Saban comments on the state of college sports [edited]
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/13/sport/nick-saban-college-sports-landscape-alabama-spt-intl/index.html
Looking at the dumpster fire which is men's college basketball and the NCAA eliminating the number of times a player can transfer....the ace of college sports is forever changed
[Edit: I replaced the barstool link with one of the numerous articles that show up with a simple search using keyword "Saban".
More comments on this edit can be found in the Mod Sticky thread. -rob f ]
I'd say the face of college sports is also forever changed
The pace has also forever changed.
Ace of Base is also forever changed.
Once Conor Stallions saw the sign, it was the beginning of the end.
That picture made me throw up my breakfast.
Don't forget about the Ace of Cakes. (Although he sucked compared to Duff...)
you could say the race has also forever changed.
This place is also forever changed.
The comment sections on posts read like subreddits these days.
The posts leading to comments read like subreddits these days.
Subreddit and the jetssssss
Logged in just to upvote this! Spotlights hitting something that's been known to change the weather...
[Upvote not update, ironically]
Who knew a football team that huddled would screw up a football dynasty?
It's like how humans brought down the aliens in Independence Day with morse code.
Ironic that a few years ago Saban was bitching about the hurry up offense and how it would result in sweeping defensive lineman deaths.
It seems like Saban doesn't like any change that takes away his advantage.
So Saban's a hypocrite? Who'da thunk it?
For the lawyers, the res (ipsa loquitur) is forever changed.
Ultimately everything forever changes everything albeit in ever diminishing ways as one approaches infinite distances in time and space.
I've been a lawyer for 15 years, and . . . that's how it's pronounced? Who knew!
March 12th, 2024 at 10:32 PM ^
res ipsa loquitur was the working title for my script about a talking penis
while no love for Saban, I agree that college sports is a shit show right now. Needs some sort of governing body (not the NCAA they don't do anything productive).
Not going to defend the NCAA, but it's pretty damn hard to do anything when they have to go to court to try and enforce rules. Now, why I won't defend them? They cherry-pick who and when they decide to enforce the rules.
Exactly why college sports needs a governing body which doesn’t enforce illegal rules arbitrarily and capriciously
I am not sure how to get the horse back in the barn other than allow the athletes to be designated employees, permit them to unionize, and get a collectively bargained deal negotiated.
I don't believe anything can be done to get the "NIL horses" back in the barn. They're out - period.
The media revenue sharing agreement might be different. The NIL ship has sailed - if someone wants to pay someone $1M for an autograph - what's to stop them?
March 12th, 2024 at 10:26 PM ^
I have to agree. Even if there is a system/structure to fairly administer the actual pay, big money backers will still be able to tip the scale in favor of their school.
Why can’t they be 1099 employees?
Technically wouldn't be "employees" then, but yeah i dont get all these complicated potential solutions. There is no actual problem to solve, just get rid of all the rules, just follow all the current labor laws that apply to all adults. There's just no reason we actually need special rules for people who play sports and are registered to take college courses.
Because the schools cannot engage in activities that don't support their educational and research activities and remain tax-exempt educational entities. Professional football players, e.g., don't support those missions, and you can't require a professional football player to be a student because of restraint of trade laws.
Universities often spin off activities that go beyond the research and educational missions and could do the same for pro sports teams.
Lol…from the guy who made generational wealth off the backs of “free” labor.
st. Nick acting like he didn’t know his players were taking bags all those years is laughable. Sure, they all came to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the nightlife. Guy retired because the field is no longer tilted in his favor.
Agreed. Get thee behind me, Saban.
Seriously, the spelling can't be a coincidence.
"College sports had integrity back when all the resources went to ME."
Agree, but Mr. Nick does have the ear of the media, and seems to be thinking of a change to governance that would likely be advantageous to Michigan; so I say, "Go Nick."
