The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Key things I think the anti-pay crowd ignores or fails to address:

"That scholarship is pay"--No it ain't. It's really a one-year promise not to bill you for classes taken at (insert college factory here), renewed at the whim of a head coach who 1)might not stay for the long haul himself, or 2) might pull it for another player if he's inheriting another coach's recruits. And even then, that promise not to pay might not be enough--we'll catch that later.

Cost vs value of an athletic scholarship: The costs of a public college are usually set at the state/college level, are they not? So the numbers of how much players are getting 'paid in education' are already pretty flimsy. Even worse is the average amount of spending per football player. And as this angry Gregg Doyel column points out, many players end up owing Big College U money.

The value consideration: To take the anti-pay stance, one kinda has to ignore that these so-called schollys aren't equal in real-world value. In my mind, the argument is fueled by the same pixie dust that says the smart-but-athletically-elite player will always choose Vandy over Alabama. That pixie dust utopia doesn't exist, and that non-existence is magnified by another truth...

...that a healthy chunk of the college football labor pool ain't really about going to class/college! They are there because the NFL has an arbitrary age restriction and no true minor-league training system, and that's literally the only viable level of football training/exposure to get to the NFL. (For that matter, it should be pointed out that the NBA has yet to take its minor league all that seriously: It could easily be maximized into an 'NBA 2', operating in metros like Seattle, Las Vegas, Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Nashville, etc. that might give NBA TV more profitable content...instead of 'D-League cities' like Canton, OH, Boise, ID and Erie, PA. This doesn't seem that accidental.)

Players that want to be paid a wage need to play professionally. Let them find a league and get what they are worth.

I really think high school athletes should get paid also. These kids are putting fans in the seats. They should be able to profit their popularity.

If someone is willing to pay a high school athlete for his autograph, then yes he should be able to profit from his popularity.

(09-26-2013 06:02 PM)Dracarys Wrote:  I really think high school athletes should get paid also. These kids are putting fans in the seats. They should be able to profit their popularity.

Your slope is about as slippery as the steep side of Red Mountain.

(09-26-2013 05:22 PM)BlazerUnit Wrote:  Key things I think the anti-pay crowd ignores or fails to address:

"That scholarship is pay"--No it ain't. It's really a one-year promise not to bill you for classes taken at (insert college factory here)...

Not entirely true.

The State of Virginia taxes me (at the state level, not the federal level) on my (academic) scholarship (and stipend). I never see the money, except for a line on an obscure W-Something-Something I have to plug into my TaxPro or whatever software that ends up being used by the state to take my cash. So it will vary at a state-by-state level whether a student athlete, especially one with stipend, will meet the state's minimum to be taxed.

(09-26-2013 06:02 PM)Dracarys Wrote:  I really think high school athletes should get paid also. These kids are putting fans in the seats. They should be able to profit their popularity.

And recruits should only go to schools that charge the most for tuition and has the highest USA Today ranking.

(09-26-2013 04:44 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:29 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:36 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:32 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:19 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  These athletes don't line up, schools spend millions to recruit them.

You are right, we all know that few kids want to play college sports so schools have to spend millions of dollars to find some who will come in to be taken advantage of. Maybe you should go off on another tangent about teachers to change the subject again.

How is UAB's recruiting going so far? Matter of fact, colleges fight over these kids, fans rave about them, and the media is attracted to them. I didn't change the subject, I did a comparison, but hey if you want to be a smart@$$, be my guest.

I guarantee UAB will have no difficulty finding plenty of 18 year olds who would love to play any sport for them in exchange for a scholarship. They may not be a 5 star recruit, but that isn't my point. My point is that lots of kids would love to accept these terms (much more than than UAB has slots for) which means it couldn't be that bad of a deal.

Yep. If you can't get the ones you love, love the ones you get. When you can't win with the ones you get, don't b!tch about losing.

I don't think we have had a full roster of scholarship basketball players in years and all we need are 13 players. Why not?

So much for guarantees.

(09-26-2013 12:31 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  If you are going to require them to be students, you will have to give them scholarships. The schools can afford it.

I don't see why everyone is against someone being paid for their talent. It's what American ideas are founded on: if you are good at something you are paid according to your talent. Of course some American ideas were founded on slavery as well, so I guess there's that.

How would it be any different than work study?

(09-26-2013 09:18 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:44 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:29 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:36 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:32 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  You are right, we all know that few kids want to play college sports so schools have to spend millions of dollars to find some who will come in to be taken advantage of. Maybe you should go off on another tangent about teachers to change the subject again.

How is UAB's recruiting going so far? Matter of fact, colleges fight over these kids, fans rave about them, and the media is attracted to them. I didn't change the subject, I did a comparison, but hey if you want to be a smart@$$, be my guest.

I guarantee UAB will have no difficulty finding plenty of 18 year olds who would love to play any sport for them in exchange for a scholarship. They may not be a 5 star recruit, but that isn't my point. My point is that lots of kids would love to accept these terms (much more than than UAB has slots for) which means it couldn't be that bad of a deal.

