One of the things that used to give me great pleasure when accompanying my wife to the Mall (or Wal-Mart) was sitting on the bench and just watching people. It was truly fascinating stuff! That said, I am watching with almost equal fascination at the rapid progression of college athletics to pure, 100% professional pay for play. When are we just going to drop this idea that these kids are going to college to get an education on the front end and make college money available for the players optional on the back end?
A little over 2 years ago ( https://olemiss.forums.rivals.com/t...with-neal-about-drafting-players-long.310059/ ) I posted some initial thoughts on what I saw as the future of college athletics in the NIL age. The focal point of my post was to establish some methodology and order for a process that could spiral out of control quickly and destroy itself due to chaos and greed. My post was only "liked" by 2 people (not a focused outcome, but still a relevant litmus test of agreeance) and the number of people ridiculing my INITIAL thoughts was alarming, at best.
Here we are, 2 years, later, and the same roster that was going for 5-7 million in 2022 will cost upwards of 25-30 million in 2025. Where will we be in, say, 2030? The bottom line is college football (and men's basketball) would best be served by being proactive in establishing parameters, left and right limits, for how the sport moves forward and remains beloved by those of us who are passionate about it and, at the same time, continues to produce a high level of play where the participants (the players) continue to develop towards their end goal, the NFL.
In the 2 years since I wrote this post, here is how I have devolved my original thoughts on this subject from 05JUN2022:
1. BIG and SEC split off and form a two-league alliance (upper level), similar to the NFL. 40 teams. Big XII and ACC form a similar alliance (mid-level). 40 teams. G5 form their playoff with the remaining schools (lower level). These alliances are for football and basketball only. Regional alliances (conferences.. etc.) for all other sports.
2. Any team of the Big XII and ACC alliance that wins its playoff multiple times in 5 years can apply for membership in the BIG/SEC alliance. The same is true for the G5 playoff winner moving up to the mid-level. Conversely, any program in the BIG/SEC alliance or Big XII/ACC alliance that has failed to win at least X number of games in 5 years can be reassigned down 1 level from the higher level. A simple majority vote of members is required for both upward movement and downward movement.
3. The players in each league form a union to protect their interests. The schools establish salary caps at each level. The players become employees of the university. Education money is part of the package for each player, but enrollment and attendance are not necessary for participation. The player can even defer attending college until after playing days are done.
4. The teams conduct a draft where each team gets 10-15 selections each season. The upper-level teams go first. Then mid-level. Then lower-level. These players can sign multi-year deals, up to 5 years. Players have 5 years to play 5 years. A player can maintain his ability to move from place to place by signing a shorter deal, as is alluded to in point #5 of my original post. A player can apply for the NFL draft anytime after their 21st birthday.
5. #4, 5, 6, and 7 of my original post are still valid. They can be tweaked somewhat, but they are all still valid after 2 years of observing where college football is headed, and fast, if some semblance of order is not established,...soon.
I am fairly certain none of this will happen. We as humans, for whatever reason, have to have proof of principle for even the most obvious things. For example, we have to wait for multiple people to be killed at an intersection before we put a traffic light or a bridge there (I can cite examples of both here in NEMS). We are a reactive species instead of a proactive one. It is just who we are. These are some thoughts I have. I do not claim to be all-knowing, or even smart at all. Otherwise, I would be presenting these ideas to the NCAA/TV executives instead of sharing them here (no offense meant to anyone). Please share your thoughts about reigning in this runaway freight train that seems to be headed to nothing good long term. One request: I know I am not the brightest bulb on the tree. You don't have to tell me, like some of you did in my original post 2 years ago. Just share how you would reign this in, or why you think it doesn't need reigning in at all. That is all.
A little over 2 years ago ( https://olemiss.forums.rivals.com/t...with-neal-about-drafting-players-long.310059/ ) I posted some initial thoughts on what I saw as the future of college athletics in the NIL age. The focal point of my post was to establish some methodology and order for a process that could spiral out of control quickly and destroy itself due to chaos and greed. My post was only "liked" by 2 people (not a focused outcome, but still a relevant litmus test of agreeance) and the number of people ridiculing my INITIAL thoughts was alarming, at best.
Here we are, 2 years, later, and the same roster that was going for 5-7 million in 2022 will cost upwards of 25-30 million in 2025. Where will we be in, say, 2030? The bottom line is college football (and men's basketball) would best be served by being proactive in establishing parameters, left and right limits, for how the sport moves forward and remains beloved by those of us who are passionate about it and, at the same time, continues to produce a high level of play where the participants (the players) continue to develop towards their end goal, the NFL.
In the 2 years since I wrote this post, here is how I have devolved my original thoughts on this subject from 05JUN2022:
1. BIG and SEC split off and form a two-league alliance (upper level), similar to the NFL. 40 teams. Big XII and ACC form a similar alliance (mid-level). 40 teams. G5 form their playoff with the remaining schools (lower level). These alliances are for football and basketball only. Regional alliances (conferences.. etc.) for all other sports.
2. Any team of the Big XII and ACC alliance that wins its playoff multiple times in 5 years can apply for membership in the BIG/SEC alliance. The same is true for the G5 playoff winner moving up to the mid-level. Conversely, any program in the BIG/SEC alliance or Big XII/ACC alliance that has failed to win at least X number of games in 5 years can be reassigned down 1 level from the higher level. A simple majority vote of members is required for both upward movement and downward movement.
3. The players in each league form a union to protect their interests. The schools establish salary caps at each level. The players become employees of the university. Education money is part of the package for each player, but enrollment and attendance are not necessary for participation. The player can even defer attending college until after playing days are done.
4. The teams conduct a draft where each team gets 10-15 selections each season. The upper-level teams go first. Then mid-level. Then lower-level. These players can sign multi-year deals, up to 5 years. Players have 5 years to play 5 years. A player can maintain his ability to move from place to place by signing a shorter deal, as is alluded to in point #5 of my original post. A player can apply for the NFL draft anytime after their 21st birthday.
5. #4, 5, 6, and 7 of my original post are still valid. They can be tweaked somewhat, but they are all still valid after 2 years of observing where college football is headed, and fast, if some semblance of order is not established,...soon.
I am fairly certain none of this will happen. We as humans, for whatever reason, have to have proof of principle for even the most obvious things. For example, we have to wait for multiple people to be killed at an intersection before we put a traffic light or a bridge there (I can cite examples of both here in NEMS). We are a reactive species instead of a proactive one. It is just who we are. These are some thoughts I have. I do not claim to be all-knowing, or even smart at all. Otherwise, I would be presenting these ideas to the NCAA/TV executives instead of sharing them here (no offense meant to anyone). Please share your thoughts about reigning in this runaway freight train that seems to be headed to nothing good long term. One request: I know I am not the brightest bulb on the tree. You don't have to tell me, like some of you did in my original post 2 years ago. Just share how you would reign this in, or why you think it doesn't need reigning in at all. That is all.
