NIL, Transfers, and Stratospheric Salaries. What Is the Future of GT Football and College Football in General?

Augusta_Jacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,101
Location
Augusta, Georgia
I am moving toward the position that we no longer have "college" football or basketball. We have professional teams using the names of nearby colleges and universities. We are no better. uga is no worse. They just have a deeper pool of money to hire their players. The fact that players are attending classes and getting degrees is a sideshow for the main event.

I've been here for a while now.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,075
This is why I root for the uniforms and don’t really care about any individual player. They use GT and will transfer in a heartbeat (as is their right) and GT uses them to make money. It’s all a business transaction to provide entertainment that I enjoy. It kinda stinks in that the old ways are over but it’s also a little freeing.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
This is why I root for the uniforms and don’t really care about any individual player. They use GT and will transfer in a heartbeat (as is their right) and GT uses them to make money. It’s all a business transaction to provide entertainment that I enjoy. It kinda stinks in that the old ways are over but it’s also a little freeing.
The game is entertainment and the players are entertainers. Always has been, whether paid or not. It can be a little easier to root for an individual player to succeed when they are a true student-athlete, but there aren't many of those anymore. Regardless, I think it's possible to focus your allegiance on the school/team, while still celebrating great GT players. That's my current outlook.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
The game is entertainment and the players are entertainers. Always has been, whether paid or not. It can be a little easier to root for an individual player to succeed when they are a true student-athlete, but there aren't many of those anymore. Regardless, I think it's possible to focus your allegiance on the school/team, while still celebrating great GT players. That's my current outlook.
Malzahn calling for salary caps. Good luck. UCF coach truth bomb
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
Interesting concept from the Knight Commission…

The Knight Commission, which seems to hold some sway with the NCAA, has long been studying the issues associated with college football, and recommended in 2021 that FBS Football be split off into a new governance organization called the National College Football Association (“NCFA”). This organization would be independent of the NCAA, and aligns with the current College Football Playoff organization in terms of serving only FBS football. A link to their proposal:

https://www.knightcommission.org/wp...ndations-for-change-1220-022221-update-01.pdf

The CFP is the only NCAA championship that the NCAA does not directly control. Currently, the CFP distributes about $600M to FBS schools, weighted slightly more to members and conferences that have teams in the playoff. With the expansion of the playoff and new media contracts, revenue from the CFB is expected to grow to over $2B by 2027. This amount is significantly more than any of the individual conferences receive via their latest contracts.

I can envision one possible scenario for where this is all heading - the NCFA becomes a reality and combines championship governance with the CFP. This affiliation would combine two critical components – 1) uniform governance of the sport for all member schools regardless of conference membership, and 2) control of a large portion of football revenue. Without the latter, any attempt to tackle the major issues facing the sport is likely to fail. The CFP already has some leverage over the conferences as well as the bowls, and with the expanded playoffs, I can see a combined governance and CFP organization having even greater power. This association could dictate relative revenue parity for all member schools. If a conference didn’t want to go along with the revenue distribution arrangements or other new rules, they would not be eligible to participate in the Championship Bowl games and their resulting revenue windfall.

Would this arrangement “fix” all the issues facing college football? No, but it would have the power to make certain changes to improve parity and treat student-athletes fairly, that are next to impossible in the current environment.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
NIL Bill In Congress
Although expected, this is an interesting development. One thing I picked up on is the legislation’s proposal to require athletes to sit out a year after transferring.
So, we have the following timeline:
  • NCAA has rule that requires athletes to sit out a year after transfer.
  • NCAA eliminates this rule.
  • Proposed legislation would reinstate rule.
  • NCAA President announces support for the legislation.
Would someone please explain to me why the NCAA couldn’t just reinstate their own rule, which they are clearly in favor of, as opposed to sitting back and waiting on legislation? Lawsuit fear?
 

CEB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,623
Although expected, this is an interesting development. One thing I picked up on is the legislation’s proposal to require athletes to sit out a year after transferring.
So, we have the following timeline:
  • NCAA has rule that requires athletes to sit out a year after transfer.
  • NCAA eliminates this rule.
  • Proposed legislation would reinstate rule.
  • NCAA President announces support for the legislation.
Would someone please explain to me why the NCAA couldn’t just reinstate their own rule, which they are clearly in favor of, as opposed to sitting back and waiting on legislation? Lawsuit fear?
I think that’s a totally fair question and a good point.

As I read it, I think the bigger development is giving the NCAA oversight on NIL. No idea what that actually means or what the unintended consequences will be, but on the surface it seems like this is giving the NCAA back some “teeth” with regard to NIL. Previous rulings basically took away the NCAA ability to limit player’s ability to earn income while playing college sports so this seems like a little bit of a guardrail coming back.
How the NCAA chooses to apply this, now, that’s anyone’s guess and will be the topic of much debate, I’d assume. :oops:
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
I think that’s a totally fair question and a good point.

