They might just win. Justice Kavanaugh made this suit, and others like it, inevitable with his concurring opinion in the Alston case. Basically there is no sympathy on either end of the legal spectrum for the status quo of college sports.
If they win, what do they get? I read the article but don’t understand it
Money. The suit contends that the compensation of college athletes has been suppressed, with a disproportionate impact on minority athletes. Which is clearly true. NIL is a step away from that, but only a step.
In some ways, at this juncture, the NIL seems more the product of a shell game where the university athletic departments have sought and received additional funding from the fan base for the NIL. The vast sums of money from television, corporate donors, and fans continue to flows into the departments for the cost of the inflated operations including salaries while the large majority of athletes remain uncompensated. If this suit follows the expected end in devising some classification and compensation for the actual athlete, I wonder where the departments will seek additional funding, and also the degree of success they will attain. It is hard to imagine overall athletic budgets remaining neutral while internally shifting funds to meet the new expense of athlete compensation. Perhaps a surcharge on tickets, or perhaps concessions, or both. With the NIL, the corporate door seems partially closed, but stranger things have occurred, particularly, if some form of tax credits were legislated. No doubt, a solution will occur. Who would ever imagine a typical week’s ESPN television schedule with nearly all collegiate sporting events televised and streamed?
This suit is focused on football and basketball, which are where most of the minority athletes are concentrated. That’s 113 athletes per school (85 football, 13 men’s hoops, 15 women’s hoops). The Power 5 schools have big enough budgets to be able to pay them a reasonable amount of money without new revenue sources; just redistribute what they’re already taking in. Let’s say that reasonable compensation is $100K. That’s $11.3 million; there are a number of head football coaches whose compensation approaches $11 million. Pay the coaches a little less, back off on some of the bells and whistles of the facility arms race, and it can be done. $11 million is less than 10 percent of the budget of everybody in the SEC except the Mississippi schools, and maybe even them now.
Willl this result in no more athletic scholarships? If you’re a paid employee is education an optional perk? Will this result in players moving between schools easier/more often than is already occurring?
Most businesses, and the schools are now businesses, don’t like “redistributing” existing monies… they want the same income before the new expense and will find a way to generate it. There are always unintended consequences to these types of changes.
I think this will be the final straw in the demise of college athletics… it’s pro sports. I don’t know how that will translate to the fan base, but I suspect that many long time (older) fans will lose the passion and it will be up to the younger generation to continue to fund the programs… sad days indeed.
The demise of what? A system that took advantage of kids for decades with essentially no compensation at all? Good riddance. A system where Mel Tucker at Sparty makes $9.5 million while his in-state players max out at $30,000 for a scholarship? Not worth preserving.
Even the Olympics gave up on amateurism 30 years ago. But college sports has hung on basically because nobody wants to overturn the applecart. Finally the courts have come to the realization that this is BS in indentured servitude clothing; these kids don’t have an option. They can’t go play football in Canada or Germany or even the NFL. It’s college or nothing.
The courts are saying your business model is broken, fix it or else. I happen to think they’ll figure out how to fix it. Allowing the schools to arrange/funnel NIL would be a start.
We just disagree on the taking advantage of these kids. I appreciate your position but think that with all the things that comes with a scholarship it’s not taking advantage them. The NIL allows them to make money which is fine (will be abused and modified and is already being abused in recruiting) but just making them employee’s is a step too far in my humble opinion. If the school is paying them, will the pay scales be regulated, or will each school be able to determine the salaries? That will be a problem for any of the smaller schools…
Doesn’t mean I’m right and doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Time will tell… Change is inevitable, growth is optional.
Most of us have lived the illusion that NCAA sports were purely amateur where players were justly rewarded for playing via athletic scholarships, free college education, college training & facilities, & exposure to the NBA & NFL.
Perhaps the schools got too greedy with their lucrative tv deals, grand stadiums, high salaried coaches with their tv advertising deals that were highly visible to the athletes. The agents & attorneys could smell the $.
If there was a way to keep schools on a level playing field where all schools have an equal cap on total NIL compensation, like the NFL, would be more optimistic about the future of NCAA sports. However, courts will enable teams (colleges & alumni) to pay all that they can afford as players negotiate their best NIL contracts before committing to a particular college. Elite teams may prosper for awhile before fans of the non-elites become disenchanted with the new order & overall fan support declines.
My biggest fear about paying players is that it would somehow give an unfair advantage to certain wealthy schools (Tex, Bama, TAMU, Ohio St, etc.) and that the Razorback program would suffer as a result. That’s still my only fear, but I’m not sure it’s valid. Those schools already have significant recruiting advantages. I might add that it wouldn’t bother me at all if somehow the Razorbacks disproportionately benefitted from paying players.
I don’t know if paying players reduces a coach’s ability to discipline players or increases it. I don’t know if the product on the field will get better, worse, or stay the same. I think it adds some additional variables that we haven’t yet dealt with so therefore their effect remains unknown.
I’m more worried about an unlimited transfer portal. I don’t think I mind a free 1-time transfer, but I think it should probably only be allowed within a couple of small time frames. I don’t think a player should be given 2 or more transfers without some sort of penalty.
I do not believe this to be true since NIL is a marketing expense. The players are receiving money to market a company. When you read about “Influencers” they make their money by showing, talking about, using a company’s product, so I think there is already a legal tax deduction there for corporate NIL money. If a player has social media followers then they can be paid big money for even a one time product placement on their active account. They are merely product spokespeople for a particular company whether they have a social media following or not.
What’s the difference with college or high school? Texas high school football is generating huge sums, too. I’m sure there is some difference but it looks like booster clubs and gates are all going to pay for big facilities and high pay for coaches.
I thought they only got 1 “free” transfer, and had to sit a year or transfer down to D-2 if they transferred again.
Not anymore. The Allen kid the other night for New Mexico State was on his 4th school in 5 years.
For years the courts have tried to let the ncaa fix their mess but when they can’t, or won’t, they step in. Goes all the way back to when Oklahoma and Georgia sued for tv rights.
These kids for all practical purposes are employees of these schools and deserve some money. Scholarship is nice but when you and your family can’t pay bills and your 30 year old linebacker coach is pulling in 500k I think there is a problem.
So High School kids are employees as well? What should they be paid, they dont even get scholarship money? What about middle school kids? Should Pee Wee players be compensated for their work? Lets just start paying them all from date of birth, and if they dont become an athlete, they can pay it all back.
Talks of ESPN & other tv networks broadcasting high school football games may soon generate big $ needed to fund HS football in TX. Fortunately longhorn network was not allowed to broadcast HS games as they had originally planned to do. Most HS football programs in TX are not earning the high profits after expenses that most believe, & most are unprofitable. Sponsors, boosters, endorsements, & player contributions are often necessary to fund the shortfalls.
Tired of hearing that full scholarships offer little to no compensation for student athletes. What is the average value of a full scholarship at an SEC school, and how is the value calculated?
I don’t know actual calculation but you get room and board plus meals books and the athletic stipend if on a scholarship.
If high school kids generate millions of dollars for their schools then maybe you have to discuss this.
Arkansas will get probably 50 million just from sec alone.
Not saying it is right just saying that is way this train is rolling and there isn’t a definitive way to stop it right now