CFB Minor league

[PPKChamp]

As time moves on and I scrape for any bit of information that I can find that leans to UConn getting an invite to a P5 conference my unbridled optimism is slowly taking a hit. While sitting at my desk (not working) and feeling depressed I had the thought that the Group of 5 is slowly becoming the minor league to the P5 conferences. If one of the G5 conferences starts to get better (having multiple teams talked about at the national level) like the American has, it feels like one of the P5 conferences just swings by and takes the best teams, leaving said conference to have to start over again. I fear that this is only going to increase the separation between the P and G5 conferences and if we don't get an invite soon, it will not happen....ever..

 

[UConnfan8]

Ok.

 

[businesslawyer]

So we are screwed if we get stuck in the G5? Yes, that was worth a new thread. Why did no one else ever think of that.

 

[NYUConn]

When did Charles Bukowski start posting on the Yard?

 

[cttxus]

Dear Diary . . .

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I won't pretend to care about the well-being of the G5 conferences. If we were already P5, no one here would give a shittt and rightfully so. We've known for 5+ years now that this is a ticking time bomb and we have to hope that we somehow make it out alive. I pray for the day that we get the call to the big leagues and forget about East Carolina, Tulsa and West Bumblefuk U.

 

[jfuchs91]

This is only tangentially related to the OP, but a few years back, my brother and I kicked the tires about the viability of a minor league football league.

The idea was simple: by outright paying the players, the league could potentially attract athletes who had no interest in the 'student-athlete' moniker. Instead of having billions of dollars made for others off of their "amateurism", the players would actually be paid and could focus 100% on football. With the O'Bannon lawsuit still pending at the time, there was a growing tide of anti-NCAA sentiments that left the door open for this sort of league.

Now I'm not saying anything like that is imminent. But what I will say is that the NFL is the only major professional sports league in the U.S. without minor league affiliates. The MLB, NBA, and NHL all have minor leagues.

From a team-building perspective, it's beneficial to own the rights to a greater quantity of players. Sure, having the NCAA provide free marketing for future players is nice, but the appetite for football is exceptionally high. If the AFL can garner a six-year, $2.5B TV contract, I'm sure an NFL-affiliated minor league football league could be quite lucrative in its own right.

As of now, aspiring footballers are essentially required to be part of the NCAA system (and, of course, be in the system for at least three years). Unlike other sports, there are limited foreign or minor league options.

I wonder how a minor league football league would impact CFB's level of play and marketshare.

 

[FartMan69]

This is only tangentially related to the OP, but a few years back, my brother and I kicked the tires about the viability of a minor league football league.

The idea was simple: by outright paying the players, the league could potentially attract athletes who had no interest in the 'student-athlete' moniker. Instead of having billions of dollars made for others off of their "amateurism", the players would actually be paid and could focus 100% on football. With the O'Bannon lawsuit still pending at the time, there was a growing tide of anti-NCAA sentiments that left the door open for this sort of league.

Now I'm not saying anything like that is imminent. But what I will say is that the NFL is the only major professional sports league in the U.S. without minor league affiliates. The MLB, NBA, and NHL all have minor leagues.

From a team-building perspective, it's beneficial to own the rights to a greater quantity of players. Sure, having the NCAA provide free marketing for future players is nice, but the appetite for football is exceptionally high. If the AFL can garner a six-year, $2.5B TV contract, I'm sure an NFL-affiliated minor league football league could be quite lucrative in its own right.

As of now, aspiring footballers are essentially required to be part of the NCAA system (and, of course, be in the system for at least three years). Unlike other sports, there are limited foreign or minor league options.

I wonder how a minor league football league would impact CFB's level of play and marketshare.

Why would the NFL pay for a minor league when they get one for free?