How to Fix the Broken College Sports System

One thing I’ve been tossing around in my head that might hold up in court is to negotiate length of scholarships between the player and school during the recruitment. If they agree to 3 years, both sides are stuck for that long. If a player doesn’t want to be there anymore he doesn’t have to stay but isn’t eligible until to play elsewhere until that time… maybe even not count the sit out season(s) against their eligibility- they get 4 years of action and can spread it out as far as they like as long as they keep progressing toward a degree(s)

May not be as much of an impact for the top players since they’d be more confident in their abilities playing the portal game every year if they want. Some of the lower players might want more stability and would be an incentive if a lesser school offers more years vs a bama only offering 1 year. Would also reward schools for giving more certainty to lower ranked kids they develop and prevent them from bolting if they turn out really good two years into a 4 year deal

Might not be perfect and I’m sure there’s something I’m missing but could at least provide some certainty to coaches knowing they have a player for at least x number of years

 

From my understanding, I have a client involved in NIL, there is staffer(with a title of something like director of NIL strategy) who directs the recruit/player to the collective. This staffer also coordinates the coaches wishes to the collective and vice versa.

Marcus Castro-Walker - Director of Player Engagement and NIL - Football Support Staff - Florida Gators

 

Yes to the first along with a federal temporary restraining order on the NCAA. Not so sure on the second, except the NCAA does somehow manage to lose every case that makes it there.

 

It'll be just like the rest of American life....better for the talented about the same for the middle third and far worse for the rest.

 

Anyone remember when Georgia and other teams sued the NCAA over television back when teams were restricted to how many games they could be televised in a year? The NCAA lost that issue. NCAA didn't want to give up their golden egg then and still doesn't, and now we have what we have. Hell, if they had just thrown the athletes a bone, it possibly could've been delayed for awhile. But greed almost always wins out. We've already seen how toothless the NCAA is in virtually every time they've been challenged on issues.

 

Reduce the total number of scholarships. And/or limit the number of transfers each team can take. The teams will be a lot more careful with any transfers they take.

 

I like 85 as it gives more kids a chance to play football and get an education. And sometimes late bloomers surprise you.

 

With the current system in college football, if we play our cards correctly we can be a National Championship contender in 2-3 years. Let's get our NC and then worry about 'fixing' the system.

 

Everybody, from coaches, schools to the kids wants what most Americans want - money. I see a lot of folks blaming the kids or lawyers for this mess. They did not create the system. There is one overriding culprit here and it is the NCAA (and schools/conferences for supporting the NCAA).

As Justice Kavanaugh said in his ruling: “What business does not pay its employees, makes billions, and then says not paying their employees while limiting their lives/options is their business model?” The NCAA ran a billion dollar business, wanted to control all player behavior (transfers/jobs/grades, etc) and pay nothing.

There is a path out, always has been. Schools employ the kids and collectively negotiate pay scales (or caps). This then allows the employers to set rationale limits on employees (NIL, transfers, etc.). Such limits are simply illegal when you try to impose them on students.

The key problem now, again, is money because alumni are paying players so the NCAA/schools have the best of all worlds: they keep the revenue (billions of TV money) while not paying players! The entire sport is devolving into pure capitalism (ie, mayhem) that is unsustainable and gross. The money is still flowing though so I expect few changes until, as Saban said, players sue NIL payers (or vice versa), alumni say forget this to an idiotic system, or fans just start tuning out to this travesty the NCAA/schools/conferences created. Only by making the players employees does this get fixed via a negotiated solution.

 

Excellent, thought provoking post. I agree about who the culprit is, but not for the reasons you stated. The real reason the NCAA finds itself in this pickle is because they didn't have the chutzpah to fairly enforce the rules they had on the books already and just threw up their hands and gave up.

I really hope that isn't a direct quote from Kavanaugh's ruling because, if so, it shows a very fundamental lack of knowledge of labor law in this country and has zero to do with the suit that was all about players being allowed to earn outside income....not employee/employer income.

The Supreme Court has ruled NIL cannot be "limited." Until the court overturns that ruling, no entity will be able to put any kind of limits on NIL whether an employer-employee relationship exists or not.

Making player's employees opens up a whole new can of worms, doesn't change NIL in the least, and would not shield the NCAA from anti-trust type actions that are being litigated right now over the transfer portal. All it would do is shift the arm's race from entities supposedly outside of the University's control to directly under their control......all other aspects would remain the same.

I respect folks that truly wish that a reasonable solution could be found to "fix" college football to at least appear somewhat like it once was (or the illusion thereof), but until fundamental changes in laws/court rulings at the federal level occur, it isn't going to happen. I'm afraid Pandora is out of her box and she isn't going back in anytime soon.

 

Interesting idea. Reduce supply. Hmm. . . I like it.

 

Then add in the easiest fix. Unilaterally raise academic standards. NFL would have a minor league up in a minute rather than see all that talent rot on the streets. Then FB looks a lot more like BB (i.e. Sane).

 

Agreed, but the 12-team playoff may save it. If they can replace the lost money with TV money secured from that, then it is NFL2.

 

The talent wouldn't rot. It would just move down to FCS or D2.

 

But you're missing the point. If you limit spots you limit options with respect to the transfer portal and make the commitment consequential again. I think it could severely reduce the amount of transfers and make players more likely to honor their original commitments. Would also make it a lot harder for guys to "get buried" in the depth chart.

 

So they'd start paying players? Yeah, that would work. What about training and facilities? Coaching? I already see a reckoning coming when the obvious drop in skill from all this begins to affect the NFL.

 

Except that academic standards don't have much impact on who is given athletic scholarships. The NCAA standards are minimal at best. Some schools at least give lip service to academic standards on who can even be recruited, but I would be willing to guess that the overall scholarship football average academic levels at UF are a standard deviation away from the Student body as a whole.

 

If a kid can't get into a FBS school due to academics they will play at a lower level. Like they do now without NIL.
Like Diwun Black did.
Did we just take a JUCO player out of the portal?

 

Yep, having a conversation just like a lawyer... err... agent... union boss... control freak would that wants to make college athletes paid employees of the state or school. You were doing okay until #3 and #4. Those TWO are NOT STUDENT ATHLETES.

One good start is to go back and prevent student athletes from transferring to schools in their own conference unless they are graduate transfers.

Make it a one transfer rule again after you play out your freshman year, with the school you originally signed with.

You can't ignore you LOI and transfer out before you stay one year without sitting out a year unless you are a graduate transfer.

All other transfers must wait one year to play after transferring. That will fix the tampering a bit.