UT under potential NCAA investigation for NIL

[ThatVolGuy]

Just because she's rich doesn't mean anything.... she's still a bimbo. And I do like the Cards, but other than that......

Yeah, sorry man—this is the definition of "old man yelling at cloud" energy. You don't have to like her (I don't really listen to much of her music, for example), but using a word reserved for "naive and unintelligent" women to describe Taylor Swift is ... actually kinda hilarious. She's many things, but naive and unintelligent she is not. She's probably the savviest artist in the business.

I think you can probably find some big boy words to describe why you don't like her and/or her music. It's also okay to dislike an artist's music without denigrating them.

 

[VolDave53]

"Can they make a worker in the landscaping department take a sociology course? I'm doubtful they can force them to enroll in school as a job condition.

What makes you think they can make an employee in the athletic department take geology? Can they make them enroll? As an employee can they tell them, "sorry, you've used up all your eligibility for this job......""

My wife was a student, getting her Master's Degree, and was a University employee, doing nothing related to her field for the money. You also see it in the low-to-no pay "internships". Without enrollment, she would not have had the job.

 

[VolDave53]

I think you're talking about deals made with companies. I'm talking about the contract signed with Spyre for them to be legal representation on NIL deals.

But, just for consideration, if the companies to which Spyre are affiliated are East Tennessee companies, the market is set. The annualized contract would serve the secondary purpose of limited hemorrhaging of funds with no return.

 

[Delmar]

That’s excellent. That comment is going to come back to haunt Charlie Baker.

 

[Delmar]

Just on the Finebaum show. The NLRB has ruled that Dartmouth men’s bball players are employees of the university and are ordering a union election. I’m not familiar with that case but I’m guessing it’s significant.

 

[Jimmy Football]

Just on the Finebaum show. The NLRB has ruled that Dartmouth men’s bball players are employees of the university and are ordering a union election. I’m not familiar with that case but I’m guessing it’s significant.

Well then…

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

My wife was a student, getting her Master's Degree, and was a University employee, doing nothing related to her field for the money. You also see it in the low-to-no pay "internships". Without enrollment, she would not have had the job.

I'm aware that it goes THE OTHER WAY. That once you're a student, you move up the list for employment perhaps.

I'm aware that contracts can be written to make athletes enroll, but the schools that DON'T force athletes to be students will be more favorable to the players.

That's the problem with "student" changing to "employee." As a student, a school has lots of control but as an employee, the employees can bargain for better conditions.

Let's face it. Elite players SHOULD take advantage of school but many wouldn't if not forced by the NCAA and provided with multiple tutoring opportunities.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Barnes blowing it again..........Aidoo has no friggin hands!!!!

This aged real well.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

WHEN athletes are considered employees, WHY can the school make them take courses legally for subjects unrelated to their job?

Can they make a worker in the landscaping department take a sociology course? I'm doubtful they can force them to enroll in school as a job condition.

What makes you think they can make an employee in the athletic department take geology? Can they make them enroll? As an employee can they tell them, "sorry, you've used up all your eligibility for this job......"

Schools which drop the academics and eligibility limits will be looked at as a better job from recruits. As Cordele Jones famously tweeted: I ain't come to play school. I come to play football.

Many players want a education as well, in fact most do even if getting paid. The idea that most players don’t want to go to college and get a degree is not accurate. Many players even ones that go pro want their degree. In fact more prefer school than not. Yes they would like to be compensated some but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to attend school. At least the great majority. I get tired of hearing people act like these players don’t like school or care about their school when the facts say that most do well in school. Tennessee’s gpa as a entire team is probably as good as it has ever been. GBO

 

[Delmar]

Well then…

NLRB Rules Dartmouth Men’s Basketball Players Are Employees

NLRB rules Dartmouth men’s basketball players are considered university employees under U.S. labor law and therefore eligible to unionize.

frontofficesports.com

 

[Jimmy Football]

NLRB Rules Dartmouth Men’s Basketball Players Are Employees

NLRB rules Dartmouth men’s basketball players are considered university employees under U.S. labor law and therefore eligible to unionize.

frontofficesports.com

Monumental news. Hard to fully grasp what all the implications of this will be.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Many players want a education as well, in fact most do even if getting paid. The idea that most players don’t want to go to college and get a degree is not accurate. Many players even ones that go pro want their degree. In fact more prefer school than not. Yes they would like to be compensated some but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to attend school. At least the great majority. I get tired of hearing people act like these players don’t like school or care about their school when the facts say that most do well in school. Tennessee’s gpa as a entire team is probably as good as it has ever been. GBO

They should since most won't play pro ball but folks longing for "the old days when there was a sense of student athletes" should know guys like Namath didn't get a degree until 2007 or something from Bama. I'm not certain Bernard King ever got a degree.

