New start up league to pay high school kids...another step in the NCAA going away. A New League’s Shot at the N.C.A.A.: $100,000 Salaries for High School Players (msn.com)
Anything that gives people more opportunities is fine with me. Some people aren't cut out for college. This might give them a chance to develop their skills and make a living down a different path.
Will be curious to see how this plays out. Especially if the nba does away with the one and done rule, which I could see this accelerating.
Would love to know where they are getting the money for this from since it won’t have a big fan base. It’s fan base would be fans of lottery pick teams that tune in once in awhile to see the top 2 or 3 players. The NCAA is worth a ton because of college football and March Madness TV rights. If Tampa got one of these teams they’d be lucky to draw 1,000 people a game. This league will fold pretty quickly IMO.
I don't think this will succeed but I do think it should prompt the NCAA to move quicker on name and likeness issues. I realize this is a contentious issue but, IMO, with the amount of money the NCAA brings in on college basketball, I don't want to give potential competition any advantage in luring away athletes.
I've been starting to wonder how the the NIL thing will work for high schoolers. I assume they can't take money and be eligible for HS but if it doesn't impact their college eligibility then what difference does it make anymore. They can just play for their AAU teams, get paid and then go to college (if they want) with no issues. Obviously this would be cases few and far between because most hs atheletes aren't that marketable, but someone like Bronny James or Arch Manning or even Charlie Woods (I know he's only 11) I bet could make money.
Carmelo Anthony is on the board and an investor and Overtime has a youtube show and it's videos according to them get 2 billion views a month so I'm guessing that generates revenue.
I can get behind any new league that offers an alternative to kids who hope to earn a living playing basketball and just aren't interested in the dual academics-athletics path. Agree with others on the board who predict a short life span for this venture, however.
I too have thought a pro league as baseball does is a great way for kids to begin vocations. They will also learn about making decisions and the possibility of consequences. Honestly I would love to see student athletes looking more like the student body blended.
Whether this makes it or not might influence the NBA to do more developing with their D League more closely to pro baseball's minor leagues. This way the more minor team levels they have the closer they get to drafting out of high school or leaving the kids alone for a few years to play college ball like baseball already does.
I disagree. I'm perfectly fine with athletes having opportunities to take other routes, and student athletes attending colleges & universities to represent their school while getting an education.
If you think the rigors of most student athletes compared to the students at a university is not even in the same stratosphere you are way of in LALA land. It’s a friggin joke
That's why it will fail. Maybe they plan on big TV money. My advice is, don't invest much in this scheme, unless you're willing and enthusiastic to lose every nickel.
I'm with @wingtee on this. I think that model worked great back in the day when there was so little money involved, so little inherent value in the student athletes. Now it just feels phony to me. I don't think the overall dynamics of college sports would have to change significantly to allow for athletes to profit from name/likeness. I know its been debated on here 100x though and I certainly respect your opinion.
I understand. I'm just in the camp that would prefer amateur athletics going back to being amateur athletics. The money and corruption is out of control, so if the money goes to professional organizations instead, I'm good with that. I also know it won't happen, but offered the opinion because I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way. Then again, who knows - maybe I am!
I don't understand how much $ this would raise. But I am in favor of doing anything to push basketball to the same model as baseball. Don't want to go to college? Fine- go join a minor league, get paid, and play before small crowds and ride a lot of busses. But if you come to college, you are in for 3 years at minimum. As long as all the colleges have to play by the same rules, Im good with that.