Ron DeSantis endorses Florida bills allowing college athletes to make money

Few observations:
- People arguing this will create "more corruption" via underhanded booster payments are wrong. Typically, legitimizing AND regulating is much more effective than prohibition that ignores reality.
- Arguing that NCAA rules are greater than state rules is a incorrect. All NCAA rules are subservient to state law. Sure the NCAA can make rules that conflict but watch what happens in state court. It means the NCAA will have to pull out of the state or amend its activities/rules to comply with state law. You want to operate in a jurisdiction, you must comply with their laws.
- I do not think this ends with chaos or "ruins college sports". If we are just now "ruining the sport", why was it not ruined when coaches got paid tens of millions? College football became big business years ago and the players are simply the last ones at the trough. This change happened years ago and we are just now reaping what was sown.
- The end game should be an accommodation by the NCAA that pays players more formally with caps. My main hopes are they allow players to go straight to the pros (hopefully forcing the creation of a minor league in football), and they cause part of these funds to be reserved for longer term health insurance and/or educational funds for players. I have little faith in the NCAA to construct a viable program as they have proven that they have to be sued to do anything not directly related to them making more money.
- Hopefully, naively, the NCAA actually decides to enforce whatever rules they create.

Good article on schools selling their souls for $ and the start of these lawsuits they KNEW would come:
“Why,” asked Bryce Jordan, the president emeritus of Penn State, “should a university be an advertising medium for your industry?”
Vaccaro did not blink. “They shouldn’t, sir,” he replied. “You sold your souls, and you’re going to continue selling them. You can be very moral and righteous in asking me that question, sir,” Vaccaro added with irrepressible good cheer, “but there’s not one of you in this room that’s going to turn down any of our money. You’re going to take it. I can only offer it.”
The Shame of College Sports

My main point is that "this" (paying players) is not going to ruin college football. The colleges/presidents/NCAA went down this path a long time ago, it has just taken the weakest stakeholders (players) this long to get thru the court system and legislation to be part of the business they work in.

 

Terrible idea. It will be completely out of control and within 5y we’ll realize this was a colossal mistake ...but won’t be able to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

One professional football league was enough and I’ve already grown to hate it over the last 10-15 years

 

How much did Auburn boosters "donate" to Cam Newtons fathers church again? Bear Bryant dropped bales of hay filled with cash onto family farms. Notre Dame was rumored to have used pro athletes early on before players became recognizable. This has been going on as long as there has been competition and keeping score. This forces it out into the open. I'm for it. Removes a lot of the seedy characters that surround college athletics and puts the management of student athletes into the hands of legit business people and endorsers. We are only on this earth a short while. Get what you can while you can. Who am I to begrudge and put a cap on someones skill set and trade?

 

Then let them go to the NFL straight out of high school if the college education and football experience is not worth as much as they are. Let the market decide. I have a feeling a lot of these kids will all of a sudden realize the 3, 4 or 5 years of college is actually worth more than just the free education they’re getting.

 

I can’t wait to hear the undefeated national championship women’s soccer team at some school complaining why they don’t get the endorsement money that the 6-6 football players get.

 

Anyone who has ever played football knows that the vast majority of players aren't physically developed enough to make that jump. Not a feasible solution.

 

Exactly. Hmmmm, so looks like college football does present more value to a kid than just the education then, huh?

 

If you are someone who opposes this your issue should be with the institutions who decided to monetize and greatly benefit from their own student athletes. It's either a business or it's not. If it is not then schools need to quit running their football programs like they are. Break even and donate the rest to the library. As long as the university exploits students for it's own financial gain the hypocrisy is too much. Free college is great. Still pales in comparison to what Universities make. How about a compromise? If you get paid a certain amount you are off scholarship?

 

I haven't seen anybody suggest it will make the corruption worse. I don't think it's going to change much, except I think there are some kids who may have not taken payments before fearing getting in trouble who might take them now.

My point was just that it won't be hidden anymore.

I think you give the NCAA way too much credit. The NCAA is nothing more than a not-for-profit association of the member schools. They don't have the power to make any laws and they don't have any real authority to enforce them. The states will make laws and the NCAA will be forced to accept them.