There's a lot of "give us back the good old days" that's very revisionist.

Athletes graduate now because the tutoring is extensive and very well done. That is a VERY good thing. I'm not against it.

If I'm an elite player, even if I'm not an idiot about my pro chances, I know that I need to work HARD at my sport to be lucky enough to play at the next level.

If a school offered me the chance to make some money and NOT go to school, I can use that money to go to school later if I don't make the league. Age is the limiting factor in playing a pro sport for a lot of players. Recall that Hooker's age was thought to be a factor in his draft status.

So schools which become like IMG Academy and are heavily focused on getting kids to the next level would be, as they are in HS, the place to be to get your best chance to move up.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

They should since most won't play pro ball but folks longing for "the old days when there was a sense of student athletes" should know guys like Namath didn't get a degree until 2007 or something from Bama. I'm not certain Bernard King ever got a degree.

There's a lot of "give us back the good old days" that's very revisionist.

Athletes graduate now because the tutoring is extensive and very well done. That is a VERY good thing. I'm not against it.

If I'm an elite player, even if I'm not an idiot about my pro chances, I know that I need to work HARD at my sport to be lucky enough to play at the next level.

If a school offered me the chance to make some money and NOT go to school, I can use that money to go to school later if I don't make the league. Age is the limiting factor in playing a pro sport for a lot of players. Recall that Hooker's age was thought to be a factor in his draft status.

So schools which become like IMG Academy and are heavily focused on getting kids to the next level would be, as they are in HS, the place to be to get your best chance to move up.

Even with options I think you will see the majority go to school. And I would bet most of the ones benefitting from NIL will still opt to take advantage of college while they are there. Most parents are still going to want there kid to get a education. Yes, I agree there may be some that would choose to opt out. But not in the great numbers that some act like. Some folks lump all kids in that they don’t want a education and I think that statement is overall a very misleading and false statement. Most players want their education and value it. I am saying they can and will co-exist. There are rules by the university that one should still have to abide by in some cases. GBO

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Even with options I think you will see the majority go to school. And I would bet most of the ones benefitting from NIL will still opt to take advantage of college while they are there. Most parents are still going to want there kid to get a education. Yes, I agree there may be some that would choose to opt out. But not in the great numbers that some act like. Some folks lump all kids in that they don’t want a education and I think that statement is overall a very misleading and false statement. Most players want their education and value it. I am saying they can and will co-exist. There are rules by the university that one should still have to abide by in some cases. GBO

Even if you're an employee? That's the rub.

And I'm 100% with you that young athletes SHOULD get an education and I've consistently said the big losers in all this are the far more smaller schools which will never be able to make a transition to paying athletes. Some of those athletes embody exactly what scholarships were intended to do, even purely academic or merit scholarships, which is to give a kid who excels a chance to lift themselves up even further.

I'm hoping when this sorts itself out that smaller schools can be somehow separated from big athletic revenue schools.

I'm personally of the opinion that the big revenue colleges like UT should, for the good of the majority of schools, athletes and the experience of college athletics, get out of the multi-million dollar sports business.

The money...... and it baffles me completely that some people think the players started the influx of big money into college sports....... needs to not be there. The TV contracts need to go away. Fans like me need to either listen on the radio or get my butt in a seat if I want to know about a game. Once the schools and NCAA aren't making millions, the courts will leave college ball alone. JMO.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Just because she's rich doesn't mean anything.... she's still a bimbo. And I do like the Cards, but other than that......

Just curious. What would characterize the former First Lady, who posed naked for GQ when she was the girlfriend of a future President, as?

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Even if you're an employee? That's the rub.

And I'm 100% with you that young athletes SHOULD get an education and I've consistently said the big losers in all this are the far more smaller schools which will never be able to make a transition to paying athletes. Some of those athletes embody exactly what scholarships were intended to do, even purely academic or merit scholarships, which is to give a kid who excels a chance to lift themselves up even further.

I'm hoping when this sorts itself out that smaller schools can be somehow separated from big athletic revenue schools.

