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Geo Baker Tweet

Players are not being paid to play, or come to your university

I more of a cynic like Kyk and think recruits will pick teams based on how many appearances they or their alumni get lined up...we already saw how shoe money influenced player decisions.
 
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I think net net college athletics loses money. Any solution that doesn’t reduce coaching pay won’t leave much money.

in D1 hoops, the money losers are the 300 or so non power conference teams (other than the random outlier like SDSU or Gonzaga). Power conferences make plenty of money from TV and tickets.
 
This - 100%. Top coaches make many millions of dollars each year, College FB & BB are multibillion dollar enterprises.

Quick sidebar: The NFL rights fees were just re-upped +85% - $10 billion/year; Expect to similar increases to top NCAA conferences.

The notion of amateurism was dropped many decades ago. The players deserve to get paid. If Shiano can make $5 million a year, paying $1 million or so to the football team and $250,000 to the BB team will not break the bank; it will be rightful shift in priorities.

This. College athletics is a multi-billion dollar industry. The idea a multi-billion dollar industry can exist without "professionals" is willful ignorance.
 
We are -40,000,000. It isn’t because of non revenue sports.

when RU is receiving a full share of Big Ten TV revenue, it is literally impossible to lose that money playing basketball. Nobody in the country even spends that much money on their basketball program.

Also keep in mind when it comes to the costs of athletics, creative accounting gets involved. For example, if tuition at a school is $20K per year it does not cost the university $20K per year for the tuition portion of an athletic scholarship. The marginal cost to the athlete being in a classroom is almost nothing. The class would already exist. The professor is already on payroll. Just because they charge that to someone else does not mean that is what the service costs to provide to an athlete.
 
This. College athletics is a multi-billion dollar industry. The idea a multi-billion dollar industry can exist without "professionals" is willful ignorance.
It can’t exist with professional athletes, that’s for sure.
You want to follow RU sports is a passion using professional athletes.
That’s your idea of collegiate sports
 
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It can’t exist with professional athletes, that’s for sure.
You want to follow RU sports is a passion using professional athletes.
That’s your idea of collegiate sports

If we decided not to pay MLB players or NHL players, but people still pay billions to watch that fact alone simply doesn't and shouldn't make them amateurs. People pay billions of dollars to watch college athletics. Just because we call them amateurs doesn't make the players any less "valuable" than a baseball player or a hockey player.
 
It can’t exist with professional athletes, that’s for sure.
You want to follow RU sports is a passion using professional athletes.
That’s your idea of collegiate sports

Not mine. At that point I will watch the real pros. Not the D league.
 
It can’t exist with professional athletes, that’s for sure.
You want to follow RU sports is a passion using professional athletes.
That’s your idea of collegiate sports
This is how I feel. Maybe others are OK with people playing college basketball for money.
 
This is how I feel. Maybe others are OK with people playing college basketball for money.

A kid getting paid or not does not change the entertainment provided by the level of play on the court.

I don't get a warm special feeling when they don't get paid that makes me want to watch it even more.
 
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If we decided not to pay MLB players or NHL players, but people still pay billions to watch that fact doesn't and shouldn't make them amateurs. People pay billions of dollars to watch college athletics. Just because we call them amateurs doesn't make the players any less "valuable" than a baseball player or a hockey player.

That's actually incorrect. Networks pay billions to then sell advertising slots to make a profit.

Those watching, outside of streaming services, are paying very little. Conference networks might be the exception.
 
If we decided not to pay MLB players or NHL players, but people still pay billions to watch that fact alone simply doesn't and shouldn't make them amateurs. People pay billions of dollars to watch college athletics. Just because we call them amateurs doesn't make the players any less "valuable" than a baseball player or a hockey player.
What?
 
This is how I feel. Maybe others are OK with people playing college basketball for money.

No one today is arguing for paying college athletes. Although that will likely happen. What people are arguing is a college player should have control over his name, image and likeness. If a University sells a "Brian Leonard" jersey or a "Geo Baker" jersey the athlete should be compensated. If EA sports wants to use the likeness of actual college athletes they need the college athletes permission and likely some method to compensate them. They did not and should not lose those rights by accepting a scholarship. The argument against that is silly.
 
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To the 'Why now?' crowd, please stop! NOW is the perfect time for this conversation to get the attention and hopefully the traction that it deserves. The NCAA has drug their heels on this conversation for YEARS. They throw a bone out last year and then continue to delay any type of decision. It's a joke. NIL should be table stakes at this point. If the NCAA doesn't evolve, they will cease to exist. Good for Geo, Ron and others for using the platform to force conversation on change. If you think this makes them any less focused on winning a game Friday, you must have never picked up a ball in your life. They will be ready to play.
I paid $480,000 to put 2 of my kids through college, they graduated in 2019. How ignorant can these players be???

Geo Baker is receiving $60,000 annually in perks (room, board, tuition, travel money, athletic trainers, etc.). Comparing college athletes to slaves (#NotNCAAProperty) is both ignorant and insulting - to those who truly suffered in slavery.

Advice for Geo and Harper - be grateful for having the opportunity to play in the NCAA tourney, I know a lot of players who would be grateful for that opportunity.

KARMA!!!
 
