re: PAC-12 players wont play unless demands are met

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I agree with what everyone is saying here but our current culture and what is taking place right now front and center due to the virus having everything take a back seat many of these soon to be college athletes are a generation that will support what is going on in the PAC 12.

There is a growing culture where these kids feel they are being exploited and hence the push for pay to play. It will happen sooner then later and the PAC 12 could seize this opportunity to be the leader going forward which will give them a huge recruiting pull.

Do not kid yourself about who is driving the market. How many adults are paying subscriptions to see where a teenager may or may not end up in college? How many adults are following these kids on twitter, facebook, and every other social media platform? This is a billion dollar industry that would not exist without them and they are figuring it out. They are no longer student athletes, anyone still using that term is way behind the times, they are amateur athletes now seeing their value to others and want a piece of the pie. We have already seen this with so many sitting out post season bowl games.

Again they are driving the train here and the PAC 12 and how they respond could change the future of the CFB landscape.

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In all fairness, this is how athletes have gotten themselves a little revenue sharing off of image likeness. With the protest still going hot and heavy, I doubt these kids invested in it will just be happy with the same ole standard going forward.


However, there's enough pork in this latest version of hear me now to start their own political party.

Nobody is forcing these kids to be “exploited” . If they don’t want to play under these conditions , I am sure there are thousands that would love the opportunity .

Even if you took away all the D1 athletes right now . The same schools would get the best of what’s left . Might not be as many great athletes but people still are going to watch , attend games , follow recruiting etc

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If enough athletes realize the collective power they have, especially in this current climate, they really could bring the NCAA to its knees

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What exactly do you have when you bring the NCAA to its knees. What comes next?

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When you look at how much money college football and basketball generates, it's hard to argue they're not being exploited to an extent. I get that they're getting free tuition, room & board, great nutrition programs, etc., but they're still pretty much under the thumb of their coaches and staff, not to mention NCAA regulations.

If enough athletes realize the collective power they have, especially in this current climate, they really could bring the NCAA to its knees. You get ~40% of all athletes to refuse to play this coming season, across all sports, and it's hard to see how any games happen. I think it'd be a great thing if it happened because it's long past time for the the NCAA and the major athletic departments to be reeled back in.

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The biggest contributor you failed to mention is no other then us as fans and boosters.

I’m as guilty as anyone on the board when it comes to winning. Whatever it takes for Bama to stay on top. Just win baby... No matter what. Guilty as charged.

I don’t blame NCAA or the university’s or the coaches or even the players.
Their only giving us what we want and demand. Guilty as charged.

So maybe we are getting what we deserve, maybe it’s us as fans are just as much to blame then anyone. Guilty as charged.

I agree with you. They don’t have to play and plenty of other kids would want to take their spots.

I think the biggest problem is that these players are getting some bad advice from some radical groups.

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Then there is just going to be nothing. All colleges will just have to go the Ivy model and not offer athletic scholarships

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I don't think the power brokers in college athletics would abandon it that easily. There's way too much money at stake.

And I was being a bit hyperbolic with my comment on bringing the NCAA to its knees. I do think right now the athletes have a fair amount of leverage that they could use to affect some change; more leverage than they've ever really had before.

I also don't think teams could easily replace players that refuse to play this season, especially if there are several on some teams. Maybe in basketball they could, but not football. We are a month and half away from the first game tentatively kicking off. There's just no way some teams could fill out a roster of players ready to play in that short of time if there are a dozen or more holdouts. Certainly they could for the 2021 season, but how many schools can financially survive not having a 2020 season? The Alabama's, Clemson's, Texas's, etc. of the world can. Can Vandy? Or Ole Miss? Or Texas Tech? And that's not even mentioning non-P5 schools. UAB? Memphis? SMU?

It would cripple college sports.. most don’t realize it takes all the football money to pay for the other sports.. and more than 80% still don’t break even. It takes state funds to help.. (your tax dollars) you take half of that and sports is over. Which might be a good thing for awhile.. these kids are too entitled now days. Getting a scholarship and a chance at a fee education is a blessing. No one can take that away.. not to mention the platform for potential NFL. College sports is an internship for pro sports and you still get a free college degree. I wouldn’t have been able to go to college without it. I would have ended up on summit street projects like the kids I grew up with. Too many take that for granted today and don’t realize what a blessing it is. NFL just needs to make a minor league for the kids. 2 year minors for football. They will find out real fast how much a college education means when they don’t make it past the minors. Sure they will have the money to pay to go to college afterwards.. but they won’t have the support, tutors, study halls ect. Being a former college athlete.. I can say it’s the only reason I was successful in college. We didn’t learn how to study where I’m from and most of these kids. We learned how to not get shot or arrested, and most failed at that

I agree . I wouldn’t have gone to MC without a scholly either. As an AD , yes it takes FB and basketball to get by. But if they wanted to play hard ball, by canceling ALL sports for a year ( Which I am not convinced all the athletes in the PAC 12 want to sit out ) and cutting travel , training table , supplies , medical etc it would cut down a lot of expenses ... as you say , I wouldn’t give in to these entitled athletes just bc they want it

Could y’all imagine the uproar that would take place if colleges said, “ we aren’t going to pay any of you, so we’ll just cancel sports”. There would be a bunch of entitled shits, standing there with their dongs in their hands