[teejers1]

I thought that was what the cop said to Margo St. James.

I thought it was a Winston Churchill line!

Or W.C. Fields.

But I'll repeat my oft-stated position. I'd like to see the NCAA retreat to the status of a prep league administration, monitoring academic integrity and direct payments to athletes. Schools should not be able to hire ringers, to use an old fashioned term..

But I can't for the life of me see why it makes any difference who buys a kid's car, whether it's loving parents, an intergenerational trust fund, a professional sports franchise, or a mess of enthusiastic fans (NIL). 

I don't think NIL potential necessarily results in an unequal playing field. While there's no way a Stanford can compete with the broad fan base of an SEC school, the benefits of a degree from a prestigious school are of considerable value.

But if you are concerned, the solution is not to try to put the genie back in the bottle. The system was unfair and inequitable in the first place. It's to go all the way and let professional franchises and agents contract with athletes. Pro money dwarfs NIL potential. An Elway, Luck, or Casey Jacobsen makes his deal on an option basis with someone interested in having his services when he's mature enough, and then goes to the school of his choice, provided he meets academic standards of eligibility. 

Why not? Money from rich granddad is somehow fine, but not from the 49ers or Lakers? It's all green.

Elegant in its simplicity. All that is necessary is to toss all those barnacle encrusted preconceptions.

I agree.  Let the professionals contract with them in the professional arena.  Why try and interpose your pro model on the incredibly varied college landscape?  If the almighty buck is paramount, go pro.  If a kid wants to get a college education, then play by the college rules.  And you need to have rules that comply with Title IX and hopefully do not run programs out by the dozens.

I also fundamentally disagree with the notion that the players are generating the value proposition in college sports.  It is because these players are playing for teams with school names on the front - with passionate fan bases supporting those schools - that generate the interest/value.  How many one-and-dones were playing in NCAA final last night?  And how was interest?

If every single one-and-done opted for the G-League, guess what?  The NCAA tourney would still be the interest-generating phenomenon it is.

P.S.  I also disagree that pro money dwarfs NIL potential.  For the truly great, sure-fire pros.  Yes.  But for others, NIL is all they will ever get.

[teejers1]

I thought that was what the cop said to Margo St. James.

I thought it was a Winston Churchill line!

Or W.C. Fields.

But I'll repeat my oft-stated position. I'd like to see the NCAA retreat to the status of a prep league administration, monitoring academic integrity and direct payments to athletes. Schools should not be able to hire ringers, to use an old fashioned term..

But I can't for the life of me see why it makes any difference who buys a kid's car, whether it's loving parents, an intergenerational trust fund, a professional sports franchise, or a mess of enthusiastic fans (NIL). 

I don't think NIL potential necessarily results in an unequal playing field. While there's no way a Stanford can compete with the broad fan base of an SEC school, the benefits of a degree from a prestigious school are of considerable value.

But if you are concerned, the solution is not to try to put the genie back in the bottle. The system was unfair and inequitable in the first place. It's to go all the way and let professional franchises and agents contract with athletes. Pro money dwarfs NIL potential. An Elway, Luck, or Casey Jacobsen makes his deal on an option basis with someone interested in having his services when he's mature enough, and then goes to the school of his choice, provided he meets academic standards of eligibility. 

Why not? Money from rich granddad is somehow fine, but not from the 49ers or Lakers? It's all green.

Elegant in its simplicity. All that is necessary is to toss all those barnacle encrusted preconceptions.

I agree.  Let the professionals contract with them in the professional arena.  Why try and interpose your pro model on the incredibly varied college landscape?  If the almighty buck is paramount, go pro.  If a kid wants to get a college education, then play by the college rules.  And you need to have rules that comply with Title IX and hopefully do not run programs out by the dozens.

I also fundamentally disagree with the notion that the players are generating the value proposition in college sports.  It is because these players are playing for teams with school names on the front - with passionate fan bases supporting those schools - that generate the interest/value.  How many one-and-dones were playing in NCAA final last night?  And how was interest?

If every single one-and-done opted for the G-League, guess what?  The NCAA tourney would still be the interest-generating phenomenon it is.

P.S.  I also disagree that pro money dwarfs NIL potential.  For the truly great, sure-fire pros.  Yes.  But for others, NIL is all they will ever get.