Professional Athletes vs. America

[Mickey]

Because they would have to pay them? Duh.

[Electromatic]

If the "amateurism" required to play in college is unacceptable, why even have them go to college then? Why not just create NFL minor leagues (and someone above suggested) and forgo the illusion that they are there to learn and free those admission slots up for to people who go to college in order to achieve a college level education?

It isn't, and we have amateurism in college sports already. The non athletic scholarship model (Ivy and D3) people aren't clamoring to watch that, because the sport isn't all that entertaining.

We have this well established minor league system in college sports that are extraordinarily well marketed already. If the schools weren't benefiting from this they would not be doing it. The NBA is already building their own minor league system because frankly college basketball is awful right now and isn't a good training ground for the NBA. They're finding more success going to the academy style system or the G league etc. Baseball has, "had" the minors. It's not a bad deal this system. Alumni of the school and local people get to have pride in their school, it convinces people to go or it did for the last 70 or 80 years anyway and it generates huge amounts of money that has built new dorms, facilities, paid professors, enriched the management etc.

Minor league sports without the brand cache of college branding would go over about as well as Minor League Baseball and Basketball. If you want a recent example of how this would work, the XFL and whatever that was last spring the AAF is how it would play out. Too many people arguing for player pay are leaving the branding out, and you can't do that. It has to make everyone money.

College Football has years of established culture and branding and it's a mutually beneficial situation. People who would otherwise have 0 shot at a degree from a prestigious school can get one if they earn it, and a school like say Duke, that has 0 shot of the prestige of winning a National Basketball title with the people who would otherwise qualify for that school gets all that TV time convincing rich kids and their parents to send their burgeoning little Doctor to the school. Then when they win, that same alumnus will decide to go ahead and donate the 20 million they need to put their name on the field house for posterity, or at least for a hundred years or so until someone looks up their family background and discovers the horrid nature of their wealth.

[Simple Torture]

paid professors

In before Mickey says "lol."

[Bi_3]

If the "amateurism" required to play in college is unacceptable, why even have them go to college then? Why not just create NFL minor leagues (and someone above suggested) and forgo the illusion that they are there to learn and free those admission slots up for to people who go to college in order to achieve a college level education?

It isn't, and we have amateurism in college sports already. The non athletic scholarship model (Ivy and D3) people aren't clamoring to watch that, because the sport isn't all that entertaining.

We have this well established minor league system in college sports that are extraordinarily well marketed already. If the schools weren't benefiting from this they would not be doing it. The NBA is already building their own minor league system because frankly college basketball is awful right now and isn't a good training ground for the NBA. They're finding more success going to the academy style system or the G league etc. Baseball has, "had" the minors. It's not a bad deal this system. Alumni of the school and local people get to have pride in their school, it convinces people to go or it did for the last 70 or 80 years anyway and it generates huge amounts of money that has built new dorms, facilities, paid professors, enriched the management etc.

Minor league sports without the brand cache of college branding would go over about as well as Minor League Baseball and Basketball. If you want a recent example of how this would work, the XFL and whatever that was last spring the AAF is how it would play out. Too many people arguing for player pay are leaving the branding out, and you can't do that. It has to make everyone money.

College Football has years of established culture and branding and it's a mutually beneficial situation. People who would otherwise have 0 shot at a degree from a prestigious school can get one if they earn it, and a school like say Duke, that has 0 shot of the prestige of winning a National Basketball title with the people who would otherwise qualify for that school gets all that TV time convincing rich kids and their parents to send their burgeoning little Doctor to the school. Then when they win, that same alumnus will decide to go ahead and donate the 20 million they need to put their name on the field house for posterity, or at least for a hundred years or so until someone looks up their family background and discovers the horrid nature of their wealth.

All that makes sense, what I should have typed is “unacceptable compensation”. All the things you list... why do they need more?

[Mickey]

paid professors

In before Mickey says "lol."

Eh, I am, after all, trying to get paid.