Starting point: let players make money off their own image
Yeah, that was the point of the O’Bannon case and it completely backfired.
Starting point: let players make money off their own image
Yeah, that was the point of the O’Bannon case and it completely backfired.
I disagree. The current system works well for everyone: players, coaches, schools, media, and fans. Many players gain entrance into schools for which they otherwise would not qualify, they have access to world-class facilities, they have top-notch trainers/healthcare/coaching/nutrition, and they have $50,000 in tuition, room, and board covered annually.
The system encourages high school athletes to maintain their grades. If the US system wasn’t working, why would so many kids and their families strive for athletic scholarships? Why would student-athletes from other countries come to the US to play college sports? Why would European countries and Japan have interest in copying the US college sports system?
The system has been tweaked some (cost of living scholarships, stipends) and probably could probably be tweaked a little more (pro leagues should allow players entry out of high school). But blowing up the whole system seems like a terrible idea for all involved.
99% of the time in college athletics it is the school, not the players, that generates the fan interest and money. In the 1% of the cases in which the college player generates the interest (think Zion), the current system works well for them too. Zion got a massive amount of hype from his year at Duke, which propelled him to the number 1 pick and tons of endorsements.
One of the most hated names in sports is Ed O’Bannon. He thought he was fighting for the players and trying to get them money, but it completely backfired and now NCAA games are no longer made and gamers and current college athletes curse his name continuously (just check social media).
How is this good for the players? In addition to the demands of major college sports, which are considerable, they find themselves at a distinct disadvantage in the classroom. Seems like being accepted into a school for which you are academically poorly qualified or prepared is more of a burden than an advantage, if not an outright prescription for failure. Why do we need more failure? and why should people profit from it?
How is this good for the players? In addition to the demands of major college sports, which are considerable, they find themselves at a distinct disadvantage in the classroom. Seems like being accepted into a school for which you are academically poorly qualified or prepared is more of a burden than an advantage, if not an outright prescription for failure. Why do we need more failure? and why should people profit from it?
It gives them a great opportunity. Just because they don’t have the test scores it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t smart enough. Plus they get a ton of academic support and take lighter class loads, which both increase the chance of academic success.
It can be difficult to predict who will have academic success in college. Across all students, some fail or drop out because of social issues, academic issues, finances, etc. I think giving student athletes an opportunity in college, some of whom did not have many academic opportunities up to that point in life, is great.
The record of graduating athletes, and especially ones poorly prepared for or equipped to do college work is not very good at a number of institutions. Admitting kids who are going to be in well over their heads academically remains a dubious idea, especially when many people, and often not the athletes themselves, are profiting from it.
Even worse, poorly prepared, and perhaps inadequately motivated, students are then steered into easy, insubstantial classes, with light work loads, in order to remain eligible.
I understand that this current system and all its faults works for many people making a living from college athletics but I don't think that admitting inadequately prepared student athletes to schools, where they will have a very difficult time being academically successful, serves their interests particularly well. Some may succeed despite the difficulties but many do not, perhaps cannot, and these would have been better served by attending institutions of high education that are better suited to their level of preparation, abilities and academic motivation. Or, perhaps they don't belong in college at all.
Rafi, that's a very deceptive number. How many of those athletes are non-scholarship(or partial)? How many are in non-revenue sports?
it would?
just curious Rafi, are you a financial beneficiary of the current system?
Yep, CT, IL and CA. Dumb, dumber and dumbest.
Yeah, that was the point of the O’Bannon case and it completely backfired.
It's time to end the hypocrisy, one way or another.
What we have now is an exploitative indentured servant program. I know many enjoy the current system (and fuck the college athlete, right?)