UCTV Follows Our Team's NILs

[RockyMTblue2]

Mentions a couple new to me.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I’ve thought the same thing, and actually believe it would’ve been better to give each teammate some money. I don’t know how much would seem fair — $30,000 - $50,00? I know many college kids would love to have this extra money.

 

[UcMiami]

I agree it is an added pressure on them, but ...
We have endless threads about starters and minutes and while we all spout nonsense, it is actually a reality in HS and in college - as soon as a sport becomes a real competition rather than exercise and participation, athletes get separated by skill and they become stars, support players, and bench. And the athletes themselves know it and they either accept it or look for another team. And sooner or later a price tag is assigned. In a lot of college sports half the teams have already been being paid with scholarship money while the rest have been designated 'walk-ons'. Not sure but I think basketball is the only college sport, men's or women's that has been basically 100% scholarship.

I understand the concern, but do you think Paige and Piath don't understand their different prospects already?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I'll have to disagree. Back in the mid-70's when I was a college student, an econ major performed an analysis that he said showed baseball players shockingly underpaid. Then came free agency, which everyone said would destroy professional sports. It didn't happen. Finally, players began to earn somewhere near what they were worth. If NIL had not been implemented, there would have been far greater pressure for the women's game to go to one-and-done for players. Would Paige really stick around for four years if she knew she could pick up seven figures as soon as she turned pro?

Let's let women make money, as they deserve. The alternative is one-and-done for the stars. Europe beckons.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Of course, virtually everyone in the Olympics was a professional. Look at the eastern bloc teams. All paid by the state for no-show jobs, while they really trained year-round for their specific sport. Olympic athletes in the United States suffered from loss of career prospects, from difficulty even putting a roof over their heads. Much of this hardship has gone away because true professionalism has been permitted. And a lot of the hypocrisy. In college sports, the industry hoovers up billions of dollars a year. Coaches make millions, assistant coaches hundreds of thousands, universities in big-time conferences collect tens of millions. It is a massively lucrative business. Except for the athletes themselves. And let's not pretend that they're not professionals. Most of these big-time sports machines don't permit their athletes to actually study, or earn real degrees. How many athletes are earning meaningless "communications" or "sports management" degrees that require no study, little in terms of actually attendance in class, and aren't really considered actual degrees? And the system is beginning to crumble as a result.

Football players are beginning to balk at playing in bowl games where they could suffer career-ending injuries, just weeks or days before they're drafted into the pros. Lack of pay has resulted in a one-and-done system for men's basketball that has certainly decimated great teams, and resulted in match-ups of barely trained freshmen. And that's the way that women's basketball would be going as well. Yes, the lack of money in the WNBA is a factor keeping women from going pro- as well as WNBA rules forbidding them from doing so. But that rule is about to come under attack from the payers' union soon. And Europe's increasingly successful pro teams beckon for standouts like Paige and Clark.

This no-pay system is falling apart on its own. And there's no stopping its demise. Time for women to earn what they deserve.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Of course, virtually everyone in the Olympics was a professional. Look at the eastern bloc teams. All paid by the state for no-show jobs, while they really trained year-round for their specific sport. Olympic athletes in the United States suffered from loss of career prospects, from difficulty even putting a roof over their heads. Much of this hardship has gone away because true professionalism has been permitted. And a lot of the hypocrisy. In college sports, the industry hoovers up billions of dollars a year. Coaches make millions, assistant coaches hundreds of thousands, universities in big-time conferences collect tens of millions. It is a massively lucrative business. Except for the athletes themselves. And let's not pretend that they're not professionals. Most of these big-time sports machines don't permit their athletes to actually study, or earn real degrees. How many athletes are earning meaningless "communications" or "sports management" degrees that require no study, little in terms of actually attendance in class, and aren't really considered actual degrees? And the system is beginning to crumble as a result.

