Fab Five, This is Where Your Jersey Sales go
Michigan Women's Gymnastics Big Ten Champions 5-Peat
The topic of Football and Basketball players needing to be paid because they generate so much money always irritates me. First and foremost because if the market could sustain a professional minor league, then it would. Baseball and Hockey don't seem to have problems doing this and co-existing with College Amateur Sports.
The student athletes of the lesser revenue generating kind put in just as much work for their scholarships as the football and basketball players. They just aren't blessed by an abundant TV audience to generate insane amounts of revenue. But go take a look at all the facilities on Michigan's campus. Swimming pools, baseball fields, indoor and outdoor track, etc. they are world class and continually being updated. Paid for by the revenue generated from things like basketball jersey sales.
The other reason this discussion irritates me is because it's conducted by people who will also bring up Bo's "The Team The Team The Team" speech. Clearly they've never listened to this speech, because there is a large section where Bo talks about the special and irreplaceable 4 years that are a gift to any student athlete. Those 4 years are a time when student athletes compete for the pure joy of the sport, of their teammates, without any distractions of contracts, sponsorships, and in general the downside of money.
Accepting a scholarship is a choice and a privilege. You can enter the NBA from high school if you are good enough. It won't teach you to be an adult, but you will be paid if your talent is sufficient.
That is a choice.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
Chart was shown on the Fab Five documentary. Apparel sales went from I believe $1.5 million a year to almost $11 million a year.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
Ah, right you are, I remember now.
I do wish there was a study, or chart for how much the #4 jersey specifically increased revenue.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^
I'm pretty certain that chart showed the years prior as individual years and then lumped at least 2 years together if not more for the 11M number. It was meant to make you think exactly what it made you think despite not really being accurate.
I'd check the YouTube stream of it but, ya know, that's already been taken down.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:16 PM ^
Should we ask Desmond if he thinks he had anything to do with that upswing in apparel sales? You can't forget that that was the year he won the heisman and Michigans first year after signing with Nike. While the Fab Five had a lot to do with that upswing for them or anyone else to act like there where no other factors involved is self serving.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^
but I wonder how many of these gymnasts have to worry about calling home and asking for Mom/Dad to reload the ATM card so they can buy a pizza?
Everyone seems to be missing Jalen's point. Oh well, at least we got a MBB again!
March 21st, 2011 at 12:20 PM ^
So you are saying the gymnast get a better food deal on there scholarship? Or are you saying they come from rich homes? Chris Webber went to a rich kids private school. His parents were not unemployed in fact i think they both had nice jobs. I don' t buy this garbage of I couldn't afford anything in collge cause I'm poor and michigan was getting over on me.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:32 PM ^
atheletic scholarships are not full rides, I would assume that yes, the gymnast would come from a home where there was more discretionary income than Jalen's.
Also, I do not believe Chris Webber paid to go to Country Day, he was on athletic scholarship there as well. I know they gave these out because I was offered one to Country Day and Brother Rice for hockey when I was in high school.
When you grow up on Detroit's west side, (have you ever been there?) you are probably coming from a family that barely makes ends meet so I find your garbage argument to be quite insulting. Much like Grant the Bitch.
A flat plain is an easier route than a steep climb.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
I didn't mention Jalen I was talking about Chris Webber obviously those two cam from different backgrounds. The only similiar things being they both grew up in Detroit. I love how you assume all gymnasts much be rich. How does me ever being to the D have anything to do with this? Did I grow up on the west side? No I didn't but I spent most of 3 years in the ghetto of Inkster not a very friendly place. Want to take a ride with me sometime? So if your question was have I ever scene a crack house, have I ever scene poverty the answer is yes. I find your assumptions that anyone that didn't come from the inner city of Detroit is rich arguments sickening and ignorant.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
So his argument was ludicrous and insulting, but your argument of "it's gymnastics so those students have more money" isn't? First of all, many gymnasts have full rides, much like many other sports. And what does a family's background have to do with whether or not they get paid? If we paid our basketball team now, would you argue that Morris get paid and Hardaway not? If Vogrich became the star of the basketball team, would be never get paid because he's from Lake Forest? What if we had a track athlete who was also from Detroit's west side, should he gat paid?
Like I said, bad argument.
