It’s official—direct payments to athletes

[hahnenkampf]

Per todays: WSJ:

“The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the five most prominent athletic conferences agreed to a $2.77 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit on Thursday, ushering in a new era of college sports in which schools can pay athletes directly.

The move marks a dramatic shift for the NCAA, breaking with its century-old stance that college athletes are amateurs and therefore cannot share in any of the money they generate for their universities.”

 

[Ward Jr]

Per todays: WSJ:

“The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the five most prominent athletic conferences agreed to a $2.77 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit on Thursday, ushering in a new era of college sports in which schools can pay athletes directly.

The move marks a dramatic shift for the NCAA, breaking with its century-old stance that college athletes are amateurs and therefore cannot share in any of the money they generate for their universities.”

There goes the neighborhood. Thanks for everything, Gavin.

 

[DeeDave]

This was coming. Not a surprise in the world. Forecasted by many.

Anyone that read the Supreme Court opinion knew that this would eventually happen.

Makes sense.

 

[PaleoCock]

The NCAA is verdict is fine and expected. Direct payments to players with no regard for a level playing field is not. This will eventually ruin college football and maybe other sports unless change is made. It's happening already.

 

[DeeDave]

The NCAA is verdict is fine and expected. Direct payments to players with no regard for a level playing field is not. This will eventually ruin college football and maybe other sports unless change is made. It's happening already.

Charlie Baker was talking about this very thing last year. This is not surprising.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

So now it's out in the open. The Bagmen have joined the unemployment line

 

[Ward Jr]

So now it's out in the open. The Bagmen have joined the unemployment line

Ha. To a degree that's true. The floodgates are going to make the division in wealth exponentially worse.

 

[Ward Jr]

Charlie Baker was talking about this very thing last year. This is not surprising.

The NCAA screwed up by protecting themselves and Universities for far too long which opened the door for corruption to reign as a form a penance.

Charlie Baker is the NCAA stooge-in-place in an attempt to salvage their reputation and his entire job is to lay on the sword. It doesn't mean for one second he agrees with what is happening.

Gavin pushed through a brainless, attention grabbing bill like he always does with total disregard for college sports and fair play. Once the door was cracked, that's all the vulchers required legally. And you cheer it on?

 

[DeeDave]

So now it's out in the open. The Bagmen have joined the unemployment line

Correct. It was always taking place. It's just open and obvious now. As I have said many times, I'm glad to see it happen.

How we got here- a history - written in 2018 which is ancient at this point but still a good read from a former local writer.

The History Behind the Debate Over Paying NCAA Athletes

As a companion piece to the event "Future of College Sports: Reimagining Athlete Pay," editorial director Jon Solomon reviews the history of the college amateurism debate.

www.aspeninstitute.org

 

[Ward Jr]

Correct. It was always taking place. It's just open and obvious now. As I have said many times, I'm glad to see it happen.

If that was actually true, why did all of these big NIL money teams suddenly push to the head of the class over the past 2-3 years in college football, Dave? Hmmmm? Why are all of these coaches suddenly complaining about it? Hmmm?

 

[PaleoCock]

If that was actually true, why did all of these big NIL money teams suddenly push to the head of the class over the past 2-3 years in college football, Dave? Hmmmm? Why are all of these coaches suddenly complaining about it? Hmmm?

100%. Southern Cal, FSU, Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss, and such catapulted into the Top 10 when the floodgates opened. It was obvious when very good players were hitting the portal out of nowhere to head to the teams that could pay them whatever. The players should receive compensation but this is a total nightmare for fair competition and teams in our position.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

If that was actually true, why did all of these big NIL money teams suddenly push to the head of the class over the past 2-3 years in college football, Dave? Hmmmm? Why are all of these coaches suddenly complaining about it? Hmmm?

Two easy questions to answer.
1. Now that it was open and legal the days of having bagman and only bagman, having large amounts of cash to slip in to the program were obsolete. Now boosters, business and collectives are able to participate openly without any fear of implicating the school in question.
2. Of course coaches most notably Saban were complaining, the near monopoly they held of players receiving "quiet" compensation are coming to end.

 

[PaleoCock]

Two easy questions to answer.
1. Now that it was open and legal the days of having bagman and only bagman, having large amounts of cash to slip in to the program were obsolete. Now boosters, business and collectives are able to participate openly without any fear of implicating the school in question.
2. Of course coaches most notably Saban were complaining, the near monopoly they held of players receiving "quiet" compensation are coming to end.

I don't recall any coach accusing Nick Saban of buying players at any school he coached and he's not a very liked guy within the coaching community. He's also been steadfast about his disgust of this activity and has tried to out teams publically who he believed were doing so.

Also, the NCAA committee was usually full of Big Ten guys. Wouldn't they have liked to have knocked Alabama down with the slightest hint that he might be cheating?

 

[Ward Jr]

Two easy questions to answer.
1. Now that it was open and legal the days of having bagman and only bagman, having large amounts of cash to slip in to the program were obsolete. Now boosters, business and collectives are able to participate openly without any fear of implicating the school in question.
2. Of course coaches most notably Saban were complaining, the near monopoly they held of players receiving "quiet" compensation are coming to end.

Damage Control > Brothel

IMO, openly buying entire teams is completely different than a few high profile players going to the highest bidder. In the past, teams who suddenly started having high recruiting classes out of nowhere were typically flagged pretty quickly.

 

[GreatestCock]

I don't recall any coach accusing Nick Saban of buying players at any school he coached and he's not a very liked guy within the coaching community. He's also been steadfast about his disgust of this activity and has tried to out teams publically who he believed were doing so.

Also, the NCAA committee was usually full of Big Ten guys. Wouldn't they have liked to have knocked Alabama down with the slightest hint that he might be cheating?

