Grantland article on the Ed O'Bannon NCAA suit

esplanade91

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Dec 9, 2010
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I'm a huge fan of Grantland. They do a good job of taking sports and the sports industry and making it a real world thing situation.

Insightful stuff. I had no idea about the lawsuit. ESPN shells out millions for the rights to use clips from historic games and such still, those players should split the pie..... After they graduate. 100%. That, or remove the not-for-profit label.
 

KurtRambis4

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Aug 30, 2006
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The NCAA

is probably one of the most corrupt, dishonest organizations ever. I wouldn't mind see them be taken to task. They act as if everything they do is in the "student-athlete's" interests, but it is a farce. All they care about is making money. The NCAA mentions that the athletes are amateurs, but they (NCAA) are bringing in professional level money. 17 'em. Not to mention their attitude to make up rules on the fly.
 

FlabLoser

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Aug 20, 2006
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I'm a huge fan of Grantland. They do a good job of taking sports and the sports industry and making it a real world thing situation.

Insightful stuff. I had no idea about the lawsuit. ESPN shells out millions for the rights to use clips from historic games and such still, those players should split the pie..... After they graduate. 100%. That, or remove the not-for-profit label.


My employer benefits massively from my work. A former employer got royalties for years on something that I patented. I signed up for that. That's life. These players do the same thing.

I see that lawsuit going nowhere...unless I'm wrong about what the athletes are signing when they go on scholarship. Shirley they signed their rights away. The rest of the world usually does that when they go to work for someone.
 

johnson86-1

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2012
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My employer benefits massively from my work. A former employer got royalties for years on something that I patented. I signed up for that. That's life. These players do the same thing.

I see that lawsuit going nowhere...unless I'm wrong about what the athletes are signing when they go on scholarship. Shirley they signed their rights away. The rest of the world usually does that when they go to work for someone.

The rest of the world usually isn't negotiating with a monopsony. O'Bannon has less of an argument since he was not legally prohibited from going straight to the NBA or to Europe to play basketball. And baseball players have no argument now or then. But football players only have one market to sell their services to. Not sure if it's the colleges fault that the NFL excludes players prior to their third year out of highschool, but it screws the players over.
 

esplanade91

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Dec 9, 2010
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My employer benefits massively from my work. A former employer got royalties for years on something that I patented. I signed up for that. That's life. These players do the same thing.

I see that lawsuit going nowhere...unless I'm wrong about what the athletes are signing when they go on scholarship. Shirley they signed their rights away. The rest of the world usually does that when they go to work for someone.

The same goes for if you work at Apple, IBM, or most technology companies. The difference is they pay handsomely for your contribution for the duration of your stay there. Right? You were paid I'm assuming.

I'm not for paying players, I think a college education is enough... But the school pays for that, or at least they accept money for athletic scholarships. NCAA should end every single 17ing year with a $0 balance. They don't though, and they claim they protect the sanctity of amateur sports.

ETA: Split the money equally amongst every institution. Levels the playing field for non-revenue sports. If anything give the profits to charity. I don't think Oscar or the bunch would complain a minute if the money they made was given to a Play 60-esk initiative or some charity fighting American obesity.
 
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FlabLoser

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Aug 20, 2006
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The rest of the world usually isn't negotiating with a monopsony. O'Bannon has less of an argument since he was not legally prohibited from going straight to the NBA or to Europe to play basketball. And baseball players have no argument now or then. But football players only have one market to sell their services to. Not sure if it's the colleges fault that the NFL excludes players prior to their third year out of highschool, but it screws the players over.

What monopoly? A monopoly on BCS level college football?

That's like a monopoly on Madonna. Modonna has a monopoly on...Madonna. So what. There are other options out there.

Countless smaller schools would love to have a football player of BCS caliber and they would compensate them as much, and often more. A free ride at Harvard would be worth a lot more than one at Florida.
 

johnson86-1

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Aug 22, 2012
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What monopoly? A monopoly on BCS level college football?

That's like a monopoly on Madonna. Modonna has a monopoly on...Madonna. So what. There are other options out there.

Countless smaller schools would love to have a football player of BCS caliber and they would compensate them as much, and often more. A free ride at Harvard would be worth a lot more than one at Florida.

M-O-N-O-P-S-O-N-Y. Not monopoly. Monopsony.

The NCAA is the only purchaser of football playing services of people not at least three years out of high school. Or if you want to look at the individual schools, they are colluding to restrict pay to football players that have not been out of highschool at least three years (maybe NAIA schools have football? They are separate from NCAA, correct?).

Not sure if the schools colluding causes any legal issues, but it's a lot different than negotiating with an employer for services that lots of people purchase or use.
 

lazlow

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Jul 9, 2009
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My employer benefits massively from my work. A former employer got royalties for years on something that I patented. I signed up for that. That's life. These players do the same thing.

I see that lawsuit going nowhere...unless I'm wrong about what the athletes are signing when they go on scholarship. Shirley they signed their rights away. The rest of the world usually does that when they go to work for someone.


I hope you got paid more than $2,000 (or whatever it is) a semester.
 

121Josey

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Oct 30, 2012
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At least they get paid more than work-study

I hope you got paid more than $2,000 (or whatever it is) a semester.
The typical non-freshman Arkansas football player received the cash listed below in 2010-11:
$5,500- Pell Grant
$500- Clothing Fund
$8,024- Fall and Spring Room and Board
$3,016- Summer Room and Board

$17,040- Grand Total



Remember, this excludes any money from the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund, the Special Assistance Fund, and any occasional meals provided by boosters. Monthly, football players are looking at $1,420 cash in their pocket without having to buy books or pay tuition and fees. Did you have $1,420 of cash every month in college? If football players were to work a job paying a respectable $10 an hour, they would need to work 36 hours a week for 50 weeks to make $1,420 before taxes to make what they get from their football scholarship and other available money sources.


If someone pays my rent - utilities - telecoms - gym fee - health insurance - season tickets, cooks my meals, educates me, and gives me some spending money (tax free) while I "work/play" part-time and market myself, sign me up. All that's missing is that New Z71.**
 
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