Nor do I think the NCAA will be able to cap anything.

 

Exactly. Your solution isn't feasible. Care to offer one that is? Like I said. How many college football players make it to the NFL? Hmmmm, so looks like your analogy only represents .09% of the players we are speaking about. Your analogy isnt even worth mentioning. How many non NFL fan favorites could monetize themselves in college? Looks like college football does present more value to a kid than just education if he, like most, isn't good enough to make it to the NFL and is able to capitalize under the new proposal, huh? I get not being for it but be objective for a second. Do I want it personally? No. It's not about us though.

 

I'm willing to bet the "This will ruin college football" crowd still watches the Gators on Saturday.

 

I didn’t make an analogy.
If you want to get paid then declare for the NFL or CFL or XFL draft and see how that works out for you. It probably won’t end well. And that’s where the actual inherent value lies in playing 3 or 4 years of college football.

 

The NFL rules prevent that. I already stated why it's not a plausible solution. Your argument only holds water if most college football players make it to the NFL. Which they don't. So the other 99% of players shouldn't be compensated because a teammate or two will be? So again, anything feasible to add? Any suggestion that actually makes sense? Or are you content is speaking in circles? "Errr let 'em go to the NFL and see that they need college to develop physically. That'll show 'em!" isnt an intelligent counter point. We already know that. That isn't the debate. The debate is should they be compensated while in college being that 99% of them will never see NFL money and the fact the universities make millions off of them. Having been a student athlete and having a child who is currently a student athlete you simply can't relate unless you were one. You earn that scholarship. It's not given. You work harder than the other students, have less time for school than the other students. Less time to sleep and not a lot of extra time to get a job. There are meal perks and stuff like that sure. Your degree doesnt fix your knees, shoulders, back or head injuries. Your degree doesn't equate to the millions 1% have a shot at. Most entrepreneurs dont even have a degree. Let's all quit pretending they are worth more than they are while we are at it. If a school has the means to compensate a player good for all involved. Will college football change? Yes. It's already gone through a plethora of changes over the 150 years it has existed. As does everything.

 

Yes bit it will free up my Saturday's for the next 5 decades, reduce my alcohol intake to near zero and save me thousands of dollars.

Silver lining.

 

Totally agree. Its opening a can of worms the NCAA doesnt need.

Its going to lead to so many lawsuits and entitlement situations that we wont be able to count them.

 

If anything I hope it ends the NCAA and we end up with something more effective. NCAA has run it's course and is outdated. I'm not saying paying players is the answer. The NCAA as is needs to be abolished though.

 

My issue is that the "likeness" money makes every local Gator club a buying cartel of worthless crap. I don't need ten Copland jerseys, but if he is getting a cut and demanding a certain amount be sold, we will all be passing the hat at the bar, likely for a different player each week. If we are buying jerseys or buttons, it is essentially just to funnel money to the player. I actually would prefer that it just be things like his face on a button, we will all "buy" ("donate?") the same amount of money and it is easier to throw out buttons.

 

Should then the students be offered developmental contracts like European Soccer Academies, where they get paid, but owe a portion of their later contracts back to the academy? I think that would be fair. Unfortunately, the "Likeness" laws don't have anything to do with future success, or even success in college. Every five star will demand (as makes sense) that their merch get sold so the money goes to them or they are leaving.

 

I see a dodge dealership in Tuscaloosa using a lot of Bama players to promote their cars/dealerships by loaning them autos while in school. Of course, this is already going on under the table.

Since no one can set the market value boosters and bagmen will just say give a kid 200,000 to put a players face on a bill board to sell pancakes in Knoxville or bbq sauce in Austin. Those are the promises that will be used in recruiting to entice players to certain schools.

A side effect of this is some players may be better off with the current bagman system cuz no taxes are paid. Now, the kids will have to file taxes on what they get paid. Which may bring the IRS digging into situations where player a doesn’t file or files with minimal income but you see him driving a new corvette and on billboards around town whole player b has a new caddy but counts that on income on his tax return. Capone was busted by the irs so that is a whole other angle,

 

We might as well get a jump on the hillbilly states and keep some of these 5 stars away from Bama while we can. It's a chance to finally get our roster back up to where it was during the Meyer years.