Jason Whitlock destorys the NCAA...

#2
#2
Too many slave references for my taste. Agenda driven article.
 
#3
#3
Whitlock is usually either right on point or way off the mark. This falls into the latter.
 
#4
#4
Ohio Vol said:
Whitlock is usually either right on point or way off the mark. This falls into the latter.
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+1

I've agreed with some of his opinions. But, this is a whiff, imo.

I see the point he makes about players not getting paid. But, the situation is just a lot more complicated than that. The alternative to the current situation would be some kind of pro-am league that isn't attached to schools. Traditions, educating people who normally couldn't afford it, passionate fans and players would give way to free agent deals, hold-outs, players unions, etc. It would just become NFL-lite which is to say a second tier product to what, imo, is the less interesting league between pro and college ball.

It probably wouldn't be long before such a venture became unviable financially and the NFL just started letting 18 year olds join.

My position is that the current system where college kids aren't allowed to profit off football creates value that otherwise wouldn't exist under different circumstances (including a pro-am league), not only for fans but for the players as well.
 
#5
#5
wheaton4prez said:
My position is that the current system where college kids aren't allowed to profit off football creates value that otherwise wouldn't exist under different circumstances (including a pro-am league), not only for fans but for the players as well.
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That makes no sense. Keeping the players from profiting on their talents adds value to the game? Only for the fans that have this romantic and naive idea that amateur athletics is the purest form of sport... and that professional athletes don't play as hard as athletes that are not paid. :unsure:
 
#6
#6
Rasputin_Vol said:
That makes no sense. Keeping the players from profiting on their talents adds value to the game? Only for the fans that have this romantic and naive idea that amateur athletics is the purest form of sport... and that professional athletes don't play as hard as athletes that are not paid. :unsure:
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Players don't profit from their talents? Let's see here....a college athlete gets the following.
- Free lodging on campus
- Free meals, most of which vastly exceed in terms of quality what the average student has access to
- Free apparel
- Free shoes
- Free equipment
- Free travel; for football, that's usually six or seven times a year
- A per-diem on the road
- (On .500 teams) A free vacation in some tropical locale
- Access to the highest levels of nutrition, medicine, and physiological knowledge....free
- A free college education. For a good number of college players, they're the first in their families to go to college
- No student loan debt post-graduation
- Access to an education that exists only because of athletic talent. Face it, not many kids at Northwestern or Rice meet the lofty standards.
- No sane coach would ever pull the scholarship of a kid without there being one hell of a compelling reason.

So basically, at the expense of not drawing a direct paycheck, a kid on an athletic scholarship at a D-1 school playing football is able to come away with an education that didn't cost him between $100,000 and $250,000, a debt load equal to $0, and a name that people in the community recognize and put at the top of the list of job applicants when the kid starts his career.

Damn, what a tough life it is indeed.
 
#7
#7
Ohio Vol said:
Players don't profit from their talents? Let's see here....a college athlete gets the following.
- Free lodging on campus
- Free meals, most of which vastly exceed in terms of quality what the average student has access to
- Free apparel
- Free shoes
- Free equipment
- Free travel; for football, that's usually six or seven times a year
- A per-diem on the road
- (On .500 teams) A free vacation in some tropical locale
- Access to the highest levels of nutrition, medicine, and physiological knowledge....free
- A free college education. For a good number of college players, they're the first in their families to go to college
- No student loan debt post-graduation
- Access to an education that exists only because of athletic talent. Face it, not many kids at Northwestern or Rice meet the lofty standards.
- No sane coach would ever pull the scholarship of a kid without there being one hell of a compelling reason.

So basically, at the expense of not drawing a direct paycheck, a kid on an athletic scholarship at a D-1 school playing football is able to come away with an education that didn't cost him between $100,000 and $250,000, a debt load equal to $0, and a name that people in the community recognize and put at the top of the list of job applicants when the kid starts his career.

Damn, what a tough life it is indeed.
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You can make the case that even if Cam was paid $200k, he is still underpaid at Auburn. This guy by himself is bringing in the conference and Auburn University millions of dollars.
 
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#9
#9
Rasputin_Vol said:
You can make the case that even if Cam was paid $200k, he is still underpaid at Auburn. This guy by himself is bringing in the conference and Auburn University millions of dollars.
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Yet no one would go see him if he was in the Auburn arena football league. People follow CF as much out of pride for their academic institution as they do the sport. No way those millions come in if this is a farm league.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#10
#10
DD4ME said:
Yet no one would go see him if he was in the Auburn arena football league. People follow CF as much out of pride for their academic institution as they do the sport. No way those millions come in if this is a farm league.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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Couldn't have said it better myself.

