Imo the NFL is such a behemoth that even a “college” pro league would end up sending most of their real talent to the league for the prestige and chance at a larger potential contract. Any org dumb enough to try messing with the shield will get whatever is coming for them, the NFL has a lot of problems but it’s a machine that will devour anything in its path.
I think there will be some level of collusion ultimately. The NFL will remain the top dog and college will be the feeder system.
I just don’t know if college can sustain eyeballs and attendance if the players just wear a schools colors, dont participate on campus, and the pageantry is stripped away
Why is the regular season “unimportant”?
does the school get a license fee, an ownership stake? Is there any point in being a booster? Can boosters be minority owners? Do they break schools out like European soccer clubs.. OSU is a U23 program for the Browns, Miami is a U21 club for the bengals? Does OSU mean anything if they can’t get a great coach because they are majority owned by the Browns…
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That’s what the tweet said, I don’t agree with that part since I’d argue the NBA regular season feels a lot less significant. Though I think the SCP is the best playoff in sports, so one could argue that the regular season doesn’t have the same vibe.
He played in an nba game just a few weeks ago. If he’s granted eligibility they need to just drop all rules and college basketball is officially minor professional league like any euro league.
https://x.com/joetipton/status/2005136366003437876?s=46&t=w-nIiS118tVX66bsXJJN3A
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My assumption is these guys don’t go to class anymore. None of that matters, right? Or are classes totally cooked for the kids now like everything else.
I think cooked classes were one of the first things to start decades ago
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I still want to know how the old system was “unfair” to college athletes. Free school, housing, food, books, tutors, clothing and medical care….just go play a sport…
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If you don’t get it now, nothing anyone says here is going to change your mind.
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Those are less than the free market value of a lot (but definitely not all) of college football players. It’s a very simple concept.
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I think it’s only unfair if you are unable to go straight to the pros (like NBA and NFL). I think if those leagues had the ability to go straight from high school (obviously NFL will never take anyone from HS) you could argue they had the ability to go straight the pros and make millions and college is just the secondary option
Seeing as the majority of schools operate athletics as a net financial drain, I fail to see how student athletes are taken advantage of
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Then programs would be shutting down all over the place and they wouldn’t be throwing these resources at the kids.
They were prevented from getting additional income..it was meant for marketing and branding $$ and the NCAA was too chicken shit scared to do anything and it became a free for all.
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Notice I specifically said not all college football players, though you choose to ignore that. College football teams are not operated at a loss for most of the P4.
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Agree - old system was not “unfair” and it is even nicer now with better facilities, food, nicer locker rooms, specialized chefs, game rooms in sports facilities, extra trips and bowls, etc.
I wish NIL would disappear (but it likely will not) as it is not being used in the majority of cases for what is was meant to be used for, NIL - name, image, and likeness. It is really just an incorrect label and it is just cash/salary in most cases. How often is a 3rd string player popular enough to actually get real NIL money for YouTubing, being an entrepreneur, or being a musician with a record label? Sadly, we are stuck with a system that is a mess and needs to be fixed.
Yeah idk if it’s about fairness or what’s right. Programs decided to increase the quality of life factor because it gave them a competitive advantage. There’s so much $$ pouring into the sport, but it shouldn’t find a way to the labor while coaches salaries skyrocket with massive buyouts.. no need to be naive to that aspect.
system is broken sure, agree NIL is not being used for the intention, but nobody is stopping it for a reason.
I can’t speak for Bama, but I’d be surprised if Duke goes all the way down that rabbit hole. I’ve told the DCs that by the time my grandchildren apply (no pressure, right?) it’s as likely that Duke athletics will be on an Ivy/D3 model as it is that they’ll continue trying to do whatever this is becoming. Basketball is big there, but fundamentally that place still cares more about the US News rankings than the coaches poll. Remember, there was a time when UChicago was a preeminent football power.
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Just because the current system is terrible doesn’t make the old one great. Billions were being generated and coaches were making millions because of under-compensated player labor, depending on your POV that can be viewed as “unfair”.
The more this goes on the more that I think the MLB/NHL models are probably the “best” long-term outcome. Let the NFL/NBA actually put resources into some kind of paid developmental league for the best players, but college remains an option. Neither of the leagues have an incentive to do that unless the talent pipeline is threatened however, and there’s too much tied up in the most powerful college programs to allow that imo.
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