LANK/NIL...

[JD Dupree]

If the Court's rule against the NCAA as it relates to their ability to "regulate" eligibility for college sports, what in turn do the individual college/universities do?? Regulate student athletics by forcing them to pay a "sports participation/activity fee" no more "scholarships"? This all seems like it was pulled out of the movie Idiocracy.

 

[CB4]

Not football, but Jim Larranaga (sp?) just resigned as head coach of Miami basketball for basically the same reasons Saban gave when he retired.

He said that despite going to the Final 4 last year, 8 players bolted from the program, not because they didn't like the coach, or school, or program or whatever...simply because they wanted more money.

Yep. I think the older, experienced head coaches in college that were use to things the way were are going to continue to bail out. It was enough to recruit players to replace the ones leaving due to graduation/expired eligibility. Now you have recruit high schools, recruit transfers and re-recruit the players on your own roster. Jay Wright at Villanova got out. And I suspect many, particularly up in years and in college football and basketball will do the same in the next few years.

It takes a bunch of energy to do the job these days, even with someone operating as general manager over NIL and roster management.

 

[davefrat]

Yep. I think the older, experienced head coaches in college that were use to things the way were are going to continue to bail out. It was enough to recruit players to replace the ones leaving due to graduation/expired eligibility. Now you have recruit high schools, recruit transfers and re-recruit the players on your own roster. Jay Wright at Villanova got out. And I suspect many, particularly up in years and in college football and basketball will do the same in the next few years.

It takes a bunch of energy to do the job these days, even with some operating as general manager over NIL and roster management.

Tony Bennett resigned from UVA for the same reasons, and he's only 55.

And he made a good point in a recent interview that no one seems to be considering. He talked about the psychological toll that it can take on kids/young adults at the highest levels of sports and that it was always a concern before the transfer portal and NIL, and that it's going to get even worse when these young people don't stay in one place long enough to develop personal relationships with coaches and teammates...like who do they lean on for support when they're 22 years old and on their 3rd school in 4 years?

The whole thing is a mess.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I'll confess to old.

Only occasionally and mildly grumpy, but it's been a great few weeks!!!

Don't hate NIL. Players put in enough work to get more than just the scholarship. It needs more structure to avoid this free agency BS for sure though.

I do hate lank and what that's done to Alabama because it's far and above any of the normal NIL crap. Optimistic that we move past that and to whatever structure yea alabama puts in place for the players.

I'll simply say that NIL should be exactly that - income derived based on your name, image, and/or likeness - not a 'soft payroll' for playing at a school.

 

[bamajas]

I'll simply say that NIL should be exactly that - income derived based on your name, image, and/or likeness - not a 'soft payroll' for playing at a school.

And that's what creates the logjam, with some states' laws keeping it from being tied to performance. Yet tying it to performance ought to be the biggest factor. When Olympic or pro athletes underperform, their endorsements are at risk

 

[GeorgiaTider]

The thought of all of this just makes me sick.

A beloved sport --- all but RUINED for the majority of us. I have no idea what it will take to reign it all in.

I am not sure it can be reigned in. Current fans will shake our heads and remember the good ole days. New fans will start with this as the norm and not understand what we are talking about.

 

[teamplayer]

Friend of mine was an asst. coach for a college soccer program back in the 90's.

Practice had to be cancelled because of lightning, so he gave a couple players a ride home because they either walked or biked.

When the head coach found out, the athletic department submitted a notice of possible impermissible benefits for the ride.

Idk whether it actually amounted to an infraction, but the fact that the athletic department thought they needed to report it shows how absurdly tightly things were controlled back then as opposed to now.

What people don't ever admit when they are lined up to bash the NCAA is that those types of rules were passed because boosters were literally paying kids to watch grass grow or even less. Cheating was still rampant. It was like posting a 35 mile per hour speed limit and hoping that would hold people under 60. The NCAA did what they were mandated by their creators to do. I've always wanted my university to do things the right way, win or lose. For many, however, they thought if you weren't cheating that you weren't trying.

 

[davefrat]

What people don't ever admit when they are lined up to bash the NCAA is that those types of rules were passed because boosters were literally paying kids to watch grass grow or even less. Cheating was still rampant. It was like posting a 35 mile per hour speed limit and hoping that would hold people under 60. The NCAA did what they were mandated by their creators to do. I've always wanted my university to do things the right way, win or lose. For many, however, they thought if you weren't cheating that you weren't trying.

Rules designed to prevent boosters from paying kids to do nothing is a far cry from an assistant coach preventing his players from getting struck by lightning in a thunder storm by giving them a ride home from practice.

 

[teamplayer]

Rules designed to prevent boosters from paying kids to do nothing is a far cry from an assistant coach preventing his players from getting struck by lightning in a thunder storm by giving them a ride home from practice.

Maybe, but my point about ridiculous rules being created to combat ridiculous cheating is still the same. One day it's a coach giving a ride home. Next week it's a prostitute giving a ride home. Next week it's a new car so he doesn't have to walk. On and on it goes.

 

[davefrat]

Maybe, but my point about ridiculous rules being created to combat ridiculous cheating is still the same. One day it's a coach giving a ride home. Next week it's a prostitute giving a ride home. Next week it's a new car so he doesn't have to walk. On and on it goes.

That's like saying everything should be illegal because some things should be illegal.

 

[teamplayer]

That's like saying everything should be illegal because some things should be illegal.

I'm not saying I agreed with all of the rules. However, they came about because many universities complained to the NCAA about other universities constantly cheating in so many unbelievable ways. It's a fact whether or not you like it or agree with it.

 

[The Ols]

Tony Bennett resigned from UVA for the same reasons, and he's only 55.

And he made a good point in a recent interview that no one seems to be considering. He talked about the psychological toll that it can take on kids/young adults at the highest levels of sports and that it was always a concern before the transfer portal and NIL, and that it's going to get even worse when these young people don't stay in one place long enough to develop personal relationships with coaches and teammates...like who do they lean on for support when they're 22 years old and on their 3rd school in 4 years?

The whole thing is a mess.

Their “handlers”?

 

[RammerJammer14]

I am not sure it can be reigned in. Current fans will shake our heads and remember the good ole days. New fans will start with this as the norm and not understand what we are talking about.

Rugby Union professionalized in the mid 90s. 96 or 97. It was a huge culture shock for the sport. My grandad had a book on it written around ~2000 called “The Judas Game” about how professionalization was destroying the sport. Now it’s just normal. But these were club (and national) teams, not school teams. The American sports structure is unique with its collegiate component. I just don’t see how it can work.

 

[B1GTide]

Even if Bama had more money than everyone and signed every 5 star on the board and won consecutive national championships in a row i still wouldn't be happy about this situation.

I could find a way to live with it.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

That's like saying everything should be illegal because some things should be illegal.

Not really. What he's pointing out I think is a manifestation of the old saying, "hard cases make bad law"...

 

[JDCrimson]

The parents are probably pushing the transfers moreso than the players themselves. Think about it, if you had a son with high level collegiate ability that could fetch high 6 or low 7 figure NIL deals but he liked the school he was at had friends there but was not receiving a NIL competitive NIL deal. Meanwhile, you have a mortgage maybe another child or two that doesn't have this same athletic ability, maybe you have another child with special needs.

What would you do in this situation? It's easy to bash these players but put yourself in their shoes or their parents shoes for just a moment. The coaches have been negotiating top dollar for 50 years.

We are asking the kids these families to do something we would not do in our own jobs.