NCAA proposing new rules to allow schools to pay athletes directly

[Boston Vol]

“In a letter sent to Division I members, and obtained by Yahoo Sports, Baker outlines a groundbreaking and radical change to the NCAA Division I athletics model, describing it as a “new forward-looking framework.”

According to Baker’s proposal, schools that choose to be part of the new subdivision — they can opt in or out — are required to meet a strict minimum standard rooted in athlete investment.

Members of the new subdivision will be permitted to strike name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with their own athletes — a significant move away from the current NIL structure.

---

 

[BruisedOrange]

I think BOOM! is the appropriate response... but not with the usual, celebratory meaning.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

Oh Boy. Huge ramifications.

This will cause sports to be cut within programs.

Now University employees requiring full benefits

WAGE laws since they are no longer amateur Athletes

Oh boy, I could go on but being administered by school with no cap, for all those unhappy with NIL, this is full out pro sports

Wonder if ticket costs will go up, LOL

 

[TheDeeble]

Oh Boy. Huge ramifications.

This will cause sports to be cut within programs.

Now University employees requiring full benefits

WAGE laws since they are no longer amateur Athletes

Oh boy, I could go on but being administered by school with no cap, for all those unhappy with NIL, this is full out pro sports

Wonder if ticket costs will go up, LOL

If you read the article they are proposing changes that aren't making football players employees. They are trying to avoid that. It's NIL payments from the school. Sure they might pay them what they want as a valuable athlete, it's just under NIL and not as an employee.

Not saying employment status won't be a thing in the future. Just that what they're proposing avoids it.

The proposal appears to avoid categorizing athletes as employees of their school, instead allowing each school to opt in to a new subdivision in which athletes could license their Name, Image and Likeness rights directly to their schools.

https://footballscoop.com/news/breaking-in-radical-change-ncaa-proposing-new-subdivision-to-allow-schools-to-pay-athletes-directly#:~:text=In%20a%20move%20that%20is,rights%20directly%20to%20their%20schools.&text=in%2012%20minutes-,In%20a%20move%20that%20is%20both%20radical%20and%20inevitable%2C%20the,to%20directly%20compensate%20their%20athletes.

 

[TNHopeful505]

So basically, the footnotes are:

Schools have to set aside a minimum of $30k a year, and half of the recipients have to be females to make sure they get a piece of it.

Collectives would become a part of the athletic department essentially

So donations to the UTAD could basically be used as NIL funds.

But it is designed to benefit both men and women's sports.

 

[TNHopeful505]

@DeerPark12 , what are your thoughts on this? You know legal stuff.

 

[volfeeva]

IMHO they are trying to ruin the last bastion of decent sports we have left. It's very close to that now. We will soon be seeing the same rich schools get the best players and win the same championships each year. I can understand why coaches bail rather than deal with the hassles of sorting who gets $$$ and in right amounts. What a total mess.

 

[JCHateSteve]

This was inevitable I suppose. We've gone from booster paying players in secret, to boosters paying players in the open, and now the schools will pay players under NCAA regulation. It's going to be a rules sandwich. But I don't know what else they can do.

 

[volfan102455]

Fine, then let the student also pay for their education out of that money.

I had to work while I attended school to PAY for my education.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

If you read the article they are proposing changes that aren't making football players employees. They are trying to avoid that. It's NIL payments from the school. Sure they might pay them what they want as a valuable athlete, it's just under NIL and not as an employee.

Not saying employment status won't be a thing in the future. Just that what they're proposing avoids it.

https://footballscoop.com/news/breaking-in-radical-change-ncaa-proposing-new-subdivision-to-allow-schools-to-pay-athletes-directly#:~:text=In%20a%20move%20that%20is,rights%20directly%20to%20their%20schools.&text=in%2012%20minutes-,In%20a%20move%20that%20is%20both%20radical%20and%20inevitable%2C%20the,to%20directly%20compensate%20their%20athletes.

I understand your point about using NIL and trying to not call them employees.

Microsoft did the same thing with their “Contractors” during their heyday growth period and those contractors came back and sued and won because Microsoft was kinda of treating them like employees but not giving them full benefits and the contractors won including back stock options. From this Microsoft case I had to go through and justify which of my employees were salaried exempt vs non-exempt and why to HR.