Saban was a crybaby about NIL, going after Texas A&M and Jackson State. With a straight face he complained, with no proof mind you, that Travis Hunter was receiving a million dollars to play at Jackson State. He also as a passive aggressive recruiting method publicly stated that Bryce Young was receiving around a million dollars in NIL money. He's only whining because he doesn't get to be the only coach to promise wealth anymore. Now look where he is, out of the sport scared to compete without unfair advantages in his favor.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

I don't recall any coach accusing Nick Saban of buying players at any school he coached and he's not a very liked guy within the coaching community. He's also been steadfast about his disgust of this activity and has tried to out teams publically who he believed were doing so.

Also, the NCAA committee was usually full of Big Ten guys. Wouldn't they have liked to have knocked Alabama down with the slightest hint that he might be cheating?

Obviously you never saw the pictures of the parking lot for the UA football players.

 

[PaleoCock]

Saban was a crybaby about NIL, going after Texas A&M and Jackson State. With a straight face he complained, with no proof mind you, that Travis Hunter was receiving a million dollars to play at Jackson State. He also as a passive aggressive recruiting method publicly stated that Bryce Young was receiving around a million dollars in NIL money. He's only whining because he doesn't get to be the only coach to promise wealth anymore. Now look where he is, out of the sport scared to compete without unfair advantages in his favor.

I don't connect any of this with Harvard Gamecock's conclusion of Saban's (and others) quiet, rampant cheating before the advent of the NIL.

 

[PaleoCock]

Obviously you never saw the pictures of the parking lot for the UA football players.

I didn't. I still don't see the connection though? If Saban was cheating, coaches would have been eager to call him out. Steve Spurrier would have been eager to call him out.

Also, why do you believe coaches today are so upset about what is going on with the NIL if it's just business as usual out in the open?

 

[Ward Jr]

I wish our AD would allow Beamer to discuss the NIL/Portal situation. It's obvious he's not talking about it because they realize it's a big disadvantage for us and they don't want donors and the fanbase deterred by that fact.

In contrast, Ole Miss let Kiffin rant about it a couple of years back and donors have come out of the woodwork in groves. However, the end result is one big money game which isn't very sexy over the long term.

 

[GreatestCock]

I wish our AD would allow Beamer to discuss the NIL/Portal situation. It's obvious he's not talking about it because they realize it's a big disadvantage for us and they don't want donors and the fanbase deterred by that fact.

In contrast, Ole Miss let Kiffin rant about it a couple of years back and donors have come out of the woodwork in groves. However, the end result is one big money game which isn't very sexy over the long term.

It's only not sexy to those who don't have money, or think with that mindset. This has leveled the playing field some. A program like Miami now thinks they can get in the game with NIL. Really, the only fanbase in the SEC that seems to have an big issue is South Carolina. Even Vanderbilt fans don't care because they weren't going to compete anyway.

 

[PaleoCock]

It's only not sexy to those who don't have money, or think with that mindset. This has leveled the playing field some. A program like Miami now thinks they can get in the game with NIL. Really, the only fanbase in the SEC that seems to have an big issue is South Carolina. Even Vanderbilt fans don't care because they weren't going to compete anyway.

D1 has 134 teams. Maybe 20-25 have megadonor access. It hasn't leveled the playing field as a whole. It's just widened the gap between the haves and have nots.

 

[GreatestCock]

D1 has 134 teams. Maybe 20-25 have megadonor access. It hasn't leveled the playing field as a whole. It's just widened the gap between the haves and have nots.

Were there more than 20-25 teams that had a realistic shot of competing for a National Championship before? Not at all. Less in fact. So this is leveling the playing field.......some.

 

[PaleoCock]

Were there more than 20-25 teams that had a realistic shot of competing for a National Championship before? Not at all. Less in fact. So this is leveling the playing field.......some.

So you're an advocate of teams buying up players and engaging in a game of College Football Monopoly?

 

[JohnnySolo]

Should help the IRS and Soc Sec take money from rich people who were ordinarily hiding it. These kids don't have the time or means to set up tax shelters like them. Should help bolster the un-audited and misappropriated Soc Sec fund.

 

[GreatestCock]

All of you act like it's some big gotcha moment for the kids having to pay taxes. Plenty of high school and college kids have paid taxes before. Besides you all say these kids get help with everything else in life, you don't think they'll have accountants helping as well?

 

[Ward Jr]

All of you act like it's some big gotcha moment for the kids having to pay taxes. Plenty of high school and college kids have paid taxes before. Besides you all say these kids hey help with everything else in life, you don't think they'll have accountants helping as well?

Who is this "all of you" you're referencing?

 

[Ward Jr]

The current system has zero guardrails for fair play, transfer, etc. College football is more a production than a competition until they clean up this progressive slop.

 

[DeeDave]

All of you act like it's some big gotcha moment for the kids having to pay taxes. Plenty of high school and college kids have paid taxes before. Besides you all say these kids get help with everything else in life, you don't think they'll have accountants helping as well?

I feel certain most of the well paid players will have advisors and an accountant at their disposal.

I mean any tax service in any town can handle players getting paid.

 

[GreatestCock]

Who is this "all of you" you're referencing?

I should have said a lot of you. But it's always "they'll learn when they have to pay taxes!" So what? They will learn. We did too. It will still be a net positive for them.

 

[Ward Jr]

I should have said a lot of you. But it's always "they'll learn when they have to pay taxes!" So what? They will learn. We did too. It will still be a net positive for them.

Yep. Their taxes would take a bookkeeper maybe an hour to do by hand. A few more if they want to set up tax havens/LLCs and 401. Although, with AI in motion now, you can probably do all but the paperwork itself in under 15 minutes.