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Would be awesome for universities to be able to sell players jerseys, even with a share going to the athletes i bet more jerseys would sell if you could get a Baker or Harper Jr jersey. Sounds like a win win.
 

Put another way. Why shouldn't MLB players be forced to accept what the owners/owners of the product are willing to pay them/believe they are worth like was done in 40s, 50s, etc.? Why should MLB players have a right to strike?
 
Put another way. Why should MLB players have a right to strike? Why shouldn't they be forced to accept what the owners/owners of the product are willing to pay them/believe they are worth?

College players can strike. Others can take their place. The drop off won't be nearly as bad as it would be for professionals.

The name on the front of the jersey means more than the one on the back in college sports. That's not so in the pros. Hence they have more leverage.
 
College players can strike. Others can take their place. The drop off won't be nearly as bad as it would be for professionals.

The name on the front of the jersey means more than the one on the back in college sports. That's not so in the pros. Hence they have more leverage.

Not my point. Why are MLB, NFL, etc players allowed to strike?

I'll answer for you. As employees they have a right to collectively bargain. That is what will happen to college athletics if the NCAA doesn't get in front of this train. And it is coming. The same way it did 50+ years ago for the players of professional sports. Im sure @zappaa can share stories about professional baseball players who had to work second jobs. Not anymore, right?

You cant keep this system in place in a multi billion dollar industry in the United States. Labor law wont allow it. Athletics and the money in college athletics has simply gotten too large.
 
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No one today is arguing for paying college athletes. Although that will likely happen. What people are arguing is a college player should have control over his name, image and likeness. If a University sells a "Brian Leonard" jersey or a "Geo Baker" jersey the athlete should be compensated. If EA sports wants to use the likeness of actual college athletes they need the college athletes permission and likely some method to compensate them. They did not and should not lose those rights by accepting a scholarship. The argument against that is silly.
That is being paid.

if there is excess money after supporting a reasonable amount of athletic programs then I might understand and support money being put
a pool for payment of all players after leaving college (annuity payments or lump sum).

It is very difficult watching an athlete complain about not being to monetize his likeness while there is a kid out there (or in my house) who has his sport cut. He (or she) put in the same hours of Geo. He is/was devastated by his sport being cut. Too compete in football there is a lot of money necessary. Facilities are an absolute must and require money. His sport (men and women’s) was a causality
 
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Not my point. Why are MLB, NFL, etc players allowed to strike?

I'll answer for you. As employees they have a right to collectively bargain. That is what will happen to college athletics if the NCAA doesn't get in front of this train. And it is coming. The same way it did 50+ years ago for the players of professional sports. Im sure @zappaa can share stories about professional baseball players who had to work second jobs. Not anymore, right?

You cant keep this system in place in a multi billion dollar industry in the United States. Labor law wont allow it. Athletics and the money in college athletics has simply gotten too large.

NCAA basketball players are allowed to strike. If Rutgers walks off the court prior to tip off, they aren't going to jail for it. No laws are being broken.
 
NCAA basketball players are allowed to strike. If Rutgers walks off the court prior to tip off, they aren't going to jail for it. No laws are being broken.

They also have the right to sue. And they are winning the lawsuits. States are passing laws allowing athletes to profit from their NIL (name, image, likeness). There's a college athlete bill of rights in Congress. That's my point. This isn't a moral argument. It's a legal one. And the players are winning. Why not get ahead of it?

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/29/8477...ser-to-getting-paid-after-ncaa-board-oks-plan

https://www.sbnation.com/22196062/college-athletes-bill-of-rights-explained-cory-booker
 
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They also have the right to sue. And they are winning the lawsuits. States are passing laws allowing athletes to profit from their NIL (name, image, likeness). There's a college athlete bill of rights in Congress. That's my point. This isn't a moral argument. It's a legal one. And the players are winning. Why not get ahead of it?

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/29/8477...ser-to-getting-paid-after-ncaa-board-oks-plan

https://www.sbnation.com/22196062/college-athletes-bill-of-rights-explained-cory-booker

Great. They can sue. And protest. And strike. As I said. This is America. I do like how it's turned their woke views. These kids are straight up Capitalists. That's a good thing.

Out in front of it? There is no scenario where Rutgers gets out in front of it. USC is my other team. They are the type of school that will be the ultimate winner.
 
Great. They can sue. And protest. And strike. As I said. This is America. I do like how it's turned their woke views. These kids are straight up Capitalists. That's a good thing.

Out in front of it? There is no scenario where Rutgers gets out in front of it. USC is my other team. They are the type of school that will be the ultimate winner.
Those undertones again...
 
100%. I'm not going to watch Rutgers low level athletes get destroyed by our divisional peers who have bigger boosters who are able to pay the real professionals. Sounds awful.

Isn't this exactly already the situation in CFB and CBB?
I never understand the "if players get paid I'm done! All the name schools will just buy the best players!"

As if this isn't already the case - and everyone is still watching.

May I direct you to the near weekly "recruiting scandal" thread about high-profile programs paying off players.
 
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100%. I'm not going to watch Rutgers low level athletes get destroyed by our divisional peers who have bigger boosters who are able to pay the real professionals. Sounds awful.

You might stop watching if they are constantly getting destroyed but that’s not the same as what you were saying at all.
 
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