College Football Isn't About the Players

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Iceland12

Iceland12

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It might be for them, but its about the schools.

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/07/28/the-college-connection/?sct=hp_wr_a5&eref=sihp

It's long, but a couple of excerpts:

What is the question here? Let’s talk about this for a second before moving to the big point. Most people frame the question like so: Should the best college athletes in the most successful sports be paid for all the hard work they put in and for all the revenue they help generate at colleges across America?

When the question is framed like that, it’s hard to see how there are two sides to the argument: OF COURSE they should get paid. This is America.

But, really, that’s not the question, is it? I hate to bring up this old bit, but to get where we are going I must: Big time athletes do get paid. They get free college tuition. We all used to believe that was worth something (parents of college-aged kids know that it’s worth something). They get room and board. At the kinds of schools we are talking about, they get incredible facilities to train, the best coaching available (how much does it cost just to send your child to one of these coaches’ CAMPS?), public relations machines to help them build their brand, national exposure, free travel, the best doctors, direct access to the professional ranks, youthful fame that can open doors for the rest of their lives, priceless experiences and so on. How much do you think parents would pay to send their son to play four years of basketball at Duke for Mike Krzyzewski? Is there a price tag you could put on that?

.......


Ask yourself this: What would happen if tomorrow every single player on the Auburn football team quit and re-formed as a professional team called the Birmingham Bandits. Who would go to their games? Anyone? How much would those talented young men get paid?

Ask yourself this: What would happen if all the ACC basketball schools dropped their players and replaced them with Division II talent? Would North Carolina-Duke suddenly play in empty arenas?

Ask yourself this: Say the first, second and third All-America Teams in college football tomorrow went into the NFL. They just left. How many fewer fans would the college games draw? How many fewer people would watch Texas and Tennessee and Iowa?
 

I get what the writer is getting at but I think some of his points are WAY off base.

(1) I think it's pretty weird to hint that the kids are getting paid because they get the opportunity to work with elite coaches. That is just a strange way to look at it.
(2) The "free travel" line had to be tongue-in-cheek.
(3) The "public relations building their brand" is really missing the boat. The only players who this matters to at all are the elite of the elite. Even the very good players, the future NFL players (most of them), don't have a public relations from their universities building their brand.

-These are silly ideas. I'm not saying that I think the players should get paid but to hint that these things are the equivelent of some sort of payment is laughable.
 

You should read the whole article Bob.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I get what the writer is getting at but I think some of his points are WAY off base.

(1) I think it's pretty weird to hint that the kids are getting paid because they get the opportunity to work with elite coaches. That is just a strange way to look at it.
(2) The "free travel" line had to be tongue-in-cheek.
(3) The "public relations building their brand" is really missing the boat. The only players who this matters to at all are the elite of the elite. Even the very good players, the future NFL players (most of them), don't have a public relations from their universities building their brand.

-These are silly ideas. I'm not saying that I think the players should get paid but to hint that these things are the equivelent of some sort of payment is laughable.
Click to expand...

They're not silly at all. Especially #1. Think if you were an aspiring investment guru and Warren Buffett gave you the opportunity to sit at his right hand, every day, for 4-5 years, for 20 hours a week. How much would that be worth to you? Now, imagine that he not only allowed you to follow him around and he would teach you everything he knows, he would also pay for every cent of your college education? Doesn't that sound like an amazing and unbelievable opportunity? Wouldn't every incoming business student in the country fall all over themselves for that opportunity?

Now, take the exact same paragraph, substitute "Nick Saban", "Kirk Ferentz", or "Bob Stoops" for "Warren Buffett", and you have what it means to hold a Division I-A football scholarship.
 

Free tuition for 5 years + room and board. That is probably worth about $200,000 at the U when it is all said in done. That is roughly like getting paid $40,000/year to do something you love and get a great education out of it. That will get you a better paying job in the real world or maybe a better one playing in the NFL.

Also, nobody is forcing any of these players to go to college. They can get a job in the real world right out of high school. This is a choice, it is not forced on them.
 


dpodoll68 said:
They're not silly at all. Especially #1. Think if you were an aspiring investment guru and Warren Buffett gave you the opportunity to sit at his right hand, every day, for 4-5 years, for 20 hours a week. How much would that be worth to you? Now, imagine that he not only allowed you to follow him around and he would teach you everything he knows, he would also pay for every cent of your college education? Doesn't that sound like an amazing and unbelievable opportunity? Wouldn't every incoming business student in the country fall all over themselves for that opportunity?

