Is the big $ ruining college football?
- Thread starter 12375CAT
- Start date
I actually think college football will get better. I’m tired of seeing 3-4 glorified scrimmages on every major D1 school’s schedule. Tired of seeing 1-AA games the week before a rivalry game. Larger conferences may change that.
It seems like college football is soon going to be National League and American League.
If they don't get a handle on the NIL deals, you will see the same few teams each year with realistic chance of winning NC.
Expanded playoffs are OK I suppose. It could be "better" in that aspect IMO.
It will become the NFL, highest bidder gets the player.
The difference between the haves and have nots will grow even larger.
I'm trying to hang on but, feel no 'preseason excitement' whatsoever, any longer. And it's not because of the Cocks.
For me, and I certainly realize most will disagree but, going to 'a playoff system' was the beginning of the terminal disease that would eventually end college football, as I loved it. It killed the bowl games and with it, aided players 'opting out' from the New Year's Day football from dawn till dusk I enjoyed my entire life. It also aided in the end of traditional rivalries we all loved whether we had a dog in the fight, or not. Who enjoys the 78-0 blowouts against Angels of Mercy U? Or was the 13-10 squeaker against Western Northeast College for the Physically Impaired more enjoyable???
You know what they say about 'opinions'. For me, N.I.L. was admitting that the problem was incurable. I figured 6/10 years, 12 tops. But, REMEMBER, "Smile, things could be worse!" So, I smiled and sure enough, things got worse. THE PORTAL!!! Why get excited over recruiting when you don't know if your prize recruit will be here next year or the year after that. Just call in the fans and have them say their final goodbyes on signing day. This way we can all laugh and cry at the same time.
And "Grad Transfers"!!! Wow!!! Now we can watch 24 year old, second teamers get one more chance.
Let's cancel the Spring semester and expand the playoffs to 64 teams. Wanna bet we get invited more than once every ten years?
For me, and I certainly realize most will disagree but, going to 'a playoff system' was the beginning of the terminal disease that would eventually end college football, as I loved it. It killed the bowl games and with it, aided players 'opting out' from the New Year's Day football from dawn till dusk I enjoyed my entire life. It also aided in the end of traditional rivalries we all loved whether we had a dog in the fight, or not. Who enjoys the 78-0 blowouts against Angels of Mercy U? Or was the 13-10 squeaker against Western Northeast College for the Physically Impaired more enjoyable???
You know what they say about 'opinions'. For me, N.I.L. was admitting that the problem was incurable. I figured 6/10 years, 12 tops. But, REMEMBER, "Smile, things could be worse!" So, I smiled and sure enough, things got worse. THE PORTAL!!! Why get excited over recruiting when you don't know if your prize recruit will be here next year or the year after that. Just call in the fans and have them say their final goodbyes on signing day. This way we can all laugh and cry at the same time.
And "Grad Transfers"!!! Wow!!! Now we can watch 24 year old, second teamers get one more chance.
Let's cancel the Spring semester and expand the playoffs to 64 teams. Wanna bet we get invited more than once every ten years?
Perhaps. Too early in the game to tell. Honestly I could argue that over the last 15 years prior to NIL only a handful of teams could win the title. We will know soon enough. The Gamecocks do seem to be more competitive post NIL than in the days just before it.
NIL has to go the way it was envisioned: players and/or their representatives and those who would engage them for advertisement, personal appearances, etc. get together. Money changes hands. The schools don't arrange it and no group purporting to represent the interests of a school arranges it. Otherwise, only a few schools have a realistic chance of competing. I see where a big Texas A&M collective is shutting down now that it has been learned that contributions to it will not be tax deductible. Good.
Season ticket costs used to be tax deductible. I'm invested for 1 more year, but the end is drawing near.
LOL
Big money and college football are not new. It's just finally something the players are now able to benefit from in terms of cash money above the board.
While I admit to being a "diehard" college football fan for about 40 years of my life that had season tickets to Gamecock fans for almost 20 years (with a fair number of going to away games thrown in), it's finally in the proper perspective in my life and I am glad about that.
