Opting out of Bowl Games

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Dave H said:
Life lesson? You mean like risking generational wealth to play an extra game almost no one cares about?
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"Risk Management" could indeed be a very valuable "Life Lesson".
 

1983 said:
This is all crap. Just play. You can get hurt at the combine or working out, it happens. Opting out is not a great life lesson.
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What if you change Jake Butt to random student?

You have a multi-million dollar contract on the line.
You have an optional test the week of finals. If you do well, it does not benefit you. If you do poorly, it could severely hurt your contract.
Do you take the test to learn a life lesson?
 

MNfootballfan said:
What if you change Jake Butt to random student?

You have a multi-million dollar contract on the line.
You have an optional test the week of finals. If you do well, it does not benefit you. If you do poorly, it could severely hurt your contract.
Do you take the test to learn a life lesson?
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The risk of a life or career changing event is a lot lower in the final than a bowl game.😏

Risk management moving back to November 1 or so worries me as well. I get sitting out but would rather see them play. Do we have any idea how many players have lost draft position and money by getting injured in bowl games since this became an issue?
 

Holy Man said:
The risk of a life or career changing event is a lot lower in the final than a bowl game.😏

Risk management moving back to November 1 or so worries me as well. I get sitting out but would rather see them play. Do we have any idea how many players have lost draft position and money by getting injured in bowl games since this became an issue?
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It isn't 'just' the risk of injury anymore, either.

It is the head start they get in training for the NFL draft. And, yes, the training can be difference making in that it helps with the specific NFL testing done at the combine and pro days. An extra month of that training can move someone up the draft board. That training will not be done while getting ready for a bowl game.

I wish more guys would play in the bowl game, too, but there is so much money on the line, etc., I don't begrudge anyone choosing to opt out of a bowl game in Charlotte or Shreveport or El Paso or Nashville, etc.
 
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So guys that opt out, I sure hope the taxpayers of Minnesota aren’t paying for any of their continued education.

To be honest a lot of people are asking why we are going to pay for school for highly paid semi-professional athletes? It’s a pretty good question
 

tjgopher said:
It isn't 'just' the risk of injury anymore, either.

It is the head start they get in training for the NFL draft. And, yes, the training can be difference making in that it helps with the specific NFL testing done at the combine and pro days. An extra month of that training can move someone up the draft board. That training will not be done while getting ready for a bowl game.

I wish more guys would play in the bowl game, too, but there is so much money on the line, etc., I don't begrudge anyone choosing to opt out of a bowl game in Charlotte or Shreveport or El Paso or Nashville, etc.
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Frankly, I think it’s fun to watch some of the young kids play in the bowl game.
 

WoodburyTim said:
So guys that opt out, I sure hope the taxpayers of Minnesota aren’t paying for any of their continued education.

To be honest a lot of people are asking why we are going to pay for school for highly paid semi-professional athletes? It’s a pretty good question
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Agree...ideally no more scholarships now that they are paid employees...but also hard to do that as long as other schools offer that.
 




MNfootballfan said:
What if you change Jake Butt to random student?

You have a multi-million dollar contract on the line.
You have an optional test the week of finals. If you do well, it does not benefit you. If you do poorly, it could severely hurt your contract.
Do you take the test to learn a life lesson?
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Again, I feel like Jake Butt isn't the best example, though. It wasn't some small game, it was the Orange Bowl. I feel like the opt out scenarios apply a lot less to the NY6 field of games during that time period.

Of course they still had at the time the option to opt out, but I don't think the NY6 bowls were really considered meaningless. I think looking specifically at that season, Michigan probably was even more motivated after that narrow loss to Ohio State.
 

WoodburyTim said:
So guys that opt out, I sure hope the taxpayers of Minnesota aren’t paying for any of their continued education.

To be honest a lot of people are asking why we are going to pay for school for highly paid semi-professional athletes? It’s a pretty good question
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I’m not sure taxpayers foot any of the bill for athletes scholarships. I think yours and my Gopher Fund donations do that. Athletic department is supposed to be a break even proposition.
 

Holy Man said:
I’m not sure taxpayers foot any of the bill for athletes scholarships. I think yours and my Gopher Fund donations do that. Athletic department is supposed to be a break even proposition.
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I am not sure. If the U athletic department isn’t making money then we are, at the least through student fees. I might be wrong, I don’t know.
 

“One of the poster child’s”? Looks like that elite University of Michigan education bypassed Jake during his time there.
 



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