarships with no strings attached. Some conferences, such as the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and SEC, have passed reforms to guarantee athletes' scholarships so long as they remain in good standing, and other individual schools are looking at passing similar reforms. However, many college athletes are still at risk for losing scholarships if they get injured.

The president also attacked the rules of the NCAA that protect so-called amateurism.

"What does frustrate me is where I see coaches getting paid millions of dollars, athletic directors getting paid millions of dollars, the NCAA making huge amounts of money, and then some kid gets a tattoo or gets a free use of a car and suddenly they're banished. That's not fair," Obama told the Huffington Post.

Obama said, at the same time, he doesn't support paying college athletes or allowing them to unionize.

"In terms of compensation, I think the challenge would just then start being, 'Do we really want to just create a situation where there are bidding wars? How much does Anthony Davis get paid as opposed to somebody else?' And that, I do think, would ruin the sense of college sports," Obama said.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled March 26 that football players at Northwestern University could unionize because they are considered employees. A CNN.com article says that players created the petition to get a seat at the bargaining table in college sports, which could change the landscape of the NCAA. Among the athletes' grievances, the players said they wanted guaranteed four-year scholarships and the possibility of getting paid. Northwestern plans to appeal the ruling.

Obama also said that universities could do better at offering college athletes better health-care coverage. He acknowledged that health care for college athletes has gotten better but that colleges and universities can and must do more for athletes in injury situations.

The president also said that college sports don't necessarily lead to a lucrative pro career.

"I do think that recognizing that the majority of these student athletes are not going to end up playing professional ball—this isn't just a farm system for the NBA or the NFL—means that the universities have more responsibilities than right now they're showing," Obama said.

While never having to push for congressional action or personal action from the Oval Office, Obama has been heard when he speaks about sports. He said college football needed a playoff, and this past season ended with the first playoff at the Division I level. All levels of sports have reacted on concussions at Obama's urging. Who knows what else could happen if he keeps speaking out about sports issues?