I like watching Gamecock games when I can. My usual, weather permitting, is to project the games onto the back of my house with my HD projector if the game is at night I can sit outside and enjoy my outside setup that I think is much, much better than being at a game.
But, if I have things to do with my wife or family, I'm just as happy to catch the game on the radio if I am in the car- or to catch highlights later.
I'll also watch parts of other games if I am around the house on Saturday but I don't schedule things around football games.
More than once my wife has advised me that she can tell I enjoy Fall Saturdays much more now and I don't get upset like I use to if the Gamecocks lose- or get all worked up if they win. That feels right to me and makes for a more enjoyable season.
Big money and college football are not new. It's just finally something the players are now able to benefit from in terms of cash money above the board.
While I admit to being a "diehard" college football fan for about 40 years of my life that had season tickets to Gamecock fans for almost 20 years (with a fair number of going to away games thrown in), it's finally in the proper perspective in my life and I am glad about that.
I like watching Gamecock games when I can. My usual, weather permitting, is to project the games onto the back of my house with my HD projector if the game is at night I can sit outside and enjoy my outside setup that I think is much, much better than being at a game.
But, if I have things to do with my wife or family, I'm just as happy to catch the game on the radio if I am in the car- or to catch highlights later.
I'll also watch parts of other games if I am around the house on Saturday but I don't schedule things around football games.
More than once my wife has advised me that she can tell I enjoy Fall Saturdays much more now and I don't get upset like I use to if the Gamecocks lose- or get all worked up if they win. That feels right to me and makes for a more enjoyable season.
I don't thin the playoffs have anything to do with it. if we still had the old system we'd still have players opting out of New Year's Day games, we'd still have the NIL and the Portal, and we'd still have no true National Champion.
More and more I care less about all the goings on off the field. I am more comfortable than ever being in the dark. Even when a game is on TV, I rarely have the audio on. I'm getting too old to worry about what a team costs or how we compare in an arms race. Put 11 guys out there for me to pull for. Everything else is just noise.
NCAA needs to implement a policy that covers the NIL and transfer portal for the better of the sport, otherwise, we the fans are going to start changing the channels and eventually stop going to the games
The transfer portal helps to spread the talent around. Some coaches of have not teams will be successful in working the portal to their advantage. This will elevate their program.
They are hampered by the Supreme Court ruling. I am sure they would love to do that.
Fans are going to keep watching. Some might not go to games- like me- - but that's because it's more comfortable to sit at at home.
The older you get, the better that couch and 75" HD TV look. A/C, kitchen and bathroom just a few steps away.
The intent of the SC ruling was to not take away a person's rights under a free market system. They should be able to sell their services in the free market. However, that is not what is happening with NIL. There is no free market with NIL. It is just a mechanism for boosters to buy athletes for their favorite school in hopes of winning games. Does anyone really believe that a local car dealer is going to pay an 18 yo to use bad grammar in an advertisement because that dealer thinks this kid will sell a thousand more cars for them in a year? Of course not. He just wants to pay this kid so he will play ball for his beloved University.
There is however a way to get this somewhat under control. If a regulation were passed that prohibits anyone from participating in an NIL program for a team for which that individual is a booster/contributor. This would cut a lot of that out, but would preserve the free market aspect for those very few athletes that do have a true brand value. If a large company feels that a certain athlete will add value to their marketing they can pay the player as a spokesman as long as that company is not a contributor to the school that player is attending.
I just don't think that would pass muster under the SCt's ruling. They basically said the NCAA couldn't put any restrictions on selling name and likeness, presumably including restrictions on boosters buying those rights. Obviously, I think this will eventually ruin college football, but I see the NCAA as having its hands tied.
Actually I think it would. In fact I think this goes to the very essence of what their decision was all about.
Here is what Kavanaugh said:
“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. … The NCAA is not above the law.”