Now, take the exact same paragraph, substitute "Nick Saban", "Kirk Ferentz", or "Bob Stoops" for "Warren Buffett", and you have what it means to hold a Division I-A football scholarship.
Click to expand...

+1
 

I'm all in favor of a developmental league for players who don't want to go to college. If they don't like the compensation offered by a college scholarship isn't something they are interested in (the cash value is worth more than most 18 year olds would make) they can try their luck elsewhere. There are many people who volunteer for positions where they have little or no compensation. Many people take unpaid internships just for the experience. And then of course there are D-III players who work as hard as anyone else.
 

I wonder if the UFL or AFL has an age limit - those would be an option if you want to get paid and not go to college.
 

I don't think any of the football leagues will take anyone who is college age. They all want players who have had their training in college anyway.
 



Would you really watch a football version of Street Hoops?

No thanks.
 


That's a great article, his conclusion is indisputably true, IMHO:
"College football is popular because of that first word. Take away the college part, add in money, and you are left with professional minor league football and a developmental basketball league. See how many people go watch that."

My only gripe with the article comes in at: "Schools are drowning NOW. I have good friends, both of them have good jobs, both of them have saved responsibly, and they have no idea how they can afford to send all three of their kids to college. No idea. And their kids are smart, they’re getting some scholarship money, but the price is still overwhelming. Look around: Schools are slashing sports. They are raising tuition prices. They are cutting scholarships. "

Schools aren't drowning, unless you mean they're drowning in oceans of money. Tuition has never been higher, research grants have never been higher. Yes, gov't support has been down slightly, but do you realize that our beloved U has over 2100 administrators. Joel Maturi has 7 assistant ADs. Pres. Bruininks (and presumably, now Pres Kaler) has his own full time speechwriter. The Vice President of Human Resources has a Chief of Staff that made $137K in 2009. It is true that it's getting harder for the middle class to pay for college, but that doesn't mean the schools are poorer.
 

dpodoll68 said:
They're not silly at all. Especially #1. Think if you were an aspiring investment guru and Warren Buffett gave you the opportunity to sit at his right hand, every day, for 4-5 years, for 20 hours a week. How much would that be worth to you? Now, imagine that he not only allowed you to follow him around and he would teach you everything he knows, he would also pay for every cent of your college education? Doesn't that sound like an amazing and unbelievable opportunity? Wouldn't every incoming business student in the country fall all over themselves for that opportunity?

Now, take the exact same paragraph, substitute "Nick Saban", "Kirk Ferentz", or "Bob Stoops" for "Warren Buffett", and you have what it means to hold a Division I-A football scholarship.
Click to expand...

I don't think getting an internship with Warren Buffett is akin to playing college football. Warren Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire and Hathaway, this is his business and where he makes his money. All of the employees of Berkshire Hathaway get paid and they don't get paid in expertise and opportunities to be around Warren Buffett. I'm sure he takes on interns, and they get the obvious benefit of learning from Warren. Just like Ferentz, Saban, Stoops take on student grad assistants (they would be akin to interns).

These unpaid intern type of situations aren't the majority of Berkshire Hathaway employees. The vast majority ( i'd guess) of employees are getting paid...money.

Now, as far as a college education being paid for, well, Ferentz isn't paying for their college, Iowa is. However, I do agree that is payment, that is why I left it out of my critique of the article. Because I do agree, that is a form of compensation for the football players.

I'm not even arguing that college football players should get paid and I realize no one is making these kids play. I just laugh at the silliness (to me) in the arguments that they actually are getting paid (besides the full ride).
 



DLguy said:
Free tuition for 5 years + room and board. That is probably worth about $200,000 at the U when it is all said in done. That is roughly like getting paid $40,000/year to do something you love and get a great education out of it. That will get you a better paying job in the real world or maybe a better one playing in the NFL.

Also, nobody is forcing any of these players to go to college. They can get a job in the real world right out of high school. This is a choice, it is not forced on them.
Click to expand...

No one is arguing that it is forced on them and I don't think anyone is arguing that the free college tuition isn't a form of compensation. I only had a problem with some of the writer's points about what is compensation. Saying that get to travel for away games (and to school and home) as a form of compensation is silly....it'd be like saying "hey, they get to wear those fancy uniforms and get a Gopher sweatshirt".
 


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