NCAA op ed on NIL - I am looking at you wrestling (and other Olympic sports)

[Wrestleknownothing]

NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote an op ed for The Athletic yesterday on the need for comprehensive federal legislation covering NIL. His big ask was for Congress to state that athletes are not employees:

"we need Congress to affirm that student-athletes are not employees. Without that action, courts may implement one-size-fits-all mandates that require all student-athletes across all sports and all divisions receive identical benefits. Providing the same benefits to a Division I football player whose program generates enormous revenues and a Division III swimmer whose program generates none would be untenable. Maintaining a full roster of programs would be challenging, and women’s sports and Olympic sports would be harmed most."

The obvious answer is we all need to start buying tickets to D3 swimming events, demanding ESPN pay big money to televise those events, and buy our favorite swimmer's speedos to wear while watching those events.

Seems like a thinly veiled threat aimed at all Olympic sports, like wrestling.

[Jason Bryant]

Protect football at any cost. That Division III swimmer paying a chunk of the full cost of tuition (since few actually pay all of it), is bringing the school money, not just one department.

Multiply that sport x20 and that is significant revenue from tuition. I need to go back and re-read the story fully.

I love college football, but I hate college football.

[Wrestleknownothing]

4 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Protect football at any cost. That Division III swimmer paying a chunk of the full cost of tuition (since few actually pay all of it), is bringing the school money, not just one department.

Multiply that sport x20 and that is significant revenue from tuition. I need to go back and re-read the story fully.

I love college football, but I hate college football.

Add to that (or subtract really) that D3 athletes do not get athletic scholarships, just needs based aid like all other students.

[ionel]

1 hour ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

 

The obvious answer is we all need to start buying tickets to D3 swimming events, demanding ESPN pay big money to televise those events, and buy our favorite swimmer's speedos to wear while watching those events.

Seems like a thinly veiled threat aimed at all Olympic sports, like wrestling.

Probably true but me thinks Wkn is just trying to generate excess demand for his huge supply of speedos, next he'll be posting a link to all the merch. 

[11986]

34 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

I love college football, but I hate college football.

This. 

[Wrestleknownothing]

7 minutes ago, ionel said:

Probably true but me thinks Wkn is just trying to generate excess demand for his huge supply of speedos, next he'll be posting a link to all the merch. 

When I started doing triathlon relays (that's right, no running, no cycling, just the pure unadulterated good stuff), my pre-teen daughter banned me from ever wearing a speedo again. At least in competition.

[1032004]

I wonder if there has been a decrease in donations to schools that are now going to "collectives" instead?

[Nittany]

56 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Protect football at any cost. That Division III swimmer paying a chunk of the full cost of tuition (since few actually pay all of it), is bringing the school money, not just one department.

Multiply that sport x20 and that is significant revenue from tuition. I need to go back and re-read the story fully.

I love college football, but I hate college football.

Protect the NCAA monopoly at any cost.  One and the same.

[nhs67]

2 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote an op ed for The Athletic yesterday on the need for comprehensive federal legislation covering NIL. His big ask was for Congress to state that athletes are not employees:

"we need Congress to affirm that student-athletes are not employees. Without that action, courts may implement one-size-fits-all mandates that require all student-athletes across all sports and all divisions receive identical benefits. Providing the same benefits to a Division I football player whose program generates enormous revenues and a Division III swimmer whose program generates none would be untenable. Maintaining a full roster of programs would be challenging, and women’s sports and Olympic sports would be harmed most."

The obvious answer is we all need to start buying tickets to D3 swimming events, demanding ESPN pay big money to televise those events, and buy our favorite swimmer's speedos to wear while watching those events.

Seems like a thinly veiled threat aimed at all Olympic sports, like wrestling.

Done.

[ionel]

51 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

When I started doing triathlon relays (that's right, no running, no cycling, just the pure unadulterated good stuff), my pre-teen daughter banned me from ever wearing a speedo again. At least in competition.

I can still be seen around town multiple times a week in skin tight cycling bib & jersey, my kids are all gone, maybe thats why they left.

[Jim L]

2 hours ago, ionel said:

I can still be seen around town multiple times a week in skin tight cycling bib & jersey, my kids are all gone, maybe thats why they left.

I just started wearing cycling bibs (essentially a singlet for the uninitiated) and I put on my jersey as quickly as possible and avoid mirrors like the plague. Jersey seems to hide most of the shame

[Jim L]

2 hours ago, ionel said:

I can still be seen around town multiple times a week in skin tight cycling bib & jersey, my kids are all gone, maybe thats why they left.

I hope you are going into to restaurants and stores not only still wearing your outfit, but also keeping your bike helmet on.

[ionel]

1 hour ago, Jim L said:

I hope you are going into to restaurants and stores not only still wearing your outfit, but also keeping your bike helmet on.

I have friends who can be seen driving their car with bike helmet on.  If you see such, it ain't me.   

[neutral]

A quick search claims only 18 of over 200 college football programs net a profit.

[Wrestleknownothing]

9 minutes ago, neutral said:

A quick search claims only 18 of over 200 college football programs net a profit.

I have always wondered about stats like that. How are net profits determined? How are halo effects like increased enrollment, increased contributions to the endowment, and other benefits accounted for? Is it really about profit or about revenue? Do administers get paid based on profit or revenue? What does it even mean to have a profit within a non-profit (ish) institution?

