So, the pretense is really gone about NCAA athletics, especially BB.

keets

It has long been understood that NCAA athletic programs are a farce, that there is no intention to "help" the players with their education. They're just pimped out by the schools to reap millions. After the recent March Madness it's clear that Jalen Suggs will be gone after one season and now Gonzaga has reeled in the next prospect, Chet Holmgren, who makes no bones about it: he'll be gone after one season and playing in the NBA.

It changes my opinion about paying the College players and telling the Alumni Organizations that they need to move to the back of the line. It also makes me think about guys like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, both of whom skipped out on the NCAA and did just fine.

Al H.

1951WheatiesPremium

@keets said:
It has long been understood that NCAA athletic programs are a farce, that there is no intention to "help" the players with their education. They're just pimped out by the schools to reap millions. After the recent March Madness it's clear that Jalen Suggs will be gone after one season and now Gonzaga has reeled in the next prospect, Chet Holmgren, who makes no bones about it: he'll be gone after one season and playing in the NBA.

It changes my opinion about paying the College players and telling the Alumni Organizations that they need to move to the back of the line. It also makes me think about guys like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, both of whom skipped out on the NCAA and did just fine.

Al H.

This is not entirely true. Kids good enough to make the jump from high school are few and far between. Over time, some one and done players have been good, others not. Actually, many others not. For every LeBron, Kobe or Garrnett there’s been plenty of kids of all eras who thought more of their game than they should. As an NYC guy, Sebastian Telfair, Lamar Odom, Felipe Lopez and Stephon Marbury come to mind. Talent is a lot but not enough by itself.

As for the rest of it? Very reflective of today’s society where we spend quite a bit of time worrying about things that impact a small number of people; our society needs much better balance in this regard and as it pertains to this situation, 95% of college athletes are there to get an education and do value the free education which while often sloughed off is now $150,000 to $250,000 of very real student debt loans they will never be burdened by because they no there is no professional sports in their futures. So much goes back to the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit which never made sense to me; those games are annual. Not many people play the old year. And most people play with the school they root for, not with the players - meaning a gamer who plays NCAA on XBox plays with UCLA every year regardless of whom is actually there, I would think.

School’s certainly enable their athletes in many ways if that is what the athlete wants and needs. But the 8th, 9th and 10th man who comes in to raucous applause in blowouts is probably going to class, taking tests, writing papers and learning something .

I simply don’t understand how people so willingly assign zero value to a college education that costs a quarter million to those not on an athletic scholarship when so many college athletes leave school and enter the normal workforce.

And what becomes of coaching dynamics when players earn more than the coach? We’ve already seen how it plays out in the pros...

erikthredd

The NBA was very close to allowing HS players to go straight into the NBA again and this upcoming 2021-22 draft was going to be when it happens but now there’s a holdup on it because teams want access to the player’s full medical history which I guess they don’t currently get,IIRC.

I’m all for these kids getting the chance to get paid asap but I would prefer to see them go thru a season or two of college ball first before heading to the NBA. Most of these kids coming into the NBA at 17-18yrs old aren’t ready physically or maturely to play in that environment and for every Kobe or Lebron there are hundreds of players that don’t make it past their rookie contract.

I know this would never happen but I’d love to see the NCAA find a way to pay the players but make it that they can’t enter the draft until after their sophomore season. This way they’ll be a couple years older having spent that time in a college program preparing themselves physically/mentally for the NBA while playing against a higher level of competition that they faced in HS. And in many cases,but not all, they’d also be halfway to reaching their diploma.

That all being said, I can see the NCAA running into all kinds of issues if they do decide to go down that rabbit hole starting with do they pay all of the players equally? Does the 10th best player on the team deserve the same amount as their top player? If the men’s BKB and FB teams gets paid then do you do the same with the lacrosse, baseball or swim teams? What if your woman’s BKB program is better than the men’s team?

Justacommeman

Zero problem with it. If you're good enough to play in the NBA or G League and someone wants to pay you money for your services then good on you. One and dones have been going on for years. It is what it is and plan accordingly

m

keets

95% of college athletes are there to get an education and do value the free education

that might be true but the amount of time required to fulfill the athletic side of things robs a lot of players of their potential on the education side of things. that's why the overwhelming majority of players tend towards Business type degrees and/or need to continue classes after their athletic commitment is done. my Stepson provides a good example: he was stud coming out of High School and could have gotten a free ride at some smaller D1 schools. he reasoned that the time needed for Sports really lessened his academic choices. in the end he left Football behind and took a partial academic scholarship at a D1 school for six years and came out with a Chemical Engineering Degree.

to the pay the players BS, I don't really think they need to do that, but they should remove all the restrictions and allow the student athletes to make money in ways that are now banned by the NCAA. as we speak, Legislation to that effect is in the planning, look for it by years end.

Justacommeman

The NCAA has also tried to balance the scales a little bit with players leaving school early by the graduate senior portal. It also rewards seniors with another year to showcase their talents on a new team. Win win.

This year every senior gets another year of eligibility because of COVID

m

SanctionII

College sports being labelled as "amateur athletics" has been a misnomer for over 100 years.

It is an industry that generates billions of dollars annually and that pays for the livelihoods of vast numbers of people.

The same industry exists at the high school and even middle school level.

I have no problem with the general concept of college athletes being paid and or receiving other consideration in return for the time and effort they give to their sport and their school. As always, constructing a system that works and meets the needs of all interested parties is not easy to do.

Tabe

@keets said:
After the recent March Madness it's clear that Jalen Suggs will be gone after one season

Suggs announced yesterday that he's leaving.

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

This is not entirely true. Kids good enough to make the jump from high school are few and far between. Over time, some one and done players have been good, others not. Actually, many others not. For every LeBron, Kobe or Garrnett there’s been plenty of kids of all eras who thought more of their game than they should. As an NYC guy, Sebastian Telfair, Lamar Odom, Felipe Lopez and Stephon Marbury come to mind. Talent is a lot but not enough by itself.

Marbury was a multiple-time All-Star who made a fortune in the NBA and had a successful shoe line. He then went over to China and made a lot of money there, playing until he was 40.

Lamar Odom actually played a year of college before going to the NBA where he won 2 titles and a Sixth Man award while earning well over $100m in his career.

I'd say those guys did just fine.

Sebastian Telfair lasted a decade in the NBA.

Felipe Lopez lasted four years.

Maybe they'd have been better off staying longer in (or going to) college but maybe they blow out their knee.

erikthredd

Sebastian Telfair lasted a decade in the NBA.

He was also salary filler in the trade that brought KG to Boston.