(02-25-2013 10:42 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(02-25-2013 10:25 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  The NFL and NBA are able to have players developed for their leagues at basically no cost. Baseball supports their own player development in the Minor leagues.

The NCAA (weak organization at best) needs to find a way to involve the NFL and NBA in supporting player development in college. Something as simple as creating a scholarship enhancement fund with pro money to then be distributed to NCAA football and basketball players. The effort to accomplish this may not even be made since it will be another means to separate the big schools from the smaller ones. But from the pro viewpoint, establishing a fund to pay college players (or provide a stipend) would be much cheaper than developing minor football and basketball leagues. Finding the leverage to convince the pros to do this would be the real problem.

Baseball does not "support" its minor leagues. Minor league baseball is actually ridiculously profitable. On the other hand, no one cares about minor league football or basketball. They've all been big money losers.

In 2011, attendance for the 174 minor league baseball teams (48.4 million) was higher than attendance for the 241 D-1 college football programs (43.8 million).

Just goes to show which sport is truly America's pasttime.

You do know that baseball plays a LOT more games than CFB. Oh and minor league games are ridiculously cheap. When was the last time two major networks got into a bidding war over a minor league baseball TV contract? When was the last time they were played on national TV where millions of people watched?

Now what sport is the national past time?