Paying college athletes is laughable. If an athlete wants to be paid they can go get a job for two years then go to the NFL, otherwise accept how the system works and enjoy the many benefits of playing college sports.
 
#11
#11
Ohio Vol said:
Players don't profit from their talents? Let's see here....a college athlete gets the following.
- Free lodging on campus
- Free meals, most of which vastly exceed in terms of quality what the average student has access to
- Free apparel
- Free shoes
- Free equipment
- Free travel; for football, that's usually six or seven times a year
- A per-diem on the road
- (On .500 teams) A free vacation in some tropical locale
- Access to the highest levels of nutrition, medicine, and physiological knowledge....free
- A free college education. For a good number of college players, they're the first in their families to go to college
- No student loan debt post-graduation
- Access to an education that exists only because of athletic talent. Face it, not many kids at Northwestern or Rice meet the lofty standards.
- No sane coach would ever pull the scholarship of a kid without there being one hell of a compelling reason.
Click to expand...

I too am looking forward to my tropical vacation in Nashville two days before NYD. :rock::rock:
 
#13
#13
does the back up left tackle for the NE Patriots deserve or earn as much money as Tom Brady? thats what this system promotes everyone on the team gets "paid" the same. although they both do not contribute the same and the profit made off them is no where near equal.
why give scholarships at all? why not just "pay" them and let football be their job while in school? they would still have to pay for their schooling just like "normal" students who are there except that football provides them a paycheck. paylevel just like in life and pro sports is dictated by skill level. then there would be situations no different that every other business or industry. the best get paid the most and average players get average salaries. play better = better pay. one year contracts with bonuses.
dont see a problem with this and it cuts out all this "cheating" that people cry about
 
#14
#14
Rasputin_Vol said:
That makes no sense. Keeping the players from profiting on their talents adds value to the game? Only for the fans that have this romantic and naive idea that amateur athletics is the purest form of sport... and that professional athletes don't play as hard as athletes that are not paid. :unsure:
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College football does not keep players from profiting on their talents. Those that have the ability are able to profit on their talents in the NFL. Players join NCAA football teams by choice. If they don't like it or don't want the education, they can approach NFL teams as walk-ons. It's just that the free, top-notch skill training they receive at NCAA schools is considered valuable to NFL programs (which are private franchises that can hire any players the league allows).

There would be absolutely zero interest in a professional amateur league. That has been proven by the lack of success of various other sub-NFL pro leagues.

I don't have a romantic idea about amateurism. However, I do think that college football is itself a successful brand that is supported by tradition and huge investments over 100 years by universities, boosters and fans. Players would be dumb to not take advantage of the value that brings to them. Auburn fans support Cam Newton because he's Auburn's QB. If he never played for Auburn, the vast majority of Auburn fans wouldn't care one way or another about him.

I also think that it's very obviously true that college football players do, on average, play harder than NFL athletes do. There are obvious reasons for this. Once an NFL athlete establishes a lucrative multi-year contract, what is their incentive for playing their hardest until the last year of their contract? In fact, if playing harder causes greater risk of injury (and it does), there is incentive to not play hard.

College football players have nothing to lose. Their incentive is to play hard so that they can earn a lucrative multi-year contract to begin with.

DD4ME said:
Yet no one would go see him if he was in the Auburn arena football league. People follow CF as much out of pride for their academic institution as they do the sport. No way those millions come in if this is a farm league.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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Exactly.
 
#15
#15
txvolsfangatorh8r said:
does the back up left tackle for the NE Patriots deserve or earn as much money as Tom Brady? thats what this system promotes everyone on the team gets "paid" the same. although they both do not contribute the same and the profit made off them is no where near equal.
why give scholarships at all? why not just "pay" them and let football be their job while in school? they would still have to pay for their schooling just like "normal" students who are there except that football provides them a paycheck. paylevel just like in life and pro sports is dictated by skill level. then there would be situations no different that every other business or industry. the best get paid the most and average players get average salaries. play better = better pay. one year contracts with bonuses.
dont see a problem with this and it cuts out all this "cheating" that people cry about
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Because it would not be economically viable for the vast majority of schools to do this.

Universities have incentive to support a football team because it's a good deal for them. If they had to pay players, about 90% of the schools that currently have teams wouldn't be able to compete with the top 10% and would have to drop football. College football with only 10% of the top teams left would make far less money than it does now. There would be fewer teams to play. Fewer markets. Etc.

College football amateurism is mutually beneficial between colleges and players.
 
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