'The Daily Show' Skewers NCAA Profit From Student-Athletes, 'Perfectly Fair Rules'

'The Daily Show' Skewers NCAA's 'Perfectly Fair Rules'

"The Daily Show" took aim at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Thursday night when Aasif Mandvi criticized the organization's image as "steward of amateur athletics protecting college sports from the corrosive influences of commercialism."

Mandvi interviewed University of Minnesota wrestler Joel Bauman, who says the NCAA rescinded his eligibility when he wrote and produced an inspirational song. Bauman said that the NCAA basically owned his name and "message" while he was a student-athlete, and actively makes profits from athletes who aren't paid.

Former UCLA player and NBA pro Ed O’Bannon, who's suing the NCAA for allegedly using his likeness in a video game, told the show, "There is an unbelievable amount of money -- billions of dollars -- being made off the backs of these student athletes, and everyone seems to be getting compensated except for those doing the work."

NBA greats and Hall-of-Famers Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson, who played for the University of San Francisco and the University of Cincinnati, respectively, are also plaintiffs in O'Bannon's suit against the NCAA. Grantland.com notes that if they win, "it would force the NCAA to fork over billions of dollars in television revenues and licensing fees. It could also force the development of a more equitable system in which the people who do the work get a decent share of the profits. All the profits."

Check out Mandvi's in-depth look at the NCAA's practices in the video above.

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