Got his mind on his money

The GIST: Most softball conference tournaments step up to the plate today, and a few are promising more drama than Drake’s feud with Kendrick Lamar everyone.

Big 12: If the tourney is half as exciting as the regular-season finale, the Big 12 will be must-see TV. No. 1–seed Texas, No. 2 Oklahoma, and No. 3 Oklahoma State are three of the country’s top teams, and there’s no shortage of bad blood between ’em. Will Oklahoma get revenge against the only teams to take a series from them this year, or are the tides turning away from the Sooners?

SEC: No. 1–seed Tennessee is the SEC’s clear frontrunner: They haven’t dropped a series to a conference opponent all year and won the regular-season title by a comfortable margin. But in a bracket as stacked as this one — with 10 of its 13 competitors nationally ranked — upsets are more than likely. If you think you know what’ll happen…no, you don’t.

Pac-12: The sport’s OG dominant conference will say goodbye when this tourney wraps on Saturday, so expect the Pac to go out with a bang. No. 2–seed Stanford was the unquestioned team to beat until No. 1 UCLA swept them in late April. The title will likely come down to a rematch between the two — unless No. 4 Washington has something to say about it.

ACC: It seemed like the East Coast’s Power Five conference was destined to end in a battle between No. 1–seed Duke and No. 2 Florida State, but the ACC’s finish was unexpectedly spicy. Up-and-comer No. 3 Virginia Tech, struggling powerhouse No. 5 Clemson, and even giant-slayer No. 8 Syracuse suddenly appear much more dangerous than they did this time last week.

The GIST: On Monday, the College Football Players Association (CFBPA) joined the student-athlete compensation movement by proposing that players be allowed to collectively bargain with their schools, conferences, and the NCAA — without becoming official employees.

What it means: Composed of current and former NCAA football players, the CFBPA said collective bargaining rights would allow athletes to negotiate payment via revenue-sharing, a concept gaining traction with the country’s most powerful conferences.

• The right to bargain would also give athletes more say in the NCAA’s policies and allow them to negotiate more comprehensive medical care, an issue that’s top of mind for many players — especially in such a dangerous sport.

• But because amateurs do not have collective bargaining rights under federal labor law, this proposal is only possible if Congress passes a law allowing student-athletes a “special status.” Views on Capitol Hill are…mixed.

The justification: CFBPA reps insist that the group remains open to athletes eventually becoming employees — and gaining all the protections the pros enjoy — but most players are hesitant to begin that long and contentious fight with the NCAA anytime soon. Instead, this proposal would help secure payment and protections for players now.

• The proposal for a special collective bargaining status for student-athletes also offers the NCAA an olive branch of cooperation, buying the org valuable time as the athlete employment movement spins out of its control. Watch this space.