re: UAB players react to program being shut down

We get wayyyyy to caught up in our pseudo-NFL, warped, view of college football.

The SEC is a revenue generating giant. College football as a whole is. I wish part of these television deals would go to keeping struggling programs alive. It was just 10 years ago that UAB with Roddy White absolutely crushed TCU and Baylor, two top 6 teams. That's not long ago, fellas.

Bill Clarke got that team bowl eligible. They were going somewhere.

Unless the Big 5 start paying their athletes, there is no reason these athletes at struggling programs should not receive the full value of their scholarship. They play and practice really hard.

I don't care about the finances of this deal; I don't. The University of Alabama system made a commitment to get that program up and running. This is going to be a HUGE, HUGE black eye on the University system. It will also create a lot more animosity between people in the state. I have friends who played at UAB. They are big Bama fans, but still enjoyed their Saturdays at Legion Field. They also relished being kids playing the game they loved and a free ride in college.

Had they developed an on-campus stadium, and actually had facilities (Many GA, TX, FL high schools have better workout/training facilities), they would have had a shot. There is a niche in Alabama for DI football in Birmingham, not named Alabama or Auburn.

I am surprised they didn't ask for a C-USA waiver for basketball and drop down to D-IAA for football until they gained stability. A lot of this sounds rotten, and it's gonna be a lot of bad press for not just UAB, but UA in general.