Close to checking out of college sports….

AKA hate to hear that, you seem to really care and enjoy sports and the Gators.
Just enjoy the game for enjoyment and to forget all the crap going on in this crazy world.
Don't think of the money part and the other bull crap,just how hard they work and how much you enjoy the game.

 

You don't hear about the big NIL deals in baseball because any player worth that gets drafted out of high school. Same for track, the great ones go pro out of HS. The other sports are niche so there is no demand to pay them.

I guess I'm different because NIL/portal hasn't changed a thing for me as far as watching college sports. If anything I have found it to be more interesting.

 

This season was the least I've cared/watched gator basketball in 20 years. I'm not sure how much of it was because we were mediocre, a team full of one year transfers I had no emotional investment in, or my general dislike for the direction of college sports. We shall see.

 

I think these athletes needed to be able to make money off their likeness as the prior rules made little sense when compared to their peers in college. That being said, it will definitely change the landscape of college ball and who knows by how much.

 

I have soured so much on college football because of the portal and the NIL, I have actually gone back to maybe watching the NFL. I will always root for our Gators but it's not the same. Like someone talked about baseball, I will go to local minor league games and local college games.

 

Nice post. I'm with you.

 

I was starting to lose some connection a couple of years ago as it began to appear NIL was inevitable. But, Trask (and his mom) kind of drew me back in as pretty much the shining example of what a "student-athlete" should be.

Now, I view our football and basketball teams as pro teams that have an affiliation with UF, not as student athletes/teams that are really part of the university.

So far, I still follow the teams (wasn't sure I would), but not as rabidly. I've dispensed with my old traditions of donning Gator gear and pacing the floor during the games.

 

Never thought about it that way before, but I absolutely would. I was a firm believer in never booing college kids. However, if the kid is making millions, it’s another story.

 

I'll never get why some people get so upset and angry at someone else getting paid. It's not coming out of your pocket and it doesn't affect you. Boggles my mind. Oh well.

 

I posted the following a few months ago. It’s football-centric, but applies to basketball (and eventually, baseball) as well. I’ll just paste it here, as my thoughts haven’t changed.
—————

Lots of people were complaining, or at least pondering the unintended consequences, going back to at LEAST the early 1990s, and probably earlier. Cable television and ESPN brought more and more exposure to more and more non-Blue Blood programs (and a lot more money). More eyeballs on more televisions and more ads. Conferences and schools found themselves flush with more and more cash. Coaches salaries started to increase dramatically- remember when Spurrier became one of the first, if not the first, HC to cross the $1M/year salary barrier? Non-Blue Blood programs started to take football seriously, as the increased revenue could more than pay for the money-losing sports (most women’s programs, quite a few men’s programs not named basketball). Facility arms races accelerated. The rise of the internet led to fan forums, giving a voice to delusional fan bases everywhere. Recruiting services found out they could monetize the decisions of high school kids, creating a monster in and of itself. Bowls expanded in number, watering down the entire concept of what it meant to go to a bowl game. The media stirred manufactured controversy at every turn. The NCAA just decided to give up rather than attempt to enforce rules. Under the guise of “fairness” and “just settle it on the field!!!”, the traditional bowls gave way to the BCA, BCS, and playoffs… where we get to see a rematch to decide the national title (just settle it on the field!). Add in transfer portal free agency, zero loyalty between coaches and schools (100% both directions), ADs/Presidents/Conference Commissioners who fancy themselves celebrities, and the legal bagman that is NIL… and here we are.

It’s all good. All of this was inevitable. I personally think it’ll get “worse” before it gets “better”, whatever that looks like. Or maybe it won’t get “better”. The old CFB I grew up with and loved isn’t coming back. So maybe I won’t either, at least in terms of my day to day interest and spending on the sport. I find myself less interested by the day.

I’ve already shifted my passion towards college baseball more than ever. Perhaps you/we/I will inevitably ruin that as well.

Whatever. It is what it is. CFB… we had a nice run.

—————

 

Can’t speak for “some people”, but I’m not upset or angry at kids/coaches/whatever getting paid. Good for them. I’m more bummed by the gradual destruction of everything that made college football (and college sports in general) so different, and so special. It isn’t coming back.