As I read it, I think the bigger development is giving the NCAA oversight on NIL. No idea what that actually means or what the unintended consequences will be, but on the surface it seems like this is giving the NCAA back some “teeth” with regard to NIL. Previous rulings basically took away the NCAA ability to limit player’s ability to earn income while playing college sports so this seems like a little bit of a guardrail coming back.
How the NCAA chooses to apply this, now, that’s anyone’s guess and will be the topic of much debate, I’d assume. :oops:
Agree that NCAA oversight over NIL is a bigger deal for this legislation. But when I read that I thought - How do they expect the NCAA to manage the cat rodeo that is NIL, when they (apparently) don't have the staffing or the will to enforce most of the rules and responsibilities they already have?
 

CEB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,623
Agree that NCAA oversight over NIL is a bigger deal for this legislation. But when I read that I thought - How do they expect the NCAA to manage the cat rodeo that is NIL, when they (apparently) don't have the staffing or the will to enforce most of the rules and responsibilities they already have?
I would anticipate they will continue to do the same stellar level of selective oversight they have done up to this point...
:LOL:
 

4shotB

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
4,949
NIL Bill In Congress
I am treading on thin ice here but I am only one that thinks perhaps our esteemed officials in Congress may have bigger fish to fry than college football? This is another example of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic that these people like to do. On the list of things I think they should be working on, this would be on page 50 or so.

I'll see y'all in a week or so! ;)
 

orientalnc

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
9,938
Location
Oriental, NC
I am treading on thin ice here but I am only one that thinks perhaps our esteemed officials in Congress may have bigger fish to fry than college football? This is another example of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic that these people like to do. On the list of things I think they should be working on, this would be on page 50 or so.

I'll see y'all in a week or so! ;)
Plus,as I read their proposed solution, it may make matters somewhat worse.
 

Richard7125

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
450
I am treading on thin ice here but I am only one that thinks perhaps our esteemed officials in Congress may have bigger fish to fry than college football? This is another example of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic that these people like to do. On the list of things I think they should be working on, this would be on page 50 or so.

I'll see y'all in a week or so! ;)
The topic might be trivial, but the billions of dollars in college sports makes this anything but. Also, keep in mind the O’Bannon case that prompted NIL made it to the Supreme court which kind of suggests it’s not trivial. Personally, I think this is one of those topics where Congress can walk and chew gum at the same time. I also think it’s a topic that has bi-partisan support. I think it's a good thing, but I'm not going to die on this hill either.
 

MWBATL

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,547
Would this arrangement “fix” all the issues facing college football? No, but it would have the power to make certain changes to improve parity and treat student-athletes fairly, that are next to impossible in the current environment.
That word "fairly" is doing a lot of work in your last paragraph....
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,519
Pretty much anything the government decides to stick their noses into makes matters worse......so I agree with you.
There are some other bills proposed by other authors. College football is very popular in West Virginia and in Alabama, and Manchin and Tuberville represent those states. I’m sure both of them have been asked by constituents to fix this awful NIL problem, and I’m sure this bill is popular in those two states. One proposed from Ohio or New Jersey is going to look different.

I’m more surprised that there aren’t even more competing bills—with NIL, you have a problem that can be addressed by legislation and no tax increase—that’s a winner for most congresspeople running for reelection.

========

In other news: https://journalnow.com/sports/colle...cle_c07906f0-2c99-11ee-bd54-9b753db86940.html.

Clawson says that his players have been offered money to go elsewhere, and said that some programs are “serial offenders”. Maybe some players at other schools contact their old teammates, but it’s clear in this article that active recruitment is going on in violation of NCAA rules. We can probably find other quotes and stories like that.
 

cpf2001

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,283
There are some other bills proposed by other authors. College football is very popular in West Virginia and in Alabama, and Manchin and Tuberville represent those states. I’m sure both of them have been asked by constituents to fix this awful NIL problem, and I’m sure this bill is popular in those two states. One proposed from Ohio or New Jersey is going to look different.

I’m more surprised that there aren’t even more competing bills—with NIL, you have a problem that can be addressed by legislation and no tax increase—that’s a winner for most congresspeople running for reelection.

========

In other news: https://journalnow.com/sports/colle...cle_c07906f0-2c99-11ee-bd54-9b753db86940.html.

Clawson says that his players have been offered money to go elsewhere, and said that some programs are “serial offenders”. Maybe some players at other schools contact their old teammates, but it’s clear in this article that active recruitment is going on in violation of NCAA rules. We can probably find other quotes and stories like that.

Proposing a bill to give the NCAA oversight powers over NIL when they aren't exercising their oversight powers over schools/programs/coaches really isn't a good look motivation-wise. It's pitched in terms of "help the players" and "fairness" but in reality seems just like "put limits on players having too much power now" since the existing rules to enforce fairness on *schools and coaches* are so blatantly ignored already.
 
Top