Quote:
Originally Posted by Runscott
The Amateur version of the Olympics that I grew up with, was great for fans, but not for the athletes. There was a lot going on in the background that the fans were unaware of - the best U.S. athletes were dirt poor and if they said anything about it, they were banned from participating in competitions. It was a horrible situation for them. It eventually crumbled and the fans cried foul, but it had to happen. I do miss real boxing, real wrestling and real basketball, the way Naismith intended it be played, but all of that is gone. The ironic thing is how crooked things were in the old amateur Olympics. What memories!
Perhaps we are witnessing the same transition with NCAA football?
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Ahhh, I've got a terrible misspelling frozen in time!
Otherwise, I do think we're seeing a transition in NCAA and think change will be in large part driven by public pressure. Things like the O'Bannon case and the Northwestern team are bringing unprecedented attention.. and no matter how you feel about the Northwestern players' arguments, it's undeniable how much leverage these guys carry. Can you imagine how much bargaining power a team choosing NOT to take the field or court just before a national championship game?? How about if they're doing so for a paralyzed teammate who does not have lifetime medical benefits? I think a network (or conference) would pay them $10M on the spot if it could be done secretly. Not saying I hope this happens, but something's gotta change and however it's done, it needs to be done.
Some ideas to throw up on the wall-- players have rights to their names for martketing, advertising/% of jersey sales/autograph sales and this money can be held in a trust... they get 100% if they graduate, and lesser % for each year they leave early... for players kicked out due to poor conduct, maybe money can be donated to scholarship funds of local educational programs?? Perhaps a cap can be set for 1A schools, and money shared amongst players, in a slotted fashion based on playing time... and the truly mega star players would get their extra via endorsements, signings, etc.
I wrote a paper in college on this topic, and remember some of the numbers cited at that time (mid-nineties using late eighties sources). There were references about major bowl games bringing $500K-$600K for teams, etc... which is laughable by today's standards. Not every school is making huge money on their own, but the major conferences are cleaning up... between deals with ESPN/CBS/ABC, the conference cable networks, ticket/merchendise/consession sales, BCS bowl earnings... there is a lot of loot to split up. The fact conference cronies, school ADs, bowl administrators are absolutely cleaning up makes me semi sick when seeing how little most of these players have, and will have long term.
Also- I see NO REASON why a football player need be forced to go to school to pursue his dream. Even 1 and done in basketball seems silly. I think baseball has it best, eligable in HS and committed for 3 years if you enroll in a 4 year school.