This will be awfully close to the full employee redline.

 

[turbovol]

The NCAA is just punting on everything--wants to cede authority to Tier 1 schools to essentially do what they want. Baker wants the schools to set policies for recruiting, roster size, transfers, everything. Basically, the idea is for Tier 1 schools to govern themselves. Enforcement? Who's going to enforce any rules/regulations/policies that get set by the schools? I doubt there will be any enforcement.

Baker says that the proposed changes are about being more permissive and flexible and "enhancing the financial opportunities of student-athletes." The same student athletes who are already getting full, 4-year scholarships worth more than $250K annually. Damn: I thought college was about going to class and getting a degree? The Ivy League must be shaking its head at this money madness.

The proposal is aimed at dropping this crazy notion that student-athletes are college employees.

Some teams could apparently play up to 17 games in the near future. That is more idiocy. Basically, we've seen a takeover of college sports by TV/streaming networks, with help from a couple of judges who apparently think student-athletes on scholarships are so very put upon and exploited. Let's ask all the millions of regular students in America who've taken out loans to get a degree if they'd like a full, four-year scholarship. I think they would--and they wouldn't have activists or others whining that they are exploited. Basically, we're looking at another professional football league with a fake veneer of academics.

 

[turbovol]

Fine, then let the student also pay for their education out of that money.

I had to work while I attended school to PAY for my education.

Exactly. Where comes this notion that student-athletes are put upon? They're privileged! They're getting full, four-year scholarships that every student in America would kill for! Money, commercialism, TV, greed--they've ruined major college sports. There's no /college/ in it anymore, really.

 

[BruisedOrange]

"...athletes could license their Name, Image and Likeness rights directly to their schools."

Legal VFLs: am I correct to assume that the term "license" prevents NIL from being attached to performance clauses, as in a contract?

 

[Dadof2Vols]

The NCAA is just punting on everything--wants to cede authority to Tier 1 schools to essentially do what they want. Baker wants the schools to set policies for recruiting, roster size, transfers, everything. Basically, the idea is for Tier 1 schools to govern themselves. Enforcement? Who's going to enforce any rules/regulations/policies that get set by the schools? I doubt there will be any enforcement.

Baker says that the proposed changes are about being more permissive and flexible and "enhancing the financial opportunities of student-athletes." The same student athletes who are already getting full, 4-year scholarships worth more than $250K annually. Damn: I thought college was about going to class and getting a degree? The Ivy League must be shaking its head at this money madness.

The proposal is aimed at dropping this crazy notion that student-athletes are college employees.

Some teams could apparently play up to 17 games in the near future. That is more idiocy. Basically, we've seen a takeover of college sports by TV/streaming networks, with help from a couple of judges who apparently think student-athletes on scholarships are so very put upon and exploited. Let's ask all the millions of regular students in America who've taken out loans to get a degree if they'd like a full, four-year scholarship. I think they would--and they wouldn't have activists or others whining that they are exploited. Basically, we're looking at another professional football league with a fake veneer of academics.

Ivy League schools should be able to use their multi-billion dollar endowments to win NC now, they will just have to ignore that go to class suggestion.

 

[volfeeva]

Exactly. Where comes this notion that student-athletes are put upon? They're privileged! They're getting full, four-year scholarships that every student in America would kill for! Money, commercialism, TV, greed--they've ruined major college sports. There's no /college/ in it anymore, really.

Most of us can remember not that long ago teams won championships when they could recruit a great freshmen class including QB and by their senior year they would be good enough to compete for the conference and possibly the National title. Now they are 1 and done, or transfer after 1 season with no strings attached. Zero loyalty to the school anymore which also ties in with why players today are more apt to do stupid things like get busted for pot, driving offenses etc. Who needs discipline when the portal is just a click away ?

 

[hog88]

On the surface I don't like this proposal at all. I just see mountains of problems bringing NIL into the hands of the universities.

 

[EZE]

 

[zjcvols]

IMHO they are trying to ruin the last bastion of decent sports we have left. It's very close to that now. We will soon be seeing the same rich schools get the best players and win the same championships each year. I can understand why coaches bail rather than deal with the hassles of sorting who gets $$$ and in right amounts. What a total mess.

Thank god that wasn’t happening before.

I love parity. Like since 2009 how only 7 schools have won a national title.