I'm personally of the opinion that the big revenue colleges like UT should, for the good of the majority of schools, athletes and the experience of college athletics, get out of the multi-million dollar sports business.

The money...... and it baffles me completely that some people think the players started the influx of big money into college sports....... needs to not be there. The TV contracts need to go away. Fans like me need to either listen on the radio or get my butt in a seat if I want to know about a game. Once the schools and NCAA aren't making millions, the courts will leave college ball alone. JMO.

But the thing is the smaller school players aren’t generating that kind of revenue either. Still that doesn’t mean players at smaller schools can’t receive a NIL deal, probably not as much as bigger schools in most cases but still benefit some. The small schools really don’t lose anything, and they will still benefit only on a smaller scale. Even at bigger schools not all players are going to make millions like some portray, but it will be a benefit too many even those with smaller contracts. But when certain sports are generating millions and millions off the players there should be a way for players to make money off name image and likeness. The NCAA had a long time to get ahead and work with these bigger schools yet they have dragged there feet on this for years. The committee is just human beings. These conferences created the committee they also should have the power to redo the NCAA and form another arm of enforcement to power 5 programs who have outgrown the old system. GBO

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

But the thing is the smaller school players aren’t generating that kind of revenue either. Still that doesn’t mean players at smaller schools can’t receive a NIL deal, probably not as much as bigger schools in most cases but still benefit some. The small schools really don’t lose anything, and they will still benefit to a smaller extent. Even at bigger schools not all players are going to make millions like some portray, but it will be a benefit too many even those with smaller contracts. But when certain sports are generating millions and millions off the players there should be a way for players to make money off name image and likeness. The NCAA had a long time to get ahead and work with these bigger schools yet they have dragged there feet on this for years. The committee is just human beings. These conferences created the committee they also should have the power to redo the NCAA and form another arm of enforcement to power 5 who have outgrown the old system. GBO

I'm hopeful but the SCOTUS seems to think the entire "student athlete" notion is flawed and illegal.

Having the school pay players directly seems to lead to all the issues related to pro ball (unions, collective bargaining, salary caps, free agency, a draft, etc) which seem distasteful or certainly bizarre for the college game.

With the news of Dartmouth's players being accepted by the NLRB as able to vote to unionize, it's only a matter of time until more players choose that route and, whether declared employees by the courts or not, begin to bargain like employees.

Things seem to happening quickly to change college sports or maybe I'm just old and don't enjoy change as much as I used to.

I'm just hoping UT can have a few good years with Heupel before it all becomes part of the NFL, which is my worst case scenario.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Even if you're an employee? That's the rub.

And I'm 100% with you that young athletes SHOULD get an education and I've consistently said the big losers in all this are the far more smaller schools which will never be able to make a transition to paying athletes. Some of those athletes embody exactly what scholarships were intended to do, even purely academic or merit scholarships, which is to give a kid who excels a chance to lift themselves up even further.

I'm hoping when this sorts itself out that smaller schools can be somehow separated from big athletic revenue schools.

I'm personally of the opinion that the big revenue colleges like UT should, for the good of the majority of schools, athletes and the experience of college athletics, get out of the multi-million dollar sports business.

The money...... and it baffles me completely that some people think the players started the influx of big money into college sports....... needs to not be there. The TV contracts need to go away. Fans like me need to either listen on the radio or get my butt in a seat if I want to know about a game. Once the schools and NCAA aren't making millions, the courts will leave college ball alone. JMO.

Man that just isn’t happening. College football is probably the most popular sport out there. NIL is not going to stop people from watching. In fact the audience has steadily grown the last 3 years. Most folks don’t care if major college players are compensated. The tailgates, the bands and the fans. The popularity of the college game is growing right along with NIL, they will learn to co-exist and the NIL market will level over time. The NCAA needs to get booster on the brain of their mind. Them days of controlling everything are about to end. GBO

 

[Voltopia]

I'm hopeful but the SCOTUS seems to think the entire "student athlete" notion is flawed and illegal.

Having the school pay players directly seems to lead to all the issues related to pro ball (unions, collective bargaining, salary caps, free agency, a draft, etc) which seem distasteful or certainly bizarre for the college game.

With the news of Dartmouth's players being accepted by the NLRB as able to vote to unionize, it's only a matter of time until more players choose that route and, whether declared employees by the courts or not, begin to bargain like employees.

Things seem to happening quickly to change college sports or maybe I'm just old and don't enjoy change as much as I used to.

I'm just hoping UT can have a few good years with Heupel before it all becomes part of the NFL, which is my worst case scenario.

I've been telling folks for the last five years or so - enjoy it now, enjoy it as much as you can. Savor every gameday, enjoy every game, and enjoy the atmosphere. Because all that TV money comes at a huge price, and the fans -- and the game itself -- are the ones who are going to end up paying it. They will carve the whole thing up, rip it apart, slap ads over every inch of it, and monetize it until the corpse is cold.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Man that just isn’t happening. College football is probably the most popular sport out there. NIL is not going to stop people from watching. In fact the audience has steadily grown the last 3 years. Most folks don’t care if major college players are compensated. The tailgates, the bands and the fans. The popularity of the college game is growing right along with NIL, they will learn to co-exist and the NIL market will level over time. The NCAA needs to get booster on the brain of their mind. Them days of controlling everything are about to end. GBO

The SCOTUS seems to think the NCAA is running an illegal business. Player compensation is here to stay but whether the "student athlete" concept remains vs the "pro athlete" concept is a big question.

I totally agree that there's nothing like a campus game. I like pro football also but college has more soul.

If it were just NIL and the portal, I can live with that and I think fans will adjust to it, but if the game starts to really look like the pros, it'll lose something.

I'll watch just because I like good football but I prefer having the kind of raw excitement on Saturday of college vs the technical skill show on Sunday.

 

[DaddyChad]

What further illustrates the NCAA’s idiocy is the fact that they instituted this “collectives are boosters” arbitrarily and with little to no blowback. So they initiate a fight with a member institution for a pre-instituted violation and double down by REFUSING to even talk to Donde. Were they so dedicated to this kamikaze attack that they were afraid she might bring reason to a meeting and possibly dissuade them from this course? Very faulty process…at the least.

I think they were dead anyways. This they thought was their best path where they could target someone with a recent history of issues and a high profile nil collective. I doubt they thought their chances of winning were high but this was the best fight they could choose.

Idk or maybe they’re just incompetent? Seems at minimum they would’ve taken that meeting with plowman to see what Tennessee’s hand was to prepare a better response even if this was their course.

 

[DaddyChad]

I've been telling folks for the last five years or so - enjoy it now, enjoy it as much as you can. Savor every gameday, enjoy every game, and enjoy the atmosphere. Because all that TV money comes at a huge price, and the fans -- and the game itself -- are the ones who are going to end up paying it. They will carve the whole thing up, rip it apart, slap ads over every inch of it, and monetize it until the corpse is cold.

Do you think that wasn’t the case before players got paid? It’s so stupid some people can’t see this has always been about money. Everyone was getting rich except the players.

 

[butchna]

I think they were dead anyways. This they thought was their best path where they could target someone with a recent history of issues and a high profile nil collective. I doubt they thought their chances of winning were high but this was the best fight they could choose.

Idk or maybe they’re just incompetent? Seems at minimum they would’ve taken that meeting with plowman to see what Tennessee’s hand was to prepare a better response even if this was their course.

Why fast track the timeline tho?

 

[CAVPUT]

Monumental news. Hard to fully grasp what all the implications of this will be.

Not really. All I need to do is look at what drove me away from MLB. One too many strikes. Pretty sure Glavine was the point man when I said screw it and stopped watching MLB for good. Haven't watched a game since and that includes the world series. You know once it's unionized, that this will happen. Prices will also go up even more if you can believe that. Beginning of the end perhaps.

 

[Voltopia]

Do you think that wasn’t the case before players got paid? It’s so stupid some people can’t see this has always been about money. Everyone was getting rich except the players.

"Everyone was getting rich."

And who exactly is everyone? Here's a chart that summarizes the total expenses for SEC programs in 2022. Some of them made a small degree of profit. 5 million, 10 million, maybe a little more if they were one of the big dogs. The vast majority of that 2 billion was spent operating the programs.




Aside from coaches, and that is certainly a valid thing to examine, but aside from them, who exactly was getting rich? Or is this just about the schools having that money to spend to begin with? Because the vast majority of the money that came in, was spent. It's always spent, because they aren't corporations trying to profit shareholders. Or at least, they weren't, anyway. I don't know what they'll be in fifteen years.

I suppose the argument is that the schools shouldn't get that money, that it should go to the players. But no one out there was getting rich -- and a good many college athletics programs flirt with being in the negative on a yearly basis.