if NCAA players want to get paid- they could easily get paid

[karlchilders.sixpack]

and I would hope no one was talking about paying Div. I athletes in non-revenue generating sports more money, they already get a sweet deal).

Do for one, you going have to do for all...that's the law, so I understand.

 

[DerHntr]

how are they going to organize with the other team with no one finding out? plus you said earlier they could getother teams on board too. so Iguess they wouldn't tell their coaches either.

good lord this is a stupid thread

 

[Johnson85]

asdf

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Don't worry about changing the scholarship. Just have no rules concerning student athletes making money from sources other than the university. The university cannot pay them or setup other businesses that do pay them.

Let them earn money and report it and pay taxes on it. This will be outside of Title IX since the school is not providing the job. Let agents register with the NCAA under a set of rules. Then Student Athletes can have agents that are certified by the NCAA. It is all above board.

The argument is that the Alabamas of the world will have even more of an advantage. They won't because there is still only 24 starting jobs (kickers) on a football team and there will still only be 85 scholarships for each team.

 

[Coach34]

B) players could organize it without Saban and Miles knowing- very easily<div>
</div><div>And by the other teams doing it- it would be all over every news outlet in the country- and teams could just take it from there.</div>

 

[dudehead]

I love it.

 

[klerushund]

...no one is forcing these guys (white, black, or 17ing magenta for that matter) to accept a scholarship and play college football. They can leave and join the workforce any time they get ready.

 

[JackShephard]

"Cartels" aka companies do this everyday. I work for a multi-billion dollar fortune 500 company....I only get a salary and some stock purchase options. Yes, I am at least as responsible for making them millions as Aaron Feld was for MSU athletics.

It's not "collusion". It's been run this way for 120 years, and there were no secrets about that when all of these players signed their LOI (contract - stating they would play for a certain school in return for a scholarship). It's no different then when I signed my contract saying I would work for x amount of dollars. This isn't some secret that was just dropped on these guys suddenly. Let em quit if they don't like it, it's a choice. Millions more would clamor to replace them on the roster in return for a scholarship. They get fame and notoriety along with it too, which, in turn, usually helps land them jobs they're not really qualified for after they finish school. How many ex-athletes do you know pulling down $100k-$150k+ in medical, HVAC or other sales job? I know 3 off the top of my head, and none of them finished a degree or where even in a program that qualified them for that job to begin with.

They get theirs. Move on. </p>

 

[DerHntr]

players could organize it without Saban and Miles knowing- very easily

Ever heard of those really neat websites called Twitter and Facebook? I'm damn glad you aren't talking about any MSU players trying this plan to get paid because I am certain multiple players would be updating the web about it within minutes.

No way in hell Saban and Miles would have something of this magnitude, with cross-team contact involved, and not find out. You are nuts.

 

[SwampDawg]

I was trying to make the point that they get a college degree for playing, or at least standing on the sidelines, of football games. Each of them should realize that they may not make it to the pros (due to lack of talent, torn ACLs, or whatever) and therefore should pick a major that will do them some good after graduation. I was trying to make the point that if they are of average intelligence they should be able to get a business degree, or similar, that will do them some good if they fail to make the pros (as opposed to the lesser degrees that are made available to them.) I realize that practice, travel, and games take a lot of time. I also realize that I am not the brightest bulb in the package and I pretty much coasted through 4 years and would up doing pretty well.

 

[Johnson85]

"Cartels" aka companies </p>

 

[Incognegro]

I'll just say it was more on me for forgetting to address that one point. That said, I hear you but from my experience with a lot of the individuals that have made it to the collegiate level of football, there's a good bit of them that are at least trying to get a decent degree and a smaller portion of those happen to be the ones that have had some impressive way of managing football on top of going to school for engineering, law or even trying to be a doctor. There are, however, quite possibly a vast majority of them that aren't getting a degree in anything that will serve them well in life. My stance on that wavers depending on the person.<div>
</div><div>School isn't for everybody, and I'm willing to wager that there's a good bit of football players that school just isn't for them as they're the type of people that would do better in life on their physical merits. I don't really have a problem with that, especially when there are players that are trying to use football to get themselves out of situations that they once grew up in. In this day and age, we put such a focus on education to the point to where it's hard to become somebody if you're not "educated". That's for a whole other discussion and I'm not going to dive too deeply into that. There are also a lot of players that could use their minds if they applied themselves and have had their heads filled up with thoughts of grandeur saying that they're destined to be in the NFL. Those are the ones I usually have an issue that squander their opportunities given to them, but they don't really change my outlook on players getting financialreimbursements.</div><div>
</div><div>Even though I do support the idea, I'm not going to parade the idea too much because there's no way a school could realistically afford to put all of their scholar athletes on a payroll especially due to Title IX. Because of that, I don't really see it being in the athletes futures to where they could get paid legally because of that issue only.</div>

