grumbler

February 21st, 2024 at 11:50 PM ^

Contracts won't work, because the school couldn't possibly enforce them.  If they are student-athletes, then the university can't constrain their academic decision-making (like whether to transfer) and if they are employees, they'll be able to successfully argue that the contract was invalid because the university has no remit to contract with professional football players (running a pro team does not support the educational or research missions of the school and so is not allowed).

"College" football and college no longer can co-exist under the same roof.  Maybe once the pro teams are spun off from the universities, college football can restart as a recreational activity for students.

Joined: 08/17/2011

MGoPoints: 14112

Blue in Paradise

February 22nd, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^

So let's go back to the black market where "students" get paid under the table via bags of cash and nobody reports anything to the IRS - because that model was legally viable.  Oh wait, it wasn't viable per a 9-0 ruling from the Supreme Court.

So get out of here with your end of the college football world quasi-legal bullshit.  If you want to see truly recreational student football, go watch Albion or Adrian or Oakland Community College - there are plenty of teams to follow for people that have a problem with elite athletes getting paid for the labor and NIL rights.

The real issue is how we get to a point where athletes from 134 FBS schools can get to a collective bargaining agreement. My guess is the B1G / SEC Advisory Committee is the first step towards this happening (at least for the future super league).

Right now, college football is literally stronger and bigger than ever with literally billions of dollars of earnings just from media rights - that doesn't even include ticket sales, merchandise and local / regional / national spin-off economic activity, I wouldn't be surprised if college football represented a $10 billion per year economic impact if we were able to count up everything.

It will stay messy for a little while but it will get itself sorted - it always does when there is this much money at stake.

Joined: 08/14/2016

MGoPoints: 36794

maquih

February 22nd, 2024 at 7:18 AM ^

Idk what you guys are talking about.  Every single student has a contract with the university they're enrolled in.  Like im pretty sure the first student who ever went to harvard college in the 1600s had a contract with the university.  Some students make a ton of money outside the school working for banks/law firms/ or just being famous and doing commercials. Some students like phd students have multiyear contracts where the students are paid directly by the university. 

But for some reason we start talking about student-athletes and people make up all these incoherent objections.

Joined: 11/04/2010

MGoPoints: 1774

mGrowOld

February 21st, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^

While this is certainly much better news than "Will Johnson's family says he's 100% out of here" it still means little to me until February 25th. 

Until we're on the other side of the portal date wall I'm going to consider everybody a possible flight risk because every good player can get paid more NIL dollars elsewhere.

Joined: 10/04/2010

MGoPoints: 212943

bluebyyou

February 22nd, 2024 at 7:50 AM ^

Very true, BKBlue, particularly when Michigan's war chest is a mere pittance compared to many schools including OSU.

I thought that things might change after Signgate and the the way Petitti treated Michigan.  I guess not.  Not only are we going back to falling on our sword instead of fighting as has been our history but our Regents are living in another age.  In the business world a dysfunctional board of directors can be voted out.

Maybe we should be looking at getting some new and more modern thinking regents elected.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: 18566

njvictor

February 22nd, 2024 at 11:16 AM ^

It's funny to me how a week or so back Michigan insiders were hyping up a "high 6 figure" NIL donation as if that would have any impact on us keeping our guys when other teams are throwing millions of dollars at single players. If you're in the hunt for a natty, why wouldn't you throw a few million dollars at Mason Graham?

Joined: 07/20/2017

MGoPoints: 65074

lhglrkwg

February 21st, 2024 at 3:50 PM ^

I think it's because he did the 'eyes' emoji on twitter briefly at Domani Jackson & Keon Sabb going to Bama. Bama fans thought that meant Will Johnson was going to Bama. I think it's a lot more likely it's just a guy quote tweeting his two friends because they're going to be playing together now and that's cool rather than it being some subtle transfer announcement by Will

Joined: 07/03/2008

MGoPoints: 87934