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Or. . .
the threat of this is enough to get schools to push through cost-of-living increases to scholarships, better safety measures, better transfer rules, 5-year scholarships, etc. without ever actually resulting in a union of any kind.
Which might be nice.
Dear NCAA,
You made this bed. Now lie in it.
Sincerely,
Sports
Right-to-work state laws will also complicate the issue.
Expect our Dictator to step in with his Attorney General and make a new law.
Originally Posted by Champ967
Exactly, now they are scared straight
The Teamsters have wanted to get their hands on college athletes for a long time. If they actually do unionize (and I don't think it will happen) it will be the end of college sports as we know it and truly the end of college sports for a lot of colleges. The number of athletes who get paid won't be anywhere close to the number of kids who now get free scholarships, which will kill opportunity for a lot of kids who otherwise might have no chance at all of getting a college education. But, the Teamsters will get their dues, and that's all they give a damn about.
I agree that they should get concussion tests and actual-cost scholarships. I do not agree in any way that they are employees. The NLRB has been stacked with Obama union yes men, so look for them to rubber stamp this. I hope I'm wrong.
But, this probably will force the NCAA to negotiate and give on some of the major points, and that's a good thing. The unknown is how our lame politicians in DC will react.
I'm a little split on this issue, because I don't think it's as straight down the middle one way or another as some people like to think. Does college football generate a ridiculous amount of money? YES. Do the the main participants that people are PAYING to see get 0% of that profit margin? YES. I don't want to hear about the "value" of a scholarship. Long gone are the days when the main incentive for playing college football was actually getting an education. The driver for participating in college football for probably 90% of players today is NFL MONEY! They could care less about the scholarship because they could care less about getting an education. That is simply a side bar, a task, and objective they have to "put up with" to be able to play the sport they want to play to make the money they want to make. Again, I'm speaking about the attitude of MOST college athletes today. NOT ALL.
Is this decision to devalue the education aspect of college a decision they make on their own? Or rather, is it a decision that society values ABOVE an education that drives the idea behind becoming a professional athlete? There are no networks that follow around recent college graduates to watch them pursue their career path. They don't hold combines, pro days, or workouts to asses the skill level of a recent engineering graduate. There are no million dollar contracts to sign for your latest business college graduate looking to sign on with a company. Why? Because that is considered "mundane", "boring", or "common place" by society. However, being an elite athlete is something to be praised above all else. It is to be celebrated, and rewarded with big fat contracts and prestige. I'm not saying that's wrong, but can you blame the kids that are BLESSED with these God given athletic gifts for focusing all of their attention, time, and effort on becoming the best they can be at being a professional athlete, which in turn averts their attention from "getting a good education"?
This causes me to think that the model of college athletics IS broken. The old value system that promoted the "scholarship" has died away. Society has shifted and evolved and the perceived value of the scholarship no longer applies for these "elite" athletes because their value lies in the money and business of the NFL and using their athletic talents, which is a 100% DIVERGENT from the NCAA student-athlete model. Their only concern is to pursue the NFL and forgo using their athletic talents to gain a free education. They want to use their athletic talents to gain the money and status that having elite athletic ability gives you in today's society.
The next question is, should this attitude be discouraged? I don't think so. There are a million ways to make a living in this world. Why should anyone be told that they cannot make a living the way they were BORN to? Why should they be forced to participate in something that they see no value in? Do we think they should simply because we KNOW there is value, therefore, they should listen to "US" and believe that we know what is "BEST" for them? Again, that may be what SEEMS best, but that is not the way of the world today.
I think the current NCAA student-athlete model still has it's place, but I think that because of the EXTREME value shift of our society in recent years, there needs to be a secondary option for athletes who do not wish to place a value on the education that could be offered them. This debate would not occur if a player was given a choice to be paid in "minor league football" or sign up for 4 years of college football where they scholarship is the "payment". I simply refuse to believe that athletics must be forced into 1 model. Why can't there be 2 different models for how athletics operate? Will the money in college athletics disappear? Yes. Will there still be the grandiose pageantry to the game as there has been in the past and in today's day and age? Probably not. But will the game be back to the way those of you remember? YES! The game will be stripped of it's inherent "unholiness" (MONEY) and be brought back down to it's very foundation. It's either this, or we "taint" the sport forever by allowing money to creep in and control the players, which strips the game of what it is. Amateur football. Either way, something must be done, and done swiftly.
Incredibly well said. It is obvious that you used your time well to get your education!
I agree, a minor league football league should be formed with money from the NFL.
SWarner63, I agree that a semi-pro football league and college football could co-exist. The problem is that the semi-pro football league will be a loser. It has been tried and failed, a major money loser. The NFL would have to create the semi-pro feeder league to supplement the cost. I don't see this happening again. Hell the USFL and EFL both died from lack of interest from the public.
The current scholarship model needs some tweeking but don't discount the value of the scholarship. Even if the athlete is not in College for the education, he or she will be required to learn some marketable skills. Some athletes can barely write their own name. This is the first time in some athletes life that someone actually cares that they learn something. They should pay additional funds based on grades and make scholarships based on graduation. They have 4 years to play but 6 to graduate. Also, kids should not be penalized for transferring.
The NCAA as a ruling body has lost it focus. The issues that it addressed early on in the 50's were needed. The NCAA is protects the NCAA and member institutions. They could give a damn about the student athlete.
Three simple steps. All can be accomplished with small changes to existing policy.
1) Don't allow freshman to play college football. This will soften the demand for college juniors to jump to the NFL draft. (By the time they're of age to be drafted, they'll have one less year of experience.)
2) Allow those students hoping to pursue careers as professional athletes to major in their sport. (They'd still have to complete the same core curriculum as any other undergrad, but all the time in training and practice can count as credit hours towards their degree in football, softball, lacrosse, whatever.)
3) Allow student-athletes to retain agents and do endorsements and sponsorships without losing their amateur status. (This would let the market determine the value of a given athlete and allow that individual to monetize their popularity without being paid by the school.)
Problem solved. Problem staying solved. Vote for Champ.
Some very good points have been made. But I would like to add a few.
1. While most or 90% athletes are out there to try and make the NFL only a small fraction can and do.
2. Since minor league football has never made it we're left with colleges providing the "training". Unfortunately they must play with guys who are never going to make it, but that's not unlike minor league baseball. Unlike minor league baseball college football is not subsidized by the major leagues. So these elite players are being provided with the training and exposure by the colleges. It's not all a one way street.
3. Yes the colleges make tons of money from college but it is mostly used to support all sports. That used to support football provides the training and exposure that the elite athletes get. If they can get it some other way let them. The NFL is not going to help.
I belive there are some adjustments to be made. Give four year scholarships, but no early draft and no hopping schools. But if you're not going to give four year scholarships then don't make them sit out a year if they transfer. These are not the only ones by any means.
Really good post HT. Maybe we should give these kids the option: Accept a 4-yr scholarship, and you're locked in to that school for your entire college career. Accept only a 1-yr "rollover renewable" scholarship, and you can transfer to another school without punishment, and without sitting out a year. And let the schools decide if they want to offer both types of scholarships or not.
So much for 'amateur' athletics. In 15-20 years we will not even recognize NCAA sports as we've known it. Sad.
I don't think college sports right now look very similar to how they were 15-20 years in the past.
Things have already changed, let's try to point future changes in as positive a direction as possible.
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