Certainly school Presidents treat football like it is massively profitable. 

[neutral]

I mostly hate college football.  And to a degree I hate basketball as well.  Both have been corrupted by money.

[alex1fly]

NBA and NFL teams have salary caps. MLB does not. Should college athletics? That could be debated Yes or No pretty convincingly either way.

[Wrestleknownothing]

6 minutes ago, alex1fly said:

NBA and NFL teams have salary caps. MLB does not. Should college athletics? That could be debated Yes or No pretty convincingly either way.

There already is a salary cap. It is zero.

And the President of the NCAA is lobbying hard to keep it that way. He is on Capitol Hill asking Congress to pass a law, once and for all, declaring athletes are not employees.

[bnwtwg]

1 hour ago, neutral said:

I mostly hate college football.  And to a degree I hate basketball as well.  Both have been corrupted by money.

Those higher education admin salaries aren't going to pay themselves. Athletics departments are an effect, not a cause.

[bnwtwg]

Just now, Wrestleknownothing said:

There already is a salary cap. It is zero.

And the President of the NCAA is lobbying hard to keep it that way. He is on Capitol Hill asking Congress to pass a law, once and for all, declaring athletes are not employees.

Which is why, once again, there should be death to the NCAA. Adopt the Euro sports academy model.

[CHROMEBIRD]

8 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote an op ed for The Athletic yesterday on the need for comprehensive federal legislation covering NIL. His big ask was for Congress to state that athletes are not employees:

"we need Congress to affirm that student-athletes are not employees. Without that action, courts may implement one-size-fits-all mandates that require all student-athletes across all sports and all divisions receive identical benefits. Providing the same benefits to a Division I football player whose program generates enormous revenues and a Division III swimmer whose program generates none would be untenable. Maintaining a full roster of programs would be challenging, and women’s sports and Olympic sports would be harmed most."

The obvious answer is we all need to start buying tickets to D3 swimming events, demanding ESPN pay big money to televise those events, and buy our favorite swimmer's speedos to wear while watching those events.

Seems like a thinly veiled threat aimed at all Olympic sports, like wrestling.

They're threatened by the prospect of players unionizing.

[Idaho]

Here is the unpopular opinion.... take football out of the NCAA altogether and have the BCS run the whole thing. Schools can lease the school name, facilities and stadiums back to the teams to create revenue for the school and the BCS can run wild and unhinged with whatever they want to do. Yes, it becomes like arena football leagues..... should be very successful without the NCAA part of it involved.... or would it? 

[bnwtwg]

50 minutes ago, Idaho said:

Here is the unpopular opinion.... take football out of the NCAA altogether and have the BCS run the whole thing. Schools can lease the school name, facilities and stadiums back to the teams to create revenue for the school and the BCS can run wild and unhinged with whatever they want to do. Yes, it becomes like arena football leagues..... should be very successful without the NCAA part of it involved.... or would it? 

The moment it becomes minor league football the shine is removed. Forever. And they know it.

[billyhoyle]

7 hours ago, Idaho said:

Here is the unpopular opinion.... take football out of the NCAA altogether and have the BCS run the whole thing. Schools can lease the school name, facilities and stadiums back to the teams to create revenue for the school and the BCS can run wild and unhinged with whatever they want to do. Yes, it becomes like arena football leagues..... should be very successful without the NCAA part of it involved.... or would it? 

If you take away football money, we would see many more programs cut entirely or significantly reduced. Maybe Iowa and PSU can keep going as they are, but forget about places like Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, etc.  I'm worried about Oregon State and Stanford with what happened to the PAC12. 

14 hours ago, Jason Bryant said:

Protect football at any cost. That Division III swimmer paying a chunk of the full cost of tuition (since few actually pay all of it), is bringing the school money, not just one department.

Multiply that sport x20 and that is significant revenue from tuition. I need to go back and re-read the story fully.

I love college football, but I hate college football.

How exactly does a D3 athlete bring in money for the school? Replace that athlete with a student not participating in athletics and the school would save money from the cost of running the athletic program.  The only world in which D3 athletes make money is if there is a very significant alumni donor base for the program (you can probably count on one hand the number of D3 wrestling programs that raise more than they spend) or if the university is such an awful place that it struggles to get full enrollment.  

[Jason Bryant]

1 minute ago, billyhoyle said:

If you take away football money, we would see many more programs cut entirely or significantly reduced. Maybe Iowa and PSU can keep going as they are, but forget about places like Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, etc.  I'm worried about Oregon State and Stanford with what happened to the PAC12. 

How exactly does a D3 athlete bring in money for the school? Replace that athlete with a student not participating in athletics and the school would save money from the cost of running the athletic program.  The only world in which D3 athletes make money is if there is a very significant alumni donor base for the program (you can probably count on one hand the number of D3 wrestling programs that raise more than they spend) or if the university is such an awful place that it struggles to get full enrollment.  

That D3 school isn't getting that seat filled with a traditional student. That's the draw for the enrollment driven schools in Division III that are non-scholarship. They're bringing in students they wouldn't normally get by adding sports. Same with D2 and the NAIA, which do have scholarships, but they're still getting ahead with the tuition revenue brought in. That seat is at (insert private liberal arts college here) is empty otherwise, so the school makes money. The cost of running a Division III program like wrestling isn't exactly super expensive.