I heard the same thing about NIL. Nothing will benefit Michigan until the people in charge get a backbone. Ohio State is not content with playing within the rules, regardless of what the rules are, and is more than happy to go over and beyond to find any and all dirt on Michigan. While our leadership sits back and says thank you, sir, can I have another?
Anything Saban is after will benefit Bama, and Ohio State is the closest thing to Bama there is.
March 12th, 2024 at 11:50 PM ^
I saw an Alabama fan wearing a "Big Nick Energy" button at the Rose Bowl. Have to admit that I chuckled.
Lest us not forget.
Alabama's Recruiting Dominance Continues (Wow) (247sports.com)
I agree that Saban benefitted tremendously by taking advantage of "the way it used to be". However, in this case I agree with him, no matter what his motives are. I am not suggesting that I have a problem with transfers and players making as much money as possible. They deserve that opportunity. I am suggesting that, as of right now, that new model is diminishing my interest in college sports. Maybe I am in the minority but I know that I am not alone.
That’s interesting. So, what about the players not being compensated for their risks and efforts and also not having control of their futures made the game more appealing to you?
All of it, really.
March 12th, 2024 at 10:04 PM ^
That's easy to answer (for me). I'm a fan of the Michigan team, and players pursuing their own selfish interests doesn't help the team. This is always going to be a source of tension in pro sports (which college football has become)--what's best for the players is not best for the fans, and vice versa. I want to see guys play four years at the same place and put the team first. The players want to get paid and leave for the NFL (and more dollars) ASAP.
I think this comment was directed to me. I think they were compensated. I know it is not in line with the revenue generated but folks that leave school with 200k in debt might think a free education, meals, and the best shot possible at hitting the lotto with a professional sports career is at least decent compensation. And like I mentioned, I don’t fault the players for taking advantage of these new opportunities, but I feel like the idea of 18-22 year old kids being free agents every year and for 30 days after a coach leaves makes it less enjoyable because I personally think all of the player movement takes away from the ability to build a cohesive roster that fans can get familiar with and watch develop over time. I also think football is the ultimate team sport and I don’t like that the current system will Inevitably reward the skill position players more than non skill position players simply because they are typically more marketable. I hope it all evens out in a few years, but right now, yeah, I don’t love it.
What was so appealing about the old model of SEC bagmen and voter bias translating to SEC national championships?
That wasn’t very appealing. But I guess I would say that the only schools that did it well enough to affect Michigan’s chances were Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and maybe Miami, Florida and FSU for awhile. So I think I would say that while the system wasn’t great before (speaking only as a Michigan fan and certainly not as an athlete) I think the system is worse right now. Again, my hope is that this is just a short period of adjustment and things work themselves out but I think what is going on right now is terrible for fans
Thou shalt hold no Satellite Camps south of Tennessee.
He had to embrace the fact that he would no longer have a top advantage in the OK NIL world
This is an excellent example of the Ad Hominem Fallacy. It's so consistently repeated on here anytime anyone from Ohio State, or Alabama (or pretty much any other SEC school), or someone from the Big Ten, or someone from the NCAA, says anything, that's it's tremendously boring.
I do agree that no other school — none — is as virtuous, innocent, and consistently unjustly persecuted as Michigan, and really, only representatives from our school have any right to express any opinion on anything. It's very helpful to have that pointed out again and again. Thanks.
All NIL did was democratize the bag, and make it available to programs who weren't using it to cheat for decades. And Saban wasn't about trying to compete without that material advantage.
I like NIL and want the kids to earn their share... but NIL as it exists is killing what we knew of college football. I feel like the kids can both earn their NIL money while also being committed to the college for more than a 6 month period.
Requiring academic progress seems a good idea also. Keeping the student athlete aspect intact.
Isn't this already in place? I mean, the students have to keep a certain GPA to be eligible. Now, you're not going to be able to force someone paying NIL to a player to include academic requirements, but if the player is not eligible to play, the NIL deals will dry up.