‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver Rips The NCAA, Features Ed O’Bannon
Comedian John Oliver had a few choice words for the NCAA and their annual college basketball tournament in his latest episode of ‘Last Week Tonight‘. The HBO political-comedy half-hour talk show is cut from the same clothe as Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ with John Stewart (where Oliver had previously worked) as both shows call-out and make light of wrong doings on a federal and corporate level. In this latest episode, Oliver did just that as he laid into the NCAA for a list of hypocrisies in regards to student-athlete amateurism.
Among some of the issues Oliver blasts the governing college sports body is:
UCLA Bruins
-The definition of “amateurism”
-The “authenticity” of college sports
-Corporate sponsorships
-The NCAA making $1 Billion in TV revenue
-Not paying athletes
-Using the likeness of players in video games
These are only a few of the things Oliver digs into the NCAA about but it was the last thing listed, that hits home regarding one particular player and the NCAA. That would be former Bruin basketball star and champion, Ed O’Bannon.
Not only does O’Bannon, along with
Jalen Rose, give his opinion on what is going on with the NCAA during the main segment, but then gives a hilarious cameo in a spoof of a college basketball game commercial. I do not want to ruin it for you, so just check it out below.