Black Socks

December 9th, 2015 at 9:52 PM ^

The main unfair point is that non-revenue sports are getting $200,000 scholarships over four years when they generate no economic value.  I don't believe in paying the football players but the non-revenue scholarship athletes are gaming the system.  Endowed club sports are a fine idea.

Joined: 11/30/2009

MGoPoints: 14363

drzoidburg

December 9th, 2015 at 11:32 PM ^

the only diff that cutting non revenue scholarships would make under the current model is bring john oliver's segment to reality. All these ADs would build a rocket ship or a stadium next to their stadium before they'd voluntarily pay the workers their due compensation or saban would make $9 million instead of $8 mil At some point the players are not going to give a damn about gold shower curtains and a 25% chance at a sports management degree and will instead demand some actual discretionary spending of the $500,000 a year they each bring in to the AD coffers

Joined: 09/20/2015

MGoPoints: 2220

grumbler

December 10th, 2015 at 7:34 AM ^

This is the kind of hyperbole that makes intelligent conversations on this topic so hard.  Cutting non-revenue sports only makes sense if the university changes its entire outlook on college sports, from an activity that enhances the educational mission to your view that profit is the only motive.  If you are correct, then colleges should abandon sports entirely.  If the only purpose of sports is to make a profit and employ some athletes, then colleges have no more incentive to waste time with them than they do wasting time running airlines for profit or oil exploration firms for profit.

At some point, players are going to not give a damn about their colleges and colleges (and their alumni) are not going to give a damn about sports, and then people will no longer be able to even pretend that they believe silly things like the absurdity that each player brings $500,000 to AD coffers.

Joined: 08/17/2011

MGoPoints: 14092

recklessaBrandon

December 9th, 2015 at 10:29 PM ^

The main problem/injustice is the NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement that restricts younger players from being drafted/paid and the overall NFL monopoly that leaves CFB as the only options for players who are only interested in football. College football benefits from this arrangement by getting higher skilled players, but I bet it would still be people with half guys who "want to play school" and half guys who are just trying to make the NFL (but probably have a better picture of how likely that is and see the opportunity dwidingly each year which may force them to put more work into school). Michigan football was popular with a team of all student body walk-ons playing and it would still be popular if that was the case today (providing other schools were held to the same standard). 

Joined: 08/22/2015

MGoPoints: 721

drzoidburg

December 9th, 2015 at 11:26 PM ^

Your last part is what sticks on my mind. The Gardner class graduated what, 7 out of 25? That's so pathetic. I watch old clips of games from the 60s-70s and i don't notice a huge (yes, some) difference in athleticism. I wouldn't mind at all if we reverted to using actual student-athletes. Of course, the problem is getting the ohios and SEC teams to go along with this. Same with basketball. Getting rid of the one and done's, perhaps just making freshmen inelligible, would harm kentucky, but otherwise have little impact on the quality of the game, yet it'd go a long ways towards establishing some credibility

Joined: 09/20/2015

MGoPoints: 2220

drzoidburg

December 9th, 2015 at 11:20 PM ^

Some of it's really compelling, like no workman's comp and losing scholarships due to injury, in light of the insane coaching salary/tv deal/nike contract. In those critical aspects, i fully support Desmond or anyone else trying to effect serious change. Other parts are difficult to prove, like A&M fundraising...how can all that be directly tied to manziel alone? To me the real story there is how these SEC schools (and frankly many others) are not to be taken seriously, if half of donations is dependent on football Also, some of it's outdatted and probably intentionally misleading, like the star football player not being able to buy fast food. Yes, that's outrageous and even criminal, but the P5 conferences just added "cost of living" to the scholarships. I also am tired of the "we have no time, it's impossible to manage" whining, like no non athlete ever experiences this in college. In my time, it was the football players getting high and blasting music from west quad, while the rest of us trying to get work done

Joined: 09/20/2015

MGoPoints: 2220

WolvinLA2

December 10th, 2015 at 12:04 AM ^

He part about losing a scholarship due to injury is total BS by the way. The medical hardship exists for that very reason - if a player gets injured and can no longer play, he can go on medical hardship and have the rest of his time in college paid for without even being part of the team. Lots of Michigan players have done that. Antonio Poole is graduating this year after doing that.

Joined: 11/13/2009

MGoPoints: 58191

I Love Lamp

December 10th, 2015 at 3:59 AM ^

We (said school) provide you with a free education that we could charge someone else 6 figures over four years, plus other perks, and in return, for our investment, we can sell a jersey or two with your number on it, or whatever method it is to help get something in return for said investment. I just wish both sides, more so the student side, would realize they both have it pretty good.

Joined: 07/15/2014

MGoPoints: 8306

Dawkins

December 29th, 2015 at 10:57 AM ^

As much as I love college football and know that paying players will fundamentally alter the sport, if I'm being completely honest with myself I can't help but conclude that there are no valid arguments against allowing these young adults to recieve whatever the free market is willing to pay for their talents, skills, and services. And I 100% guarantee you that anyone taking the "but they get a free education!" line of argument would not be OK with that same logic being applied to their own skills/talents/line of work. 

 

Joined: 05/24/2015

MGoPoints: 5799