Frank Kaminsky INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 04: Frank Kaminsky #44 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates late in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

ESPN college basketball analyst and Indianapolis radio host Dan Dakich is known for hot takes that anger people, from Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo to California prep school founder Jeremy Russotti. Arguments about whether NCAA players are fairly compensated for the value they provide to schools also have a tendency to anger people.

So when you combine Dakich with that argument, it’s really going to make some people mad, and one it annoyed this time around was former Wisconsin star and current Charlotte Hornets player Frank Kaminsky. Dakich made a comment about student athletes not being exploited, Kaminsky quote-tweeted him and said he didn’t know what he was talking about, and that led to a full-out Twitter war:

So to sum it up, Dakich thinks student-athletes are treated fairly despite the massive amounts of money in the sport that don’t go to them, Kaminsky thinks they at least deserve to profit from their likeness, and both of them are quite willing to personally insult each other.

As Fred Segal noted, though, Dakich’s views on Kaminsky have changed significantly over time:

No matter which side of this argument you fall on, it seems clear that neither one of these guys is going to change their stance. But their argument did make for an entertaining evening on Twitter, at least, and some decent pre-game programming leading up to the national championship game.

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

10 thoughts on “Frank Kaminsky and Dan Dakich get into Twitter war over NCAA players’ compensation

  1. Toss Dakich in the same pile with Cowherd, Bayless, Smith and the other sports provocateurs who make their money sounding off with bad takes.

  2. I’m with Kaminsky. Actually, the guy I’m REALLY with is Brandon Jennings. Rather than waste time pretending to be a student at Arizona, Jennings spent his first year out of high school playing in Italy and (sitting down?) EARNING MONEY. Jennings made seven figures for one year as a teen while his team in Italy paid his taxes and provided him a car and apartment. Beats the hell out of living in a dorm and playing for nothing. I’ve wondered for years why more players haven’t tried this route rather than participate in the one-and-done scam.

  3. As a Wisconsinite born and raised I normally side with the former Badger in arguments and this time is no exception. I don’t understand the reasoning saying how student athletes are “making” $20,000 – $60,000 a year. Is he referring to their tuition as income? So dumb. #GoFrankTheTank

  4. Dude, trolls like dakich, Bayliss, Stephan a smith and all their ilk only exist bc they know they’ll generate interest for saying the most insane crap possible. You can make them disappear by ignoring them.

  5. You want pro athletes?
    That’s what pro leagues are for.
    Keep the pay for play away from college as much as possible.
    Do that and all the big schools would totally control it all.

    1. Sure, because we have such parity in college sports under the current system. /s
      How come the “keep the pay for play away” argument never applies to coaches or athletic directors?

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