https://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketba...asketball/

(05-09-2020 06:58 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  https://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketba...asketball/

I agree. Why would the NCAA pass either of these rules? To me, these would signal the end of mid-major athletics. I love LR athletics. But why, other than "loyalty" would one of our star student athletes stay here as a junior or senior if they are offered a scholarship at a big-time program if these rules pass? We would have "developed" them into a player that could step right into a major program where they would get tons of exposure and make thousands (maybe even millions) of dollars in endorsements. Schools would simply "buy" the best players with what would now be "legal" monetary offers from local businesses often owned by boosters. There is no limit how much a charismatic player like Markquis or a talented big-man like Nikola could make at a place like Kentucky, UNC, or Kansas. It wouldn't have to be a "blue-blood". There is plenty of money available to be made at dozens of P5 schools. And it wouldn't be limited to those schools. How much could Fed-Ex pay a kid to play at Memphis or Wal-Mart/Tyson pay a kid to play for the hogs. This will not end well for programs like ours. In fact, it may simply be the end for many mid-major programs.

On the other hand, Little Rock is a decent sized city and there is plenty of money here as well. There are probably a lot of low major programs we could pilfer players from to remain competitive. But, what kind of system would this become? Maybe the NCAA will come to their senses. It looks like it is too late to close the barn door with regard to the issue of players profiting from endorsements. I guess I can live with that. But, adding the immediate transfer rule, to that, will simply destroy college athletics as we know it.

(05-09-2020 09:25 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(05-09-2020 06:58 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  https://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketba...asketball/

I agree. Why would the NCAA pass either of these rules? To me, these would signal the end of mid-major athletics. I love LR athletics. But why, other than "loyalty" would one of our star student athletes stay here as a junior or senior if they are offered a scholarship at a big-time program if these rules pass? We would have "developed" them into a player that could step right into a major program where they would get tons of exposure and make thousands (maybe even millions) of dollars in endorsements. Schools would simply "buy" the best players with what would now be "legal" monetary offers from local businesses often owned by boosters. There is no limit how much a charismatic player like Markquis or a talented big-man like Nikola could make at a place like Kentucky, UNC, or Kansas. It wouldn't have to be a "blue-blood". There is plenty of money available to be made at dozens of P5 schools. And it wouldn't be limited to those schools. How much could Fed-Ex pay a kid to play at Memphis or Wal-Mart/Tyson pay a kid to play for the hogs. This will not end well for programs like ours. In fact, it may simply be the end for many mid-major programs.

On the other hand, Little Rock is a decent sized city and there is plenty of money here as well. There are probably a lot of low major programs we could pilfer players from to remain competitive. But, what kind of system would this become? Maybe the NCAA will come to their senses. It looks like it is too late to close the barn door with regard to the issue of players profiting from endorsements. I guess I can live with that. But, adding the immediate transfer rule, to that, will simply destroy college athletics as we know it.

Agree with you. This is probably not going to go well for those of us who support lower level programs. The big programs will all gain at smaller programs expense, and it could easily get really ugly between the big programs too! This will just solidify that big time college athletics have really zero to do with Universities, and are really just like pro sports franchises!

(05-09-2020 10:12 AM)PTJR Wrote:  

(05-09-2020 09:25 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(05-09-2020 06:58 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  https://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketba...asketball/

I agree. Why would the NCAA pass either of these rules? To me, these would signal the end of mid-major athletics. I love LR athletics. But why, other than "loyalty" would one of our star student athletes stay here as a junior or senior if they are offered a scholarship at a big-time program if these rules pass? We would have "developed" them into a player that could step right into a major program where they would get tons of exposure and make thousands (maybe even millions) of dollars in endorsements. Schools would simply "buy" the best players with what would now be "legal" monetary offers from local businesses often owned by boosters. There is no limit how much a charismatic player like Markquis or a talented big-man like Nikola could make at a place like Kentucky, UNC, or Kansas. It wouldn't have to be a "blue-blood". There is plenty of money available to be made at dozens of P5 schools. And it wouldn't be limited to those schools. How much could Fed-Ex pay a kid to play at Memphis or Wal-Mart/Tyson pay a kid to play for the hogs. This will not end well for programs like ours. In fact, it may simply be the end for many mid-major programs.

On the other hand, Little Rock is a decent sized city and there is plenty of money here as well. There are probably a lot of low major programs we could pilfer players from to remain competitive. But, what kind of system would this become? Maybe the NCAA will come to their senses. It looks like it is too late to close the barn door with regard to the issue of players profiting from endorsements. I guess I can live with that. But, adding the immediate transfer rule, to that, will simply destroy college athletics as we know it.

Agree with you. This is probably not going to go well for those of us who support lower level programs. The big programs will all gain at smaller programs expense, and it could easily get really ugly between the big programs too! This will just solidify that big time college athletics have really zero to do with Universities, and are really just like pro sports franchises!

Growing up in New York I was a pro sports fan. Once I moved to the South, I became a college sports fan and became less and less interested in pro sports as the money (salaries) grew to ridiculous proportions. Now the same thing is happening to college athletics. The salaries of coaches at major programs is already beyond crazy. I can see the argument for players getting money, when their coaches make millions on their backs. Still, what I loved about college athletics
(at least in theory) was the idea of kids competing for the love of the game and pride for their school, rather than because of big bucks. I guess those days will soon be over.

And probably they will realize too late that they have killed the goose, because when college becomes openly a professional environment, it is only going to be minor league compared to the pro major leagues. I have no problem with the G League siphoning off basketball talent, because a good number of recruits really don't have any reason to be in college, anyway. They need the money and they don't care about the academics. If they can become professional right off the bat, more power to them.

College basketball is trying to be fish AND foul, and it is just not going to work.

And forgive me if I am disgusted by all the posturing by the powers that be about it being all for the kids, and they need to profit. They can profit immediately by going to the G League or playing in Europe. If I am rooting for a school, then I want to be rooting for kids who want to be at that school and who are playing for that school. We need to do something to INCREASE the price that kids have to pay if they bolt the school for another school. If they want to go immediately to the pros, fine, but if they commit to college, we need to do all we can to encourage them to stay in college. Even if that means the quality of play we can see in college goes down, the quality of commitment would go up; and we can always watch the NBA if we want to see that level of play. I watch college to see that level of commitment.