Opt out is playing havoc with college football

[trents]

I am vehemently opposed to allowing college players to opt out in preparation for the NFL draft!

1. Several bowl teams, especially Florida and UNC were hopelessly crippled in their bowl games by numbers of starting players opting out in order "to get ready for the NFL draft." They threw their teams under the bus. They forgot that these programs provided them the environment to develop their skills and the stage to showcase them. They deserted their teammates in their greatest hour of need. It's all about "me, myself and I."

2. It undermines the character development of these young people. It allows them to behave selfishly and reinforces the immediate gratification syndrome that afflicts their generation and especially those that come out of the inner city culture where immediate gratification is a multidimensional dilemma to begin with. It encourages them to think success is all about money and public attention. I was raised to honor my commitments. I was raised to finish what you start. Apparently, that is not popular anymore. Sure, these pro prospects are worried about getting a career ending injury or devaluing their draft potential. But there are somethings that transcend all of that from a character perspective that they are losing out on.

3. It reinforces the "football factory" perspective that many people have toward universities with successful football programs.

4. It plays havoc with college football programs. It destroys continuity. Together with the lax "transfer portal" a coach has no idea who he has to work with from one year to the next.

I would love to see the NFL establish rules that prohibit teams from signing players who have not completed their degree programs unless they have been out of school for one year. I would love to see the NCAA require scholarship players to compete in their team's bowl games except in the case of medical disability. I think such rules would contribute to the development of the character of college and professional athletes and produce better pro athlete citizens.

[jshawaii22]

As a football fan, your issues do ring true. But, this is the new world order and the courts are moving the other way, and that's why these changes that allow players to move around via the transfer protocol and the 'opt out' as they want to (at least this Covid year) are not going away.
The days of 'slavery' in college are basically over. Simply by giving a player a scholarship and room & board no longer will make the player under the colleges 100% control for the duration of the players career. Note that already through the courts is the lawsuit that new makes the use of a players 'image or likeness' is no longer free to the school.

What now needs to happen is the players can either take the free scholarship or negotiate a year by year contract and paid (and pay taxes) from the colleges for their service, just like the pros. And why not? I earned a paycheck from 16 years old. When I was 18 my boss paid for my college for the first year as I didn't qualify for "local" rates. Even with that, no one could stop me from leaving and moving to a new job. Why is college athletics any different? This is all the argument, not necessarily my opinion, by the way.

As this new rules come into play, the colleges should therefore retain the right to 'fire' or move on from players, too. It works both ways.

[RiverDog]

What now needs to happen is the players can either take the free scholarship or negotiate a year by year contract and paid (and pay taxes) from the colleges for their service, just like the pros. And why not? I earned a paycheck from 16 years old. When I was 18 my boss paid for my college for the first year as I didn't qualify for "local" rates. Even with that, no one could stop me from leaving and moving to a new job. Why is college athletics any different? This is all the argument, not necessarily my opinion, by the way.

As this new rules come into play, the colleges should therefore retain the right to 'fire' or move on from players, too. It works both ways.

The problem with compensating players is competitiveness. Sure, Ohio State and Texas, schools with athletic departments that operate in the black, can afford to compensate their players, but what about the WSU's or Iowa State's? They are already being subsidized by the taxpayers. They can't afford to lose any money that would normally go into the school's athletic department's coffers, and as a taxpayer, I do not feel that I should be subsidizing an athletic department so that their athletes can throw their teams under the bus and skip bowl games in order to prepare for the NFL draft.

Keep in mind that we're not talking about just football. Other athletes in other sports are going to want the same treatment that football players get. We'll be heading down a slippery slope.

[trents]

jshawaii22,

The courts, yes. Don't get me started about the courts. They strain at the gnat and swallow the camel as far as the welfare of the citizenry goes and are extremely myopic.

And college football players' payment is their scholarship money. That is how they get paid for the service they provide to the universities. And that should be enough. They will earn plenty of money once they turn pro if they have that kind of talent. If they aren't good enough to play in the pros they still got their education paid for and they can use it to get a job like most people. They aren't "slaves." They aren't being used by the universities who are making revenue off them in whatever way. Those that turn pro will make plenty of money off of endorsements and signature paraphernalia. And who is really being used here? The players? The argument can also be made that the players are using the universities and the exposure the universities' athletic facilities and programs are providing them and the proof of this is when they opt out early and leave their teammates in the lurch just before a bowl game.

[jshawaii22]

[url]And college football players' payment is their scholarship money. That is how they get paid for the service they provide to the universities. And that should be enough. They will earn plenty of money once they turn pro if they have that kind of talent.[/url]

Only a very small percentage of players make it to the NFL and only a few of those make the 53 to start earning a living and those are the student athletes we're taking about. The rest of them really get nothing, especially the ones that don't take advantage or don't have a IQ to stay up with the classes get screwed. How much are Alabama & Ohio State raking in next Monday night's Championship game?
Between the schools there are 150 student athletes & players, and they are the reason we watch and they get nothing for this?

The only people that believe that garbage you wrote are the Schools Presidents and other fundraisers for the University. These future NFL wannabe's on scholarship are generally not in school to learn - OK a very few do, but the bulk don't and the schools (except for Notre Dame and Stanford) don't care if 'education' is a goal. How many other business models can stop someone from earning an income based on their talents without getting anything back and claim that the 'education' with R/B and the pittance the athletes get to spend each month qualifies as acceptable trade value while the team sells 60,000 tickets a game, pockets millions in TV money and schools raise millions and millions each year to facilitate the 'fans' desire to see the scholar athletes play football. Not many of the alumnae supporters give a damn if the kid gets an education when they donate money to the athletic departments to support the sports.

If you were on a scholarship for any other major, in an undergraduate program at 'any' U, wouldn't you want the right to move to another school of your choice when the scholarship year runs out? Smart IT kids are earning big money at age 10+ on the internet! High-End IT, science, biology and medical Schools among other majors go after these kids just like football players. Do you think any of these kids shouldn't be able to start or continue earning a living if they so choose to? Do you think these schools stop these kids from selling their talents? Some IT kids are making millions BEFORE they get to college. Should the college take that income from them? No they don't. They encourage it. Makes the school look good for the next years recruitments.