Wisconsin's new recruiting violations prove the NCAA continues to be a joke

The NCAA as a governing authority has been deteriorating for years, and each year, it seems as if its grip on disciplinary action is slipping. It's always been a bit arbitrary and seemingly subjective. One program will get a slap on the wrist, while another will get a lifetime ban for essentially the same thing. There are times when they reward self-reporting, and other times, they act as if they figured it out themselves.

Wisconsin offers another example of how the NCAA continues to be a joke. The NCAA is basically one lawsuit away from no longer existing. This time, the Badgers figured out in the midst of a rule change that they had made 139 recruiting calls before the contact window technically opened. Quickly, they alerted the NCAA of their mistake. The NCAA proceeded to act as if it was a terrible infraction.

If Wisconsin made the same calls in 2024 or 2025, there wouldn't even be a violation

The reality is that the NCAA has such little authority now that they seize it on things like this. Knowing that Wisconsin will not take them to court over it, the NCAA knows the Badgers will pay the fine and serve the recruiting ban, so it came after them, which creates a double standard.

For example, if Wisconsin had been caught actually cheating, like tampering, the NCAA would act like they didn't see anything. Case in point: what happened with Xavier Lucas and Wisconsin. Miami came in the side door to steal Lucas, and the NCAA acted as if nothing happened.

Before you think this is just some woe is me, Wisconsin fan complaining about things. Every major fanbase seems to have a story like this. The NCAA is wildly inconsistent; this is another example of how they are slowly becoming increasingly irrelevant.