gotohellolemiss
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Power college football vs Minor league football
The current system of college football seems to be headed to a breakaway of the 30-40 biggest programs from the rest. The deregulation of college football seems to be heading to a breakaway from the old student athlete model. If college football continues on this pretty clear path, do the programs have to or even need to be tied to universities? It seems like most of the biggest college football programs would be served better as a professional system and that the athletes at those programs would be served better as professional athletes. For the top tier of programs in a billion dollar industry, the largest obstacles are tied to school regulations, student affairs, Title 9, revenue sharing with smaller conference mates, etc.
I guess one big question is: would it still be as popular of a sport if it was a professional sport system not tied to universities? The European model says it would over time. Alabama Crimson Tide would be the football team, not U of A's football team. Alabama fans would still be Alabama fans I would think. They would just be rooting for professional athletes instead of "student athletes." Players would have contracts, guarantees, multi-year deals, no academic regulations or classroom requirements, and no limitations of 4 seasons. Coaches could be general managers instead of recruiters. The league could decide on salary caps, roster caps, scheduling, divisions, playoffs, etc. all that make sense for the league itself instead of trying to superimpose a professional sport on an amateur model.
The rest of the current schools could reorganize in whatever way they see fit. They could stay as university tied teams if that makes sense. They could reorganize into more sense driven conferences, they could go back to a purer amateur system with smaller tv deals and smaller contracts for coaching staffs. Or they could continue to grow bigger and hope to someday become part of this new professional league.
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07-25-2022 05:36 PM |
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micman
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
(07-25-2022 05:36 PM)gotohellolemiss Wrote: The current system of college football seems to be headed to a breakaway of the 30-40 biggest programs from the rest. The deregulation of college football seems to be heading to a breakaway from the old student athlete model. If college football continues on this pretty clear path, do the programs have to or even need to be tied to universities? It seems like most of the biggest college football programs would be served better as a professional system and that the athletes at those programs would be served better as professional athletes. For the top tier of programs in a billion dollar industry, the largest obstacles are tied to school regulations, student affairs, Title 9, revenue sharing with smaller conference mates, etc.
I guess one big question is: would it still be as popular of a sport if it was a professional sport system not tied to universities? The European model says it would over time. Alabama Crimson Tide would be the football team, not U of A's football team. Alabama fans would still be Alabama fans I would think. They would just be rooting for professional athletes instead of "student athletes." Players would have contracts, guarantees, multi-year deals, no academic regulations or classroom requirements, and no limitations of 4 seasons. Coaches could be general managers instead of recruiters. The league could decide on salary caps, roster caps, scheduling, divisions, playoffs, etc. all that make sense for the league itself instead of trying to superimpose a professional sport on an amateur model.
The rest of the current schools could reorganize in whatever way they see fit. They could stay as university tied teams if that makes sense. They could reorganize into more sense driven conferences, they could go back to a purer amateur system with smaller tv deals and smaller contracts for coaching staffs. Or they could continue to grow bigger and hope to someday become part of this new professional league.
If it goes this way, I'd like to see a smaller group of Power Teams (say 24). Then, like you say, the rest of us go back to regional conferences. With NIL, it will never go back to a truly amateur system.
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07-25-2022 05:53 PM |
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gotohellolemiss
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
NIL and an amateur based system can work together, like the olympic endorsement model. A system that makes billions of dollars will never work fairly for student athletes, and a system with gaps of tens of millions of dollars between member institutions will never work fairly for competing programs.
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07-25-2022 10:03 PM |
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Irse
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
I don't think it'll be as popular. A lot of the fans attended the university that they are rooting for. I don't see why a student would care about a team not associated with the university. The university might just field another football team.
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07-26-2022 12:37 AM |
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southpaw1
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
It sure would make it easy to walk away as a fan.
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07-26-2022 05:14 AM |
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ImaTiger
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
just as many eyeballs, less fan loyalty, less alumni donations to the Univ (academic and athletic), greater integrity from the institutions, game play would suffer.
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07-26-2022 06:32 AM |
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BIGDTiger
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
I is pissed. I is apathetic. I is not stupid to where this thing is headed. I is done.
Funny thing, half of the P5 teams don’t know it, but they are gonna be left out as well. Ole Miss and Moo State, welcome to the little kids table.
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07-26-2022 10:48 AM |
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gotohellolemiss
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
(07-26-2022 12:37 AM)Irse Wrote: I don't think it'll be as popular. A lot of the fans attended the university that they are rooting for. I don't see why a student would care about a team not associated with the university. The university might just field another football team.
All three of those statements are from a nostalgic and idealistic point of view.
People that attend a university in Barcelona still root for FC Barcelona, and basketball fans that attend U of M probably root for the Grizzlies some. People who attended Alabama in the past would probably still root for the Alabama Crimson Tide when they played the Texas Longhorns or the Ohio State Buckeyes. And if the University of Alabama wanted to start a football club for its students, then that would be fine. But what would be gone is the nonsensical tie between a billion dollar industry and a supposed institutions of higher learning. What would be gone is the nostalgic idea that the best students from U of M are going to take on the best students from another university in a sporting match. Throw that stuff away and lets define it for what it is - hired athletes and hired coaches competing with other hired athletes and hired coaches in a system where all involved have minimal affiliation or loyalty to a university that lends its name to the program.
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07-26-2022 05:58 PM |
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Irse
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
(07-26-2022 05:58 PM)gotohellolemiss Wrote: (07-26-2022 12:37 AM)Irse Wrote: I don't think it'll be as popular. A lot of the fans attended the university that they are rooting for. I don't see why a student would care about a team not associated with the university. The university might just field another football team.
All three of those statements are from a nostalgic and idealistic point of view.
People that attend a university in Barcelona still root for FC Barcelona, and basketball fans that attend U of M probably root for the Grizzlies some. People who attended Alabama in the past would probably still root for the Alabama Crimson Tide when they played the Texas Longhorns or the Ohio State Buckeyes. And if the University of Alabama wanted to start a football club for its students, then that would be fine. But what would be gone is the nonsensical tie between a billion dollar industry and a supposed institutions of higher learning. What would be gone is the nostalgic idea that the best students from U of M are going to take on the best students from another university in a sporting match. Throw that stuff away and lets define it for what it is - hired athletes and hired coaches competing with other hired athletes and hired coaches in a system where all involved have minimal affiliation or loyalty to a university that lends its name to the program.
You're giving examples of university alumni attending major sports, not a minor league one. How many UM basketball fans would buy season tickets to a Memphis G league team?
I don't live in Memphis anymore but when I did, the Grizzlies were in existence. I don't think I went to more than a game or two but did go to a Memphis State game whenever I wasn't working. I had no connection with the Grizzlies. Even if they named the team Tigers, I still would have no connection with them. But that's just me.
(This post was last modified: 07-27-2022 01:06 AM by Irse.)
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07-27-2022 12:51 AM |
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Eagleonpar
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RE: Power college football vs Minor league football
It’s the same teams basically for the last 60 years with a few notable exceptions. I don’t know why this is so hard for some of our fans to get
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07-27-2022 06:40 AM |
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