All gymnasts get full ride scholarships, besides walk-ons of course. Gymnastics clubs cost a lot of money, so many parents make the decision clear: you either work hard enough to get a scholarship for college or you don't do gymnastics.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^
His mom was a teacher and his dad worked on the line at Ford I believe so yeah, he was thoroughly middle class.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:12 PM ^
The more I think about it, the more out of touch the OP looks. No one went pro from high school in '91. There was no reason to believe the league would even look at you if you did that back then. And no one signs up knowing you'll be a part of a mass marketing frenzy based on your own image that won't give you back a dime.
Furthermore, to suggest that ALL that money went to those poor, noble non-revenue sports and none of it lined the pockets of anyone (at the University, Nike, Russell Athletic, etc.) is extremely naive.
You can construct a fine argument on why college athletes should not be paid. In your post, seemingly devoid of empathy, you express disdain at the mere frustration of the Fab Five players at how the system was working as if YOU as a poor college student who never came from money would really pass your $75 jersey in a window and think "Hey more money for gymnastics! Glad I could help!"
Get real.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
I never watch a game a think, "Man, I wish these guys were paid". Why does anyone care so much that they are not getting paid. It does not affect me while I watch games. Let it go, there is no logical explanation behind the idea that they chould be paid.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:12 PM ^
"They just aren't blessed by an abundant TV audience to generate insane amounts of revenue."
maybe we should revisit econ 101 and discuss supply vs. demand. they aren't randomly blessed with fans and money. they are playing a sport that people are willing to pay a lot of money to follow. work ethic has nothing to do with this. the hardest working teacher will never make as much money as a competent doctor because the doctor has a more valuable product. football and basketball are an infinitely more valuable product than women's gymnastics because people are willing to pay a lot more for it. i'm not saying this is right or wrong, but it's the truth.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:13 PM ^
The arguments against paying players are always so weak. "They can go and play in Europe (and thus damage their draft status) if they want to!" "Most athletic departments lose money (supporting a bunch of sports that no-one watches)!" "It would damage the level playing field (because that playing field is so level right now)!"
Players don't get paid because the NCAA has a monopoly on the business. If amateurism is such a great thing, why isn't your job an amateur pursuit? I bet if the bosses of your company and its competitors put their heads together, they could work out an amateur status for your position in 10 minutes.
Finally, if amateurism in sports is such a great thing, why do we pay the coaches?
Tiresome bullshit.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^
Ok....so HOW do you pay them? Who deserves more than the rest? Which teams get to spend the most? There is no way to regulate this fairly, it's already a mess right now. Paying college players is one of the most ludicrous arguments ever, and in no way should it ever happen.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^
You make a lot of points, but none are strong at all. There is no evidence that playing in Europe will damage anyone's draft status. There have been tons of players from European leagues drafted high every year - if you're good in Europe, the NBA will know about it and draft you. True, most people don't watch the non-revenue sports, but that doesn't make them unimportant or undeserving of funding. One of the great things about college sports is all of the sports that compete. I'm not sure what you meant by that comment, but if you are saying that the other sports should be dropped to pay football and basketball players then you will have very few people on your side.
The level playing field comment has some merit, but saying "the playing field isn't completely level now, so there's no problem throwing it completely out of whack" isn't a good argument either. Just because something is bad doesn't mean it's OK to make it worse.
My job doesn't purport to be amatuer at all. They hired me with the intent to pay me. The reason companies don't give employees "amatuer status" is because they would all leave and the company would go under. Trust me, my company doesn't pay me out of the goodness of their heart.
The coach argument is also BS. The coaches are professionals, not amatuers. Same as the S&C staff and the equipment managers. They are also not students at Michigan. They are employees of the university to help the student athletes. Again, no one has every purported a coach to be an amatuer.
The playing field seems kind of level already, ask Boise and TCU. if they can do it, what is everyone else's excuse?
Are you Grant Hill? Why are you speaking to them as though they have the same views they did 20 years ago? Jalen just proposed the other day that student-athletes get a very modest stipend ($2K per term).
If you're going to bring up gymnastics....
Then for god's sakes let's give some credit to Don Shepherd. Of course the high-profile sports & players bring in money that helps the other athletes--that's an important point. But the generous support of guys like Shepherd also can have a huge impact on a program.
If i was a big time player I could give a rats ass where the money goes. The fact is that big time players make schools a shit load of money and never see a dime of it. Look at this way. ...a girl that has a gymnastic scholarship is compensated in the exact same way that a heisman trophy winning qb is. In essence she does less for the school and gets the same reward.
Ive always wondered..If the fab 5 trademarked "the fab 5". Would they be allowed to make money off of it while in college?