Official 2023 College Football Thread

[albionmoonlight]

It's the same rules that apply elsewhere in the economy. Like how all the tech firms can't all agree to not pay programmers more than minimum wage. That would violate antitrust and related laws.

Same sort of thing.

[bob]

OK, so going back to my original message, they can't all collude to make TDs worth 6 so they could be sued?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by bob

The rules are one sided everywhere. No one is required to play college football. I just don't understand.

The lack of anti trust exemption is what makes college sports different than what we're used to when it comes to the professional sports. College sports are effectively a group of conferences competing against one another. There isn't an overarching body with the level of authority that a commissioner has.

Because these conferences are competing against one another, due to the lack of anti trust exemption, anything that is viewed as them working together to put limits on player pay, player movement etc could be seen as collusion.

The reality of it is you can't go around bragging about your potential $100 million a year conference payouts and not have the people putting in the work start to wonder where their share is.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by bob

OK, so going back to my original message, they can't all collude to make TDs worth 6 so they could be sued?

Because that is not a labor issue?

[bob]

Isn't it though? Its literally part of the metric by which their performance is judged.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by bob

Isn't it though? Its literally part of the metric by which their performance is judged.

No. That would not be a labor issue. Something like pads or helmets or safety concerns would be. But increasing the points for a touchdown wouldn't make any difference for individual workers. Everyone is still going to be judged the same whatever the number you make a touchdown. 1 touchdown is one touchdown, whether it is 1 point or a million points.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by bob

The rules are one sided everywhere. No one is required to play college football. I just don't understand.

Cartels are illegal. I guess you can argue they should change the law but it is the law.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by bob

The rules are one sided everywhere. No one is required to play college football. I just don't understand.

One way around these lawsuits is to eliminate college sports. But if they exist, the rules have to follow the laws.

[albionmoonlight]

Ready for private capital in college athletics? Former Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford has partnered with RedBird Capital to form Collegiate Athletic Solutions, “a purpose-driven, dedicated capital and business-building platform for university athletic departments.” pic.twitter.com/DgHgSrk4C9

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 22, 2024

We are creating the worst possible world. Money is legally allowed in, but we have no system to regulate it.

Go back to unpaid labor or unionize the players and create a CBA so you can legally make rules to put some regulation on the coming insanity.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

One way around these lawsuits is to eliminate college sports. But if they exist, the rules have to follow the laws.

I think I'm to the point where that would be better than the current absurdity.

[SirFozzie]

ESPN is sublicensing two first round College Football Playoff games to TNT, and in '26-'28, they will also have 2 QF games.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I think I'm to the point where that would be better than the current absurdity.

I think it's been a mistake to have big money sports tied up with college educations, but it is what it is. If I were in charge I'd make one rule, no money from tuition or fees goes to athletics, basically make them an independent business hosted on the campus. Then they could do whatever they like and whatever follows the laws of the USA and state.

[SirFozzie]

And one can successfully argue that unlike NBA, NHL and MLB, the ability to play college football is necessary to have a pro career (since the NFL has a strict rule about when one is eligible to be drafted and play)

In those other cases, (the NBA is a bit different now in that the G-League Ignite are folding, which in some cases replaced the 1-and-done college visit) there are other options to play at a level appropriate to becoming pro-ready.

[miami_fan]

NCAA, power conferences agree to allow schools to pay players - ESPN

[JonInMiddleGA]

There isn't a level of Hell deep enough nor hot enough for Ed O'Bannon, and every judge, and every politician that brought things to this point.

[RainMaker]

It's called capitalism that brought us to this point.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

There isn't a level of Hell deep enough nor hot enough for Ed O'Bannon, and every judge, and every politician that brought things to this point.

don't hold back, Jon, tell us how you really think.

Personally, I think that the past situation wasn't tenable, where the football coach at State U was the highest paid state employee, and the players had zero rights, but I dunno that the current situation, which is pretty much the worst of both worlds (just look at the Florida NIL lawsuit for what fresh hell it's been). Just make the leagues pro (U-23), and just put in there that part of the compensation is a fully paid scholarship to the university. Because I'm pretty sure that NIL is going to pay out 2-3x that 20 million "Salary cap" (which is across all sports) per year.

[SirFozzie]

and random thought that needs its own post...

We have a non-US comparison sport to compare college sports to in a way.

For 100 years (1895-1995) the sport of rugby union was supposedly an amateur sport. People were barred from playing rugby union if they played the alternative rules code (Rugby League), or even NON rugby sports (for example, the IRB required canada to ban all players who played Canadian Football, which is one of the offshoots (along with American Football, Aussie Rules Football, and the aforementioned Rugby League) from Rugby's rules.

I even read a story in the book of Rugby Union history that a player was banned from Rugby Union for the rather Orwellian offense of "Discussing the benefits of playing rugby league". He didn't sign a contract, or even play a game. Just discussing it was enough to get him banned from the sport (not just playing, coaching, etcetera).

Just like Rugby Union, the NCAA claimed that Amateurism was the one true Shibboleth, and just like Rugby Union, once there was too much money in the game that the rules were being winked at because the sport was too popular, the system couldn't hold.

I have to say, however, that Rugby players were extra screwed. They actually had to take unpaid time off for work to do games and international tours, and those tours used to be for MONTHS on end. Imagine working in a financial bureau (like a lot of Rugby players did), and trying to tell your boss "Hey boss? I've been selected for the Lions tour of New Zealand.. I'm going to need July, August, September, and part of October off"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

don't hold back, Jon, tell us how you really think.

That WAS the restrained version. The audio version here in the 'cave that went with my typing was stronger.

and just put in there that part of the compensation is a fully paid scholarship to the university.

As if this entitled generation would want that? They'd expect the degree to just be handed to them, for the honor of their presence.

[RainMaker]

I think other generations expected to be paid market value for their work too. Although maybe we're all entitled for not volunteering at some billion dollar company.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I think other generations expected to be paid market value for their work too. Although maybe we're all entitled for not volunteering at some billion dollar company.

Stop with that horseshit. Scholarships have monetary value. A considerable monetary value.

Pampered little bitches want to get paid far beyond their value, the something-for-nothing generation knows nothing else. The only defense is that they weren't born like that, it's not genetic. It's learned ... and the generation that raised them failed utterly & miserably.

[bob]

As a parent of a child that has verbally committed to a div I nonrevenue sport but has to wait until November to sign, I’m sweating.