 

[zjcvols]

Fine, then let the student also pay for their education out of that money.

I had to work while I attended school to PAY for my education.

You brought in millions of dollars of revenue and your conference was paying a billion dollars to broadcast your major?

 

[TheDeeble]

Most of us can remember not that long ago teams won championships when they could recruit a great freshmen class including QB and by their senior year they would be good enough to compete for the conference and possibly the National title. Now they are 1 and done, or transfer after 1 season with no strings attached. Zero loyalty to the school anymore which also ties in with why players today are more apt to do stupid things like get busted for pot, driving offenses etc. Who needs discipline when the portal is just a click away ?

Was it loyalty back then? Or was it forced?

I'm not saying it's "better" now, but back then the rules controlling player transfer were extremely prohibitive to the the player. You sign a letter of intent and that's your school. If you want to transfer it can be blocked and you have to sit out for a year. After that you're stuck. Was there actual loyalty when there wasn't really any other option?

 

[BruisedOrange]

I have to disagree with everyone who is citing the value of an education scholarship.

Unless you are preparing for a career in engineering, medicine, law, etc., few college degrees will put you in a job that pays enough to cover your education. Trade school is a much better investment.

A college degree today doesn't even assure employers that you've demonstrated the ability to show up for class.

Accenture, Delta Airlines, Dell, IBM, Bank of America... are just a few of the big names who have dropped college degree requirements for most jobs. On career sites like ZipRecruiter, less than 15% of jobs list a bachelor's degree as a requirement for employment.
------------------
Come to think of it, the NCAA may be actually trying to SAVE college football by rescuing it from the sinking ship of higher education. Most of you may live to see many of the U of Tennessee campus buildings being rented for research and business incubators, while the athletic facilities and sports venues operate financially independently. That scenario might better explain the plans for building a hotel complex down by the river near the stadiums.

 

[volfan102455]

You brought in millions of dollars of revenue and your conference was paying a billion dollars to broadcast your major?

Not the point. You either factor in the dollars being spent on their education or you make them pay those fees.

As for the revenue - it is the TEAM and the BRAND that brings in the dollars.

 

[lukeneyland]

I hope this happens and I hope specific contracts are designed to lessen transfers and opt outs

 

[TheDeeble]

IMHO they are trying to ruin the last bastion of decent sports we have left. It's very close to that now. We will soon be seeing the same rich schools get the best players and win the same championships each year. I can understand why coaches bail rather than deal with the hassles of sorting who gets $$$ and in right amounts. What a total mess.

If they are trying to do anything, imo, it's trying to stay relevant in the FBS college football world and prevent or slow down conferences breaking away from the NCAA and forming another governing body.

The NCAA only has authority because the schools agree to be a member and abide by it's rules. Any school can leave the NCAA. For one to do so it probably wouldn't be in their financial interest. So you're not likely to see just one school break away. However, nothing is stopping major conferences from deciding that being a part of the NCAA is no longer in their best interest. There might be challenges and it's probably a slow process, but it is possible. The Power 5 schools, maybe Power 4 now?, have different interests and motivations than the G5 and smaller schools. What's to stop the ACC, Big10, Big12, and SEC from severing and forming their own governing institution? It's been rumored for a couple years now at least. I'm not saying it's immediately likely or impending, but the possibility is out there and that question has been discussed by college football decision makers.

This verbiage is what stood out to me from the link above in one of my posts

The proposal appears to avoid categorizing athletes as employees of their school, instead allowing each school to opt in to a new subdivision in which athletes could license their Name, Image and Likeness rights directly to their schools

That to me sounds like a separation of smaller schools and the big money generating conferences. The same thing that might happen if the P5 broke away and formed their own governing body. Baker even admits there will be different rules for the rest of the NCAA not opting in to the new subdivision. And those rules will be created by those schools. Not the NCAA. Sounds to me like they're trying to keep the P5 content with the NCAA.

 

[GAVol]

IMHO they are trying to ruin the last bastion of decent sports we have left. It's very close to that now. We will soon be seeing the same rich schools get the best players and win the same championships each year. I can understand why coaches bail rather than deal with the hassles of sorting who gets $$$ and in right amounts. What a total mess.

The crazy thing to me is that I hear that opinion all the time, yet people don't seem to notice that it's been that way for 50 years.