 

[Dawgzilla]

The big schools already have an advantage, but this would just widen the gap. Hell the PUNTER at Alabama could probably sign a 5 figure endorsement deal, and get thousands at autograph functions. That just isn't going to work the same at MSU. MSU has a hard enough time convincing a high school kid to pick them over Alabama -- imagine if he was also being told he can make 6 figures a year at Alabama and won't make close to that at MSU.

It would certainly be fair to allow the players to make money off of their own image and all, but it would destroy college sports as it would widen the gap between the haves and have nots.

The real problem we have is the historical anomaly that we have college sports and no minor leagues. No one would stand for a college draft, since you would essentially be telling a high school graduate where he can go to school, but wide open free agency won't work well for the sport.

 

[AndyMSU]

I actually like this idea from a personal freedoms standpoint. I am scared of it from the standpoint of just how much leverage the players actually have.

I just have one major question about the whole idea???

If this is the beginning of such a union, whee to I send my <span style="text-decoration:line-through">wire transfer information</span> resume for union leader?

 

[Rezpup]

putting teams on probation for illegal recruiting (which they shouldnt) we wouldnt have this problem. Just pretend its all ameture. Hell we all bid for the same dandy dozen every year anyway!

 

[rabiddawg]

but just where in the hell is all this money going to come from to pay these players. You will have to pay each one the same amount and will have to pay ALL student-athletes. And then the band will want in, then the cheerleaders, then the dance squad, then the mascots. You will end up having a $20,000,000.00 overhead just to pay your student-athletes. So do our tickets end up costing us $1000.00 per seat per game, after your donation. And of course, after you start paying them, the firsy thing someone will say is "it isn't enough". Remember the NFL player from years ago saying he couldn't live off his measly 5 million a season.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

You ain't getting the 5 star guy now and you won't get him until you win. Same with every other position. A kid will be able to make more money starting somewhere else in the SEC than being 2nd or 3rd string on a Bama or LSU.

The gap will not widen. They will get exactly the same players they get now.

However, if we are adhering to rules and the others in the SEC are not, if it is all brought above board a Mississippi kid might accept making a little less money at MSU than they might make at a bigger fanbase school.

 

[JackShephard]

i just thought it was stupid to use it in the context you did. The NCAA is a business, a company, not a cartel. The players "working" for the NCAA is no different than any of us working for our companies. </p>

 

[Dawgzilla]

[No message]

 

[Johnson85]

Depending on which definition you want to you, the the cartel is actually the agreement between the NCAA member institutions or the actual group of member institutions. The NCAA is just the enforcement mechanism/management organization for the cartel.

And it's very different from somebody working for their company, unless their company has formed a cartel with other companies in the industry to restrict wages.

It's not very different from other professional athletes working for teams that are members of a league, i.e., a cartel. The difference is in that situation, people haven't been scammed by the whole amateurism canard and therefore it is easier for the players to also work together to look out for their own best interest and harder for the members of the cartel to paint the players as being greedy and entitled for wanting wages set by a competitive market. That's why half or more of the NBA revenue flows to players but NCAA revenue flows to coaches, AD's, etc.

 

[DAWG61]

already get paid. Want more? Go to the NFL. Not good enough to play in the NFL? Then shut the 17 up and enjoy your free school, free apartment, free food and free *****. The rest of the world has to work and pay for these things. Want extra cash? Do security for the Waffle House in Tuscaloosa.

