If the NCAA is beaten in court what will players cost AU

[AU64 10,122]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I'm not even arguing about paying players....it's more about all the lawsuits and people chasing the golden egg of bigtime college football.

Oops..hit the post button by mistake. As for NS, you might want to check MSU and their history before and after NS. He made the move to LSU and like him or not, he has the rings and crystal footballs....and has made a lot of other coaches rich as competing schools have tried to keep pace with his salary. And JMO but send him to ND State about now and soon he would have the same trail of 5* kids following him up there. His is a national program and while he gets good talent from Ala, he gets good talent from all over the US.

I recognize that college football is big business too....but IMO, it's not to big to fail if people start screwing with the things that have made it successful to this point.

[Auctoritas 2,894]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I think the idea of lifelong medical care for players is a fantastic idea. Takes away the worry about keeping a job you don't like or running afoul of ACA mandates. That may be a seriously great idea.

[CircleDrill 178]

Institute a draft system for all divisions of NCAA football. Problem solved.

[AU64 10,122]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I think the idea of lifelong medical care for players is a fantastic idea. Takes away the worry about keeping a job you don't like or running afoul of ACA mandates. That may be a seriously great idea.

Good in theory..but who is going to fund a "pension" program that probably will not pay off for 30 or more years....and lasts forever and for which there is almost no way to calculate future obligations? Of course what happens in the future is someone else's problem which is why state and city governments are so quick to give eternal benefits to their employees.

I know...maybe we could just get them signed up for Social Security disability...that's a fully funded program with no threat of running out of money....right :-\

[TexasTiger 14,068]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I think the idea of lifelong medical care for players is a fantastic idea. Takes away the worry about keeping a job you don't like or running afoul of ACA mandates. That may be a seriously great idea.

Good in theory..but who is going to fund a "pension" program that probably will not pay off for 30 or more years....and lasts forever and for which there is almost no way to calculate future obligations? Of course what happens in the future is someone else's problem which is why state and city governments are so quick to give eternal benefits to their employees.

I know...maybe we could just get them signed up for Social Security disability...that's a fully funded program with no threat of running out of money....right :-\/>

It wouldn't be a pension program, but rather along the lines of workers comp for injuries sustained related to ones scholarship activity. All these huge TV contracts could include a funding provision.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/sports/a-fight-to-keep-college-athletes-from-the-pain-of-injury-costs.html?referrer=

[Auctoritas 2,894]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I think the idea of lifelong medical care for players is a fantastic idea. Takes away the worry about keeping a job you don't like or running afoul of ACA mandates. That may be a seriously great idea.

Good in theory..but who is going to fund a "pension" program that probably will not pay off for 30 or more years....and lasts forever and for which there is almost no way to calculate future obligations? Of course what happens in the future is someone else's problem which is why state and city governments are so quick to give eternal benefits to their employees.

I know...maybe we could just get them signed up for Social Security disability...that's a fully funded program with no threat of running out of money....right :-\

Honestly...not my problem. I'm just trying to figure out ways to compensate players outside of just giving a 19 year old kid several hundred thousand dollars that will actually do some good, because apparently getting a degree isn't enough.

Less tongue-in-cheek - maybe limit the healthcare to injuries that can be attributed to their playing career, as designated by an official third-party physician?

[TexasTiger 14,068]

As for the players "making the game"....I submit it is the coaches that make a school successful. For example, if you listen to recruits talk about why they select Bama or other schools, it's because they think Nick and his staff will help them get to the NFL....and basketball players look to Coach K or Calipari to get them to the NBA.

Like everything else in college football there are the haves and have-nots. Coaches at AU and the big time Div l schools indeed make big salaries but have zero job security so some folks might consider that a trade-off. That aside, Gus and his staff are at the very peak (top 1% or higher) of an employment pyramid that consists of about 10,000 college coaches at schools of all sizes...many making modest salaries, yet working just as hard as Gus.

Most of the commentary on this site is about wealthy athletic departments, high paid coaches, etc and is focused on just a handful of schools and individuals..... and those decrying those circumstances seem to be oblivious of the rest of the college sports world.....where schools lose millions every year subsidizing their sports programs and assistant coaches make far less than 100K per year.

Gus, Nick, Miles,....these are the rock star coaches and they get paid like rock stars.....but they are by far the exception in the sport and their staffs are by far the exception in the coaching business as far as their salaries are concerned. Just about every WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, etc head coach makes in the $250-350K range for example.....and their assistants are well below that.

You have a point you want to insist on and are oblivious to everything else . I don't want to pay players. I agree the impact on smaller sports and smaller programs could be devastating. All that said, major college football has become a much, much bigger business than it used to be and that fact opens it up to more possible scrutiny and being treated as such. It's not something I'm advocating but rather recognizing.

Btw, Nick Saban wasn't winning titles at MSU. His coaching is greatly aided by having some of the best talent in the country. Have him trade talent with the coach of North Dakota State and see how those respective programs fare.

I think the idea of lifelong medical care for players is a fantastic idea. Takes away the worry about keeping a job you don't like or running afoul of ACA mandates. That may be a seriously great idea.

Good in theory..but who is going to fund a "pension" program that probably will not pay off for 30 or more years....and lasts forever and for which there is almost no way to calculate future obligations? Of course what happens in the future is someone else's problem which is why state and city governments are so quick to give eternal benefits to their employees.

I know...maybe we could just get them signed up for Social Security disability...that's a fully funded program with no threat of running out of money....right :-\/>

Honestly...not my problem. I'm just trying to figure out ways to compensate players outside of just giving a 19 year old kid several hundred thousand dollars that will actually do some good, because apparently getting a degree isn't enough.

Less tongue-in-cheek - maybe limit the healthcare to injuries that can be attributed to their playing career, as designated by an official third-party physician?

That's what I'm suggesting.

[ShugMan55 0]

How do you value players in a non-emotional way. If all scholarships ended and it went all walk-on - all across the nation - how many of use would quit buying tickets and quit watching our team on television. I submit that the stadiums would still be full and the televisions would all be glowing. The bottom line is - the value of college football, and the value of each individual team is the brand itself. We love Auburn because it is Auburn. Some love Notre Dame because it is Notre Dame. And God help them some love Alabama because it is Alabama.

For me this is the point that will eventually shoot down the pay for play.

[TexasTiger 14,068]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/05/sec_announces_record_3096_mill.html#incart_river

[passthebiscuits 7,006]

I guess they'll have to pay out of pocket for all those shots of toradol.

[homersapien 12,172]

Can someone explain to me exactly what the court case is about? What's on the line?

The ultimate question I have is what about the results of this case would force schools toward paying their players - a (potential) players union?

[CJBas 4]

Something that I don't think would be as big a burden on the schools as they claim, and that the players do deserve, is better health insurance. Every school has a huge insurance program that covers all of its employees from the lowest paid staff member tot he president. If football players are declared to be university employees, then they could be added to that large policy for a small additional amount. This could give them long term care that might be needed for injuries sustained while playing, a workman't comp sort of coverage. And that is both reasonable and deserved.