My European friends have long been puzzled about why we in the US tie a large segment of our youth sports programs to our places of education, continuing into the collegiate level. That’s so bizarre to them. It’s kinda weird when you think about it. Well, we’re certainly trending toward a European model.

Oh well. It is what it is. I’m gonna enjoy Gator Baseball until that too is destroyed. We had a nice run.

 

So there are rules stating that the athletes are two years removed from high school, so the best solution is that they are broke while the institution rakes in millions?

 

I no longer watch the games when televised. I just look at the box score later in day or next. Will go to 1-2 games per year. More for the memories that rush back into my mind when I get off 75 on Archer Road.

 

Not sure that "upset" or "angry" apply here, but I think the issue is that a system that was better for the fans isn't going to be as good. People are expressing a lean towards apathy more than being upset about it. Personally, I don't fault players for making the most of their opportunity. Nevertheless these changes aren't being implemented to enhance the experience for the fans, and this thread represents some fans' opinions and presumed projections on the impact of these changes.

In terms of not affecting you, it does. There's an appeal out there for a greater financial contribution from the fan base. This is over and beyond what is already being contributed to the UAA (nevermind contributions to UF). Cost of being a fan goes up, but is the value of the product going up? When this was first introduced, the justification was that there's so much money, why can't the athletes get a piece of the action. But that's not where the money is coming from with NIL. Those numbers are still going to the same places they were previously. It will be interesting to see how sustainable it is.

Again, I don't fault the players (generic) in the new game (that includes the players and the people willing to pay them), but I think it's reasonable to recognize that this represents a change to the game which may not be favorable for many from a viewability perspective. Five years from now, either the things people were afraid of come to fruition or those of you who don't see the problem will be able to look back and say "much ado about nothing."

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

I don't mind the NIL as much as the insane transfer situation. Guys transferring in conference even, and playing right away for an arch rival. Although, maybe the NIL will start to cause the amount of transfers to decline? Who knows.

 

People are definitely upset and angry at players getting paid, maybe not in here but there is a contingent that definitely isn’t happy. Which again, I find very odd.

The cost of being a fan goes up just like everything else in life is. I love football at all levels, so don’t mind paying the extra money for a ticket because it’s entertainment and I don’t mind paying to be entertained. Then again I guess I’m wise enough to realize that it’s 2022 and life and society and sports have evolved and there’s no choice but to evolve with it instead of pining for the old days.

Like I said, I’ll continue watching football at all levels because it’s just entertainment to me, other fans are free to do whatever they want to.

 

The NCAA brought this upon themselves. Until now they wanted every single penny for themselves. So I'm mildly amused watching the craziness now. It'll be interesting to see where things go but it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm.

 

Ticket prices for football and basketball are outpacing inflation by a significant amount.

Here's just one example:

Consider the price for a national championship ticket for the 1/2/1997 Sugar Bowl was $75. Using an inflation calculator, that gives us a price of about $133 in 2022 money. But the cheapest ticket for the national championship game this past football season was $450 (face value).

For what it's worth, I don't think either football or basketball are hurting for fans to attend these (championship) events. But the trend on overall attendance is pretty clear.

Per Game Basketball Attendance has dropped from its record (5,735 in 1991) to 4,689 in 2020 (2021 numbers probably don't matter much). That 4,689 number was the lowest since they started tracking it in 1976.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2021/Attend.pdf

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

It's America. Eventually everything becomes about money - good or bad

For me the reason why I watch college sports is because they're "NOT" being paid, that they went to the same school as me and it's (supposed to be) about something professional sports isn't/aren't

Now the waters are muddied. I'm with you AKA

 

They should have always been getting a cut, but the issue I have is that right now it’s coming through fans, not the actual university, and there seems to be no rules. NIL wasn’t intended to be, but in reality, it is 100% pay to play.

I had hoped to see an evenly distributed payment model through the university itself.

Professional leagues are ultimately paid through fan dollars, but it paid to them from the organization itself, and isn’t separate from what the fans already spend on tickets, merchandise, ratings for televised games, etc.