Ben Simmons blasts the NCAA.. | Syracusefan.com
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Ben Simmons blasts the NCAA..

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Deano

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I would love to see this documentary on Showtime if I had it, but glad he said what he has said. It's pointless for these kids to go one year, plus he's right they aren't making money but the NCAA is. Change the damn rules! Also like he says he got offered so much from certain people. I do not envy what he or what any top recruit has to go through either.

Simmons blasts NCAA: 'The players get nothing'
 
"...if I'm only there a year, I can't get much of an education."

Most student athletes stay four years and graduate in a field other than pro ball. But no, lets change the rules for the fraction of a percent.

He doesn't like being there for a year? Stay all 4 and get your degree, or shut it and blame the NBA for their rule. Want to get paid? Go to Europe for a year.

He says how people (unnamed) were offering him some fun gifts. At a football factory, nevertheless. Would love for the NCAA to snoop around SEC football for 8 years and read the report on that.
 
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I bet he never step foot in a classroom in the 2nd semester, what a joke.
 
Its the NBA that's at fault . They pretty much forced the NCAA to enforce their rule. It's total BS and I'm not a fan of the NCAA either they suck also. Most kids leave highschool and aren't 19 so they have to go to college or overseas . It protects the fat cats in the NBA's contracts, and doesn't flood them with too many players (refer to 2005 NBA bargaining agreement).
 
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cusetown1 said:
Its the NBA that's at fault . They pretty much forced the NCAA to enforce their rule. It's total BS and I'm not a fan of the NCAA either they suck also. Most kids leave highschool and aren't 19 so they have to go to college or overseas . It protects the fat cats in the NBA's contracts, and doesn't flood them with too many players.
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I love that he's blaming the NCAA for something they aren't to blame for. Let's you know who you're dealing with. I mean the NCAA sucks in many ways but this rule isn't one of those ways. Dope.
 
creatorsgame said:
"...if I'm only there a year, I can't get much of an education."

Most student athletes stay four years and graduate in a field other than pro ball. But no, lets change the rules for the fraction of a percent.

He doesn't like being there for a year? Stay all 4 and get your degree, or shut it and blame the NBA for their rule. Want to get paid? Go to Europe for a year.

He says how people (unnamed) were offering him some fun gifts. At a football factory, nevertheless. Would love for the NCAA to snoop around SEC football for 8 years and read the report on that.
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If the school is selling his jersey(don't know if they were but schools always sell jerseys with at least a couple players numbers on it), I don't see why he can't get some of that at least. And the NCAA shouldn't make it so difficult for these kids to make money. Why is our guys reffing st the Y and getting paid a big deal? Too many rules. Basically none of them benefit the players. A lot of these kids don't come from much money.
 
I don't understand the venom - the hypocrites are the problem as they cloak themselves as something they aren't. The NBA is about money, Simmons is about money, the NCAA is about money but won't admit it. Anyone who calls out the hypocrisy of student athlete is on the right side for me anyway.
 
The NCAA isn't exactly fighting against the one and done culture. They're still cashing their checks.

It's a huge mess. Kids like Ben Simmons and Jabari Parker and Anthony Davis have zero reason to go to college for a year. It's pointless and cause more headaches than they're really worth.
 
There are many reasons to blast the NCAA. Many.

But the one and done rule is largely a mess created by the NBA and the NBAPA. For the NBA it was a better solution than the old rule (enter out of HS). At least now it's easier to evaluate, they get some free marketing and free development. It also helps the NBA not invest in its craptacular minor league system.

Now to be fair to the NBA I suspect they want a two and out rule. They would get even more of each benefit above. It would not be about helping the NCAA, but I think a 2 and out rule would greatly help the quality of NCAA basketball. But the reason it is not in play is because the NBAPA won't give into it without a major concession for them in the CBA.
 
Fly Rodder said:
The NCAA isn't exactly fighting against the one and done culture. They're still cashing their checks.

It's a huge mess. Kids like Ben Simmons and Jabari Parker and Anthony Davis have zero reason to go to college for a year. It's pointless and cause more headaches than they're really worth.
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I think the NCAA embraced it... and a fair number of NCAA fans embraced the rule when it first happened as well. It would be great to see these guys in college was the common thought of many. But we now realize how it has impacted the NCAA game negatively at so many levels.

I don't think the one and done rule has hurt the NBA. They develop. monitor and coach young prospects so much better now, that players going the NBA route with limited minutes are not really losing out to a college player (in most instances)
 
I think his prespective is pretty clear. And he's not simply asking for money, or denouncing the value of education. He's calling out the entire system of institutions and corporations that make tons of money off of him while he is not allowed to. He's questioning the integrity of those organizations that ask him to go to class and maintain his amateur status while forcing him to do promotional pictures, commercials, autographs, etc. for their monetary benefit. Such hypocrisy.

The NCAA likes to sell propoganda like their "most student athletes ...blah blah blah..." but most student athletes aren't making them millions. It's Ben Simmons on an ESPN commercial or a NCAA tournament ticket website. And there are slews of businesses that make money when a potential top pick comes to town and more people go to games.

Let's not even get into the racial/social implications that arise with this sort of indentured servitude in a sport in which a high percentage of players are African-American while a high percentage of coaches, school administrators, NCAA henchman, NBA owners/executives, etc. that make bank are white.

Ben Simmons should lauded for his honesty.
 
JoeySimz said:
I think his prespective is