(08-09-2017 05:33 AM)Hilltopper2K Wrote: Minor league baseball basically killed NCAA baseball as a revenue sport. Wouldn't minor league football do the same?
Maybe, maybe not. I tend to think not. Firstly, I don't agree baseball was ever a viable revenue sport for most schools.
People like CFB for different reasons than they like the NFL. If the top players eschew college for semi-pro, there would likely be more parity in college football, but otherwise I don't think most CFB fans would turn the channel. We still like the tradition, rivalries, and atmosphere.
Stuff like top NFL draft prospects skipping their bowl games actually takes away from college football in deference to the NFL. With a true minor league, you'd see less of that.
The Pac-Pro league is supposed to start in 2018, but isn't officially sanctioned by the NFL. 50k/year salaries, benefits, and ability to have endorsement deals. If the NFL got behind it and funded it, I think players would go crazy for it. But they've got it good with the NCAA being a free 3-year farm league.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf.../96416744/
The NCAA and universities can stick their heads in the sand as long as they'd like, but the player compensation issue is just beginning. The drumbeat of concussion studies and player safety issues such as those will only make it more pronounced. The NCAA should honestly start pushing viable alternatives to playing college football and forgoing compensation, IMO.