Eric Prisbell to cover ‘brave new world’ as On3’s national college sports business writer

As the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the NCAA v. Alston case reverberated across the country last month, I received a call out of the blue from a familiar voice: Sonny Vaccaro, the former sneaker czar whom I have known well since I began covering basketball recruiting camps in the late 1990s.

A longtime critic of the NCAA, Vaccaro was overjoyed and, like most of us, already brainstorming about how the ruling, which said the NCAA can’t limit educational-related benefits for athletes, could trigger further challenges to the organization’s amateur model. That day it hit me: There never has been a more fascinating time to cover what is emerging as the brave new world of college athletics.

After spending a rewarding few years covering Major League Baseball and sports technology for Sports Business Journal, I am eagerly diving back into the college sports space. I am thrilled to be joining the talented team at On3 as its national college sports business writer.

With its alluring mix of colorful traditions, flawed governance and swashbuckling renegades and rogues, college sports always have been my biggest passion. I covered it from virtually every angle for most of the past two decades, including more than 13 years at The Washington Post and USA Today.

Only an amazing opportunity could pull me away from a great gig at SBJ. This is it — for two reasons.

Storylines are rich and important. Athletes suddenly became overnight entrepreneurs July 1 once they were allowed to benefit from their name, image and likeness. The initial flurry of endorsement deals is only the beginning, of course, as in the coming months we’ll have a better sense of loopholes and unforeseen consequences.

The anticipated College Football Playoff expansion is expected to generate a windfall for various stakeholders while also raising athlete health and safety concerns. June’s Supreme Court ruling will have far-reaching implications. And as it confronts increasing public opposition and potential litigation, the NCAA is losing its grip on whatever remains of the amateur model.

What’s equally exciting is the opportunity to work for a visionary like Shannon Terry, whose success with Rivals.com and 247sports.com is well-documented. Add to that the chance to team with writers, editors and analysts I’ve long respected, including Ivan Maisel, Mike Huguenin, Matt Zenitz and Chad Simmons, and it’s clear this role has enormous potential. We plan to make On3 a must-read destination for fans; joining its growing roster was a no-brainer.

Over the past two decades, I’ve covered several memorable stories — from LeBron James’ emergence on the national AAU scene in 2001 to the aura of USC’s football dynasty in the mid-2000s to basketball mid-major programs crashing Final Four parties. The story of college sports’ new frontier is more significant. This is the industry’s inflection point.

After watching incremental advancements to the collegiate model come at glacier-like speed for so long, the changes now are dizzying. No one knows exactly what sort of landscape will emerge. But I couldn’t be more excited about giving fans an up-close look at the road toward reshaping it, along with all the unexpected curves that lurk ahead.

I can’t wait to get started.