This was an antitrust suit against the NCAA saying they violated antitrust laws by not allowing players to receive a fair market wage. Fair Market wages cut both ways. Is it a fair market wage when the payments are not based on a fair market, but rather based on factors other than a fair market? My proposal does not restrict what a player can make or how they can make it. It only restricts the people who want to pay them and to hold them to fair market standards. They can even continue to participate in the program if they wish so long as they are not boosters of the school where the players attend. It helps to ensure that payments are made based on FAIR MARKET RULES, which is exactly what the Supreme Court said.
The NCAA just doesn't have a good track record winning lawsuits and the SCt was not particularly friendly to them. So count me as skeptical.
What does the NCAA have to do with it? They are a non factor anymore. Any ruling would have to come from Congress, which I understand has been approached by various people from different conferences to do something to regulate the current lawlessness of the NIL.
Not likely. The boosters would most likely give to the booster club rather than the NIL. No booster club, no season tickets, no club level seats, no preferential parking, no admission to the McGuire Room for BB games, no box seats, etc etc etc. Boosters want to go to the games and the perks that go along with their membership. Even those that don't go want those tickets to give to clients, customers, family members, etc. With NIL they don't get squat.
The concern is it's going to really hurt booster programs going forward. I think you are correct- for now.
Yes, people that now have the club seats and have been buying season tickets for years or even decades, will probably keep doing that - for now.
The people -younger alums- that never had the season tickets, never sat in the boxes because they had the great experience at home so they decided they'd contribute to buying players through NIL and didn't care about the booster program.
This Saturday, I have 2 families that use to have season tickets coming to my house to watch the game in my backyard. People like my kids, two of which are in their 20's now with 1 being a USC grad, have no interest in attending games in person.
That's my concern. Schools- and Tanner has mentioned this - are trying everything they can to get people to leave home and come to games. I think no matter what they do it's largely going to be a failing effort in the long run.
A number of those folks are going to contribute to NIL collectives, and avoid booster programs.
I don't disagree with what you say, but that has been the case for a long time. What hurt attendance more than anything else was the implementation of the seat fee before you can even buy tickets. Attendance took a nose dive then and really has never recovered. But there will always be people who want to attend the games and people who don't care. That has always been the case and that won't change. But take heart in one very important factor; just look at the intensity of the student section at every home game. It is off the charts. These will be the future fans of the program and each year I don't see their enthusiasm waning. I don't think NIL will have any affect on boosters either now or long term.
Personally, I prefer to attend the games. You just cannot see the whole game on TV. You only see about half of what is going on. I love to be able to see that TD downfield before the QB has even thrown the ball, or the downfield blocking that breaks open a big running play, or that big hit coming from across the field when the RB gets to the corner. You cannot tell what kind of coverage the defense is in on TV as the play develops because the camera focuses solely on the QB. It's just not the same as being there. Not to mention the electric atmosphere in the stadium.
However, after having club level seats for over 20 years my wife and I decided to stop a couple years ago. It's an all day affair regardless of what time the game is and the traffic is horrendous. We just got tired of going every week. I guess we are just getting old. lol. But there will always be younger people to take our place every year.
Oh- no doubt you see things in a game that you don't on tv. No doubt about it.
and I had season tickets for almost 15 years, but watching it at home - for me- can not be beat. Just no way around it.
No crowds, no drunks, no half the day or more spent in big crowds, in the car, fighting for a space in the bathroom, overpriced food that isn't that great anyway, cramped seats, etc..
I have lost a little interest and I don't set my schedule around- watching games like I use to (outside of maybe the first game of the year most or the time). But watching a game at home is so much better for me personally.
I went from paying for season tickets to now turning down people that have offered me free tickets for good games.
The original post that I was referring to said "NCAA needs to implement a policy ...". I said the SCT likely would not allow it, given their ruling. Since the ruling was based on antitrust law, obviously Congress could rewrite the law.
That wasn't me. That was Pageland Gamecock. I never mentioned the NCAA other than saying they lost the antitrust lawsuit.
On the surface it does and if not for the transfer portal it would. Any coach that can accurately evaluate talent will excel with the portal.