Yep. If you can't get the ones you love, love the ones you get. When you can't win with the ones you get, don't b!tch about losing.

I don't think we have had a full roster of scholarship basketball players in years and all we need are 13 players. Why not?

So much for guarantees.

Because nobody is willing to play basketball for UAB in exchange for a scholarsip b/c they don't get paid extra cash. You must be right.

(09-27-2013 06:38 AM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 09:18 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:44 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:29 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 02:36 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  How is UAB's recruiting going so far? Matter of fact, colleges fight over these kids, fans rave about them, and the media is attracted to them. I didn't change the subject, I did a comparison, but hey if you want to be a smart@$$, be my guest.

I guarantee UAB will have no difficulty finding plenty of 18 year olds who would love to play any sport for them in exchange for a scholarship. They may not be a 5 star recruit, but that isn't my point. My point is that lots of kids would love to accept these terms (much more than than UAB has slots for) which means it couldn't be that bad of a deal.

Yep. If you can't get the ones you love, love the ones you get. When you can't win with the ones you get, don't b!tch about losing.

I don't think we have had a full roster of scholarship basketball players in years and all we need are 13 players. Why not?

So much for guarantees.

Because nobody is willing to play basketball for UAB in exchange for a scholarsip b/c they don't get paid extra cash. You must be right.

Talk about taking giant leaps. You can't follow logic, you can't follow a conversation, and you can't follow your own train of thought. You made a stupid guarantee that was easily and quickly dispelled, so instead of making a valid point, you make crap up.

Your talents dictate that you go to school, pay for it yourself, and get a crappy job but don't expect people with talents that are in high demand to do the same. You are worth whatever you talents, skills, and experience says your worth and judging by the BILLIONS of dollars that college football produces, ATHLETES are worth a helluva lot.

No you don't have to recruit kids with that level of talent and you get what you can afford which will yield an empty stadium, a grumpy fan base, and very few wins.

(09-27-2013 08:13 AM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-27-2013 06:38 AM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 09:18 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:44 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:29 PM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  I guarantee UAB will have no difficulty finding plenty of 18 year olds who would love to play any sport for them in exchange for a scholarship. They may not be a 5 star recruit, but that isn't my point. My point is that lots of kids would love to accept these terms (much more than than UAB has slots for) which means it couldn't be that bad of a deal.

Yep. If you can't get the ones you love, love the ones you get. When you can't win with the ones you get, don't b!tch about losing.

I don't think we have had a full roster of scholarship basketball players in years and all we need are 13 players. Why not?

So much for guarantees.

Because nobody is willing to play basketball for UAB in exchange for a scholarsip b/c they don't get paid extra cash. You must be right.

Talk about taking giant leaps. You can't follow logic, you can't follow a conversation, and you can't follow your own train of thought. You made a stupid guarantee that was easily and quickly dispelled, so instead of making a valid point, you make crap up.

Your talents dictate that you go to school, pay for it yourself, and get a crappy job but don't expect people with talents that are in high demand to do the same. You are worth whatever you talents, skills, and experience says your worth and judging by the BILLIONS of dollars that college football produces, ATHLETES are worth a helluva lot.

No you don't have to recruit kids with that level of talent and you get what you can afford which will yield an empty stadium, a grumpy fan base, and very few wins.

My point is that lots of people want to play college sports. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

By the way, your insulting tone to a total stranger on an internet message board who has done nothing but disagreed with you don't reflect very well on you as a person.

(09-27-2013 09:02 AM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-27-2013 08:13 AM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-27-2013 06:38 AM)Blazer on the southside Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 09:18 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  

(09-26-2013 04:44 PM)UAB?IAB Wrote:  Yep. If you can't get the ones you love, love the ones you get. When you can't win with the ones you get, don't b!tch about losing.

I don't think we have had a full roster of scholarship basketball players in years and all we need are 13 players. Why not?

So much for guarantees.

Because nobody is willing to play basketball for UAB in exchange for a scholarsip b/c they don't get paid extra cash. You must be right.

Talk about taking giant leaps. You can't follow logic, you can't follow a conversation, and you can't follow your own train of thought. You made a stupid guarantee that was easily and quickly dispelled, so instead of making a valid point, you make crap up.

Your talents dictate that you go to school, pay for it yourself, and get a crappy job but don't expect people with talents that are in high demand to do the same. You are worth whatever you talents, skills, and experience says your worth and judging by the BILLIONS of dollars that college football produces, ATHLETES are worth a helluva lot.

No you don't have to recruit kids with that level of talent and you get what you can afford which will yield an empty stadium, a grumpy fan base, and very few wins.

My point is that lots of people want to play college sports. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

By the way, your insulting tone to a total stranger on an internet message board who has done nothing but disagreed with you don't reflect very well on you as a person.

Yes kid want to play college sports and yes they deserve to be to generate income for themselves. Like I care what a stranger on a message board think. You inability to engage in a constructive conversation without being able to follow along and not make things up, doesn't reflect well on your intellect.

OK I'm done dealing with you. You can be "right".