Football players are beginning to balk at playing in bowl games where they could suffer career-ending injuries, just weeks or days before they're drafted into the pros. Lack of pay has resulted in a one-and-done system for men's basketball that has certainly decimated great teams, and resulted in match-ups of barely trained freshmen. And that's the way that women's basketball would be going as well. Yes, the lack of money in the WNBA is a factor keeping women from going pro- as well as WNBA rules forbidding them from doing so. But that rule is about to come under attack from the payers' union soon. And Europe's increasingly successful pro teams beckon for standouts like Paige and Clark.

This no-pay system is falling apart on its own. And there's no stopping its demise. Time for women to earn what they deserve.

Why make the players go to class at all then if they're professionals? Should we just create a major called "pro basketball?" Geno can teach the on the court classes, the training staff can teach things like exercises and nutrition, and maybe the major requires some off the court stuff too like how to manage finances, set up marketing deals, etc.

 

[Boreifs]

I'll have to disagree. Back in the mid-70's when I was a college student, an econ major performed an analysis that he said showed baseball players shockingly underpaid. Then came free agency, which everyone said would destroy professional sports. It didn't happen. Finally, players began to earn somewhere near what they were worth. If NIL had not been implemented, there would have been far greater pressure for the women's game to go to one-and-done for players. Would Paige really stick around for four years if she knew she could pick up seven figures as soon as she turned pro?

Let's let women make money, as they deserve. The alternative is one-and-done for the stars. Europe beckons.

Agree totally.

 

[D J B]

I agree it is an added pressure on them, but ...
We have endless threads about starters and minutes and while we all spout nonsense, it is actually a reality in HS and in college - as soon as a sport becomes a real competition rather than exercise and participation, athletes get separated by skill and they become stars, support players, and bench. And the athletes themselves know it and they either accept it or look for another team. And sooner or later a price tag is assigned. In a lot of college sports half the teams have already been being paid with scholarship money while the rest have been designated 'walk-ons'. Not sure but I think basketball is the only college sport, men's or women's that has been basically 100% scholarship.

I understand the concern, but do you think Paige and Piath don't understand their different prospects already?

Here are the numbers from 2020-2021. Anyone can analyze and see how it plays into discussion.

College Athletic Scholarship Limits 2020-21 | Scholarship Stats.com

College Athletic Scholarship limits 2020-21, NCAA, NAIA & NJCAA. Average Athletic Scholarship per Division.

scholarshipstats.com

 

[Carnac]

I understand and agree with your thoughts. Human nature tells us that jealousy and envy can destroy team chemistry for sure. How do coaches manage NILS and the potential problems they may cause?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Why make the players go to class at all then if they're professionals? Should we just create a major called "pro basketball?" Geno can teach the on the court classes, the training staff can teach things like exercises and nutrition, and maybe the major requires some off the court stuff too like how to manage finances, set up marketing deals, etc.

The alternative is the European model: professional teams in both soccer and basketball operate feeder teams and leagues. Young athletes in their teens can be signed to pro contracts, developed on essentially minor league teams, and then brought up to the majors. Just look at how many European stars there are in men's basketball to see how successful that system is. Our university sports system is an outlier in world sports. Eventually, athletes are just going to go for the money. Again, the system is collapsing under its own contradictions.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The problem with your argument about professionalism is that students in biology and government have yet to obtain the skills to be doctors and attorneys. But many athletes- let's take Paige as a prime example- are ready to step into rolls as not only professionals, but top professionals. The NBA acknowledges that by permitting kids who've attended just one year of college to sign contracts. And even now, the NBA is proposing doing away with the one-and-done system that forces those top athletes to go to college at all. Instead, they're talking about a development league for kids right out of high school, with salaries of $125,000 a year. So these kids won't have to pretend to attend college courses and earn phony degrees in "communication" or the like. They'll get paid for being athletes, and without having to risk serious injury without earning a penny of compensation. To sum it up, many of these athletes "are ready."

 

[TeamFirst!]

The NIL applies to high school kids also I would think effectively. Top players can probably do endorsement deals now even as 8th graders and still play college ball if they want. I'm not certain of that but given the circumstances why not. Many US soccer players have followed the european approach and just moved to Europe. Lindsey Horan never went to college for example. I think we are essentially going to see European style club teams even in high school.