 

[dawgoneyall]

I noticed in this thread is that some believe that colleges make money off of sports. BS. They take in a lot but spend more........thus booster clubs (ex. Bulldog Club).

$2000 X 384 = a lot. Bama and Fla and LSU can afford this.....can MSU, Miss Southern, UAB etc afford this?

 

[dudehead]

The rest of the world has to work and pay for these things.

competitive teams in competitive conferences will work harder in one year than you or I will work in 10.

 

[Coach34]

fully scholarshipped athletes- and then the other stipends would be calculated based on scholarship percentage.<div>
</div><div>And before you say- "well, that's not fair to soccer and tennis"- you need to remember that schools couldnt even play soccer or tennis if it wasnt for football and basketball funding it.</div><div>
</div><div>The BCS schools turn a profit on athletics thanks to TV money from football and basketball- and they are tired of being held back by the other schools. Thats why you are seeing a move to bigger conferences, and eventually radical change to college football and basketball.</div>

 

[DAWG61]

someone when their are millions of kids that would gladly trade places with them? They ALREADY get way more than everyone else in college. So the top tier kids want money? Then go to the NFL or form minor league football with salaries. Once they start paying them they will forever be paying. How many new pairs of Nikes do they need? They already get 20 free pairs a year. I knew many athletes at State and not one of them was hurting for cash. They used to joke about all the free **** they got and the extra spending cash already. Everything is ALREADY paid for with EXTRA spending cash included.

 

[Coach34]

arent getting 20 pairs of Nike's a year and have all the money they need for things.<div>
</div><div>As far as other kids trading places, so what? Would you still want to watch a D-III level game at Scott Field 6 times a year? You can drive to Millsaps and watch all of that you want...</div><div>
</div><div>I'm sorry- but ESPN gives us 13M a year to broadcast our games...our school sells #1, #14, and #17 jerseys because of who is wearing them...the NCAA gets millions from EA Sports to use the likenesses and attributes of the players...and so on and so on- the players deserve a little something too</div>

 

[DAWG61]

if they are scholarship football players they do. How much money does the University spend on each athlete a year? $50,000+ and just what exactly do you think these kids will spend the extra cash on? 95% of it will be spent on stupid **** that appeals to the college kid. Good idea! Lets baby them some more so when football is over and their is no more money coming their way they will be able to cope like all the other college grads are doing.

 

[JackShephard]

nm

 

[JackShephard]

i didn't play football past high school, but i played college athletics on a championship caliber team. Complete BS. If it's true for you, your boss should fire you.

College baseball players have it worse than football anyway. The game of football itself is more demanding, physically, but in terms of time and being away from class...baseball is tougher hands down.

 

[Dawgzilla]

I mean, there are millions of athletes out there who would gladly play in the NFL for far less money than the Union players wanted, so why didn't they just run a scab league?

Maybe its because the fans want to see the best product available.

If the SEC suddenly stopped giving scholarships to athletes, the money would dry up real fast. Sure, there are fans who would still go to games just because MSU is their school, but you wouldn't see 100,000 people in the stands at Bryant-Denny, CBS would no longer pay the big TV money, and you wouldn't pay a guy like Nick Saban $5 million per year to coach your non-scholarship players.

College football and basketball are HUGE businesses. They generate TV and ticket revenue, and account for the vast majority of donations to Booster Clubs. Having good teams also increases merchandise sale and academic donations, so the Universities directly benefit from on-field success as well.

Now, some of that money would be generated no matter who is wearing the uniform....it's just a fact of organized sports that you have a certain level of fan interest even if the product on the field sucks (Hell, the Saints ran their entire organization on that principle before Benson came along). But that guaranteed revenue only goes so far.

Successful performance jacks up the revenue in many ways. Yes, most of that money is re-invested into the non-revenue sports, but the players deserve a little of that jack, too, particularly the money made off of their own image. The first place to turn for that money is the coaches' salaries. Saban already said he would be willing to share some of his salary with his players....tell him to put up or shut up.

The problem is, as much as the players deserve the money, there is no decent way to give them the money without upsetting competitive balance. Even this modest stipend threatens to screw things up since a) not all schools can afford the stipend; and b) it just opens up more ways to hide illegal payments to players.