What other message boards are saying (Bama post game)

[walkenvol]

The great Bear Bryant always said if you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'

That’s a quote made famous by NASCAR’s Junior Johnson IIRC.

 

[GoVols64]

For it to be the great "equalizer" you speak of, it would require all schools to have the same budget and a limit to what players can make. Remember these are 17-25 year old kids being exposed to large amounts of money, in al lot of cases, for the first time. With youth comes inexperience and immaturity. I know I would not have been able to handle 10s of thousands responsibly at that age. When you have walkons on a team, making very small amounts, 2-3 star players making a pittance, and "stars" making a fortune, it will by nature destroy a locker room. It will be harder to get a VFL if it is a mercenary culture. The money that has been going to venue and facility improvements is now diverted to paying the players. Also, you would have to have a revenue sharing across ALL of college sports to truly make it fair. You only think it is good because it pulls more money to this conference. Don't the other players that work just as hard get to draw from this pool. They probably come from the same socioeconomic situations as the "star" players.

The final straw in my diatribe involves the changes to the attitude toward players brought on by NIL. Can you honestly tell me that the venom rained toward Nico would be as strong as it is, from some on this site, if he weren't making $2 million a year? Think about it for a minute before you answer. Do I think that players should be able to earn money, ABSOLUTELY! Do I think ANY athlete deserves to make as much as they do in today's society, ABSOLUTELY NOT. There are other youths that have much more potential to have a real effect on society, from medical breakthroughs to Engineering marvels to the next Einstein of theoretical physics that come from the exact same socioeconomic situations that can't even attend college because they can't afford it. Please don't preach to me about how underprivileged these athletes are. I know of many young people that are brilliant, that have to end up working in a dead end job because they couldn't get a piece of paper that college "student" athletes scoff at. I can't stand the high and mighty that justify a failed institution because their school gets to win a game or two.

I have to agree with most of your points, especially the academic part. I love football and am happy that kids have the opportunity to make life changing money. The fact, however, that our society places this much economic value on athletics vs. academics is pretty backwards IMO. 99% of these kids will do something other than go to the NFL or another pro league and I hope they are taking advantage of the opportunity their skill has opened to them.

I do think that fair market value will, over time, correct itself. The current pace isn't sustainable and we do need some structure around it. Right now Tennessee's collective is doing things few other programs are which is why we are seeing so many top recruits coming in. I would love to say its just the staff and our University but it simply isn't true.

Lastly, to anyone who thinks it was just Saban doing this you are incorrect. EVERY major program or its boosters had a pay to play scheme. Now it's just in the open. Love or hate him Saban is one of the GOATs in CFB coaching. He recruited at a high level because your chances of going pro in his program were much higher than most other programs. Did they pay players? Without doubt but they were not alone. Now payments are leading the conversation with top talent (even to get them on campus, up to $50k per visit for a 5*) knowing their worth. It is a brave new world folks, and we are just starting to understand it.

 

[rocketskates]

Once Saban saw the writing on the wall, that EVERY school could now pass out Escalades to recruits, and he could no longer buy roster depth through under the table bribes, he took a look at his roster, and the competing rosters, and ran like a scared %$#@ to an announcer job.

He was a heckuva coach, no doubt about that, maybe the best ever, but its likely that a LOT of that was due to 'enthusiastic' alumni and booster support. Spyre and the other collectives can now match and/or beat Bama, and Saban wanted no part of that.

Kudos to the old-timers who have stayed and tried to win under the new system. Saban did not have that in him.

100%. There was a time that Saban had players on the bench that would've been starting at other schools. The depth that his teams had was amazing, and we all know how it got there. The playing field has been leveled.