Many good points here. Always wondered how you never hear about players being academically ineligible anymore.
I think there is a distinct ion between what the school pays and what private money can pay a player.
Because it doesn't matter anymore. Oh, nice to see Clay covering football again. I guess the "woke" cow ran out of milk ($$$$).
If it doesn’t matter anymore let’s create a separate league for kids not really attending college. I’d rather see that than the farse we have now.
True, but the legal eagles who have inserted their fingers into this pie are smart enough to know that dissolving the linkages to Colleges and Universities means the gravy train will leave the tracks.
I've said this a million times, but the usual suspects always freak out. You already have a comp for this in European Football (Soccer). Individual contracts between player and team, transfer fees (if required by the team owning the contract) to move while under contract, academies (to develop your own players and not rely on HS, Club or IMG). Even the structure maps out. SEC = PL. BiG = LaLiga, Serie A/Bundesliga = ACC/Big-12. . . . UEFA = NCAA (no real power other than to bar from its competitions). . . . Time to get off the pot and move forward. Genie is never going back in the bottle.
Probably even less. At least there is a modicum of name recognition of many UFL players from fans knowing them from their college days. HS kids in a new league rather than college would be on a fast track to failure.
Most wouldn't hence why it would be a monumental failure. Its the same situation as the current NIL farce. The TRUE NIL value of these HS players is based on playing for State U, not their own name recognition. The calculus would be something like the following: HS Superstar X signs with the Jacksonville Firehawks of the new Too Dumb to go to Class league: NIL value - nada. vs. the current paradigm: HS Superstar Y signs with the Florida Gators after rabid Booster Warbucks pays him to play for his beloved alma mater: "NIL" value - $200K - $2M per annum. Only one of the above scenarios interests the agents, lawyers, entourage, and fans.
Isn't it ironic that we insist that these guys go to class and take special courses to keep them eligible. That makes us happy?
Being a “student” has always been the traditional association between the player and the university he represents. It’s easy to say ‘well, those days are gone so get used to the new paradigm’ — but that’s not as easy as it sounds to this old Gator, and many others. There’s still a significant difference between pulling for a team of guys who are attending UF - many of whom will graduate as Florida Gators - vs. pulling for a bunch of guys who have no association with UF beyond having their services paid for by a handful of rich boosters. And there are still a shitload of kids and parents who value how the school, coaches, and staff can guide the teenager through 4 critical years of maturing and developing into successful and responsible young adults. Oh yeah, there’s also still that degree for the taking if they’re interested. This isn’t about accepting change — it’s watching one thing you loved get replaced by something entirely different. It’s a damn shame there wasn’t another way to monetarily compensate the athletes beyond how they were already being compensated.
It wasn’t perfect and in a lot of cases the classes were a joke, but I was ok with being fooled into pulling for my team of Florida Gator students.
I t doesnt bother me either way, if they play in the swamp and gator fans are there cheeting, im good. I dont care if they pretend to be students or not. I am truly happy for tge ones that do get a good education through sports though.
Just like Europe, competative balance would suck, but not like it doesn't already. Even if it makes sense I just don't see a system like this being adopted, institutions would want more control and athletes less. Compromise is a thing of the past.
This right here. As much as people want to pretend otherwise, most sports fans are rooting for the laundry, not the players. The value is in the college brands.
If it does it will fail. No way whatever that new entity is could compete with CFB in revenue and ultimately salary. The CFL has no restriction to entry, a HS recruit could join that league today and not attend a school. Starting QBs get between 300k-500k Canadian dollars, good luck getting a DJ Lagway type. Way too much money for CFB not to figure out how to make things work. Fans will take the schools side too, Nico was a prime example of that.
