Harbaugh is looking into compensating players after they graduate

Submitted by mgogobermouch on
There’s an ESPN article that’s worth a read: http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/23467054/jim-harbaugh-c… Harbaugh is looking for ways to compensate players, for instance giving them a deferred cut of the revenue from the Amazon series. (The article doesn’t say it would be after graduation — that’s my assumption. )

Yostal

May 11th, 2018 at 7:52 AM ^

I like that Harbaugh has clearly been thinking about this (or delegated someone to think about this and report back to him) and he understands that it's not as simple as pay the players (the tax implications.)  I also would like to think I would feel the same about this if any other coach had discussed this issue in this manner.

Indy Pete - Go Blue

May 11th, 2018 at 8:20 AM ^

It is nice to see someone in a position of power like him putting his neck out for the players. Of course, this type of talk likely gives him an advantage with recruits and their families seeing that he is focused on their well-being. He is a savvy person.  He makes these comments because he believes them but also because he knows that it provides good optics for recruiting.

Ownblue

May 11th, 2018 at 9:18 AM ^

Maybe I missed the point, but the biggest takeway for me was that we might get another season of Michigan All or Nothing! What do we need to do to make this happen? 

In reply to by ijohnb

WGoNerd

May 11th, 2018 at 10:28 AM ^

I get what you're saying, but I would actually think that if the documentary crew being around was going to effect them it would've been at the start of the season, and we were winning games then.

In reply to by ijohnb

EGD

May 11th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^

Even if the film crew's presence could be shown to negatively affect the team's chances of winning games--a notion I find highly doubtful-- it would still be worth it IMO.

Hab

May 11th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^

I graduated from Michigan in 4 years too.  I even paid for the privilege.  I can haz $100,000 in deferred compensation for no additional work too?  I guarantee I put in as many, if not more, hours of work as the football team did.  Only difference in my case is that the University didn't make any money on my efforts outside of collecting my tuition payments.  

Maybe the approach should be some form of profit sharing.

MgoKY

May 11th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^

Won't post the links, but not hard info to find with a little Google search. The estimated cost of a 4 year Michigan degree is about $200k. I imagine that's for a standard student, not including unlimited meal plans, private tutors, professional trainers, etc. that athletes receive (and cash stipends). I have friends that played D1 football, and understand the great sacrifices they make for the sport as well, but I feel the degree is greatly undervalued by many. One article stated the average 30 year earnings for a Michagan grad are roughly $1.6 million. I imagine many in the world would be happy with this trade off. The MOAR mentality in society gives the impression, that no matter what, it's never enough. The money being thrown around should be better directed towards the students in general, though.

mgogobermouch

May 11th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^

Bls.gov has median weekly earnings for all college graduates at $1193.  A moment with your calculator will show you that this is more than 1.6 million over a 30 year period.  And that's the median, obviously the average is higher (income is skewed right).  

So hopefully the average 30 year earnings of a Michigan grad is well above 1.6 million.

But that's nitpicking.  The point is, the rest of the student body is already allowed to earn money from their talents. No one would blink twice if Amazon wanted to pay any other group of students to make a tv show about them.  But if an athlete wants the same treatment, he or she is told to just be grateful for the chance at a Michigan degree.  I think think this would really piss me off if I were an athlete.

MgoKY

May 11th, 2018 at 2:51 PM ^

I agree, as in that if the student can't benefit from their likeness, neither should the schools. Schools can expand their brand, but shouldn't be able to exploit certain player kn the process. And, no worries, data varies. Great to see Michigan grads on the whole doing well.

MichiganTeacher

May 11th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^

Good for Harbaugh.

As I've said before, it's past time for Michigan to stand up and be the leaders and the best. Just start paying the players on the books. Funded by donation. Straight up Fuck You to the NCAA. When they come after us, start our own league. It will be rough for a couple of years. It would be us and Hillsdale and a few others. But what would the public response be? "Shame on Michigan, how dare they pay the players who make millions for the white men in suits!" Within a few years, we'd have a great league and a permanent place on the right side of history.

UofM626

May 11th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^

Win games please. Enough w the crusade already. We need W’s and we need them bad. If we can’t do it this year don’t be surprised if he heads back to the NFL. I love coach but we need to win some of these big games.

jsquigg

May 11th, 2018 at 2:59 PM ^

Don't know if the intention is post-graduating, but if they could somehow pitch having a post graduate compensation policy, that could give recruiting a boost.

Solecismic

May 11th, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^

I don't know that there's any way to look at the issue of compensation in revenue-producing college sports and not find hypocrisy. Schools operate what are essentially professional sports. Yet if you take away the veneer of scholarships and the college experience and perceived amateurism, what's left isn't going to fill anyone's 100,000-capacity stadium. Not even close. There are a lot of questions, many of which have been asked here, that have uncomfortable answers. The bottom line is that if we want quality college football, we have to either drink some of this "amateur" Kool-Aid, which is more and more exposed as an unhealthy mix of sugar and chemicals. Or we have to agree to some changes that will likely result in the separation of college football into one revenue division that operates exactly as a professional league would. No more illusion that these recruits are real students - they will be paid and they will not have time for classes. So I welcome Harbaugh throwing ideas out there. He lives this stuff - he has to know better than anyone that massive change is on the horizon.

JustJeff

May 12th, 2018 at 5:38 PM ^

I think an easy(relatively) solution would be to get a minor league similar to hockey and baseball. Let players go out and make some bucks in the minors if they want, then at least they have the option. It'll take talent away from college ball but it'll still be just as fun to watch and it won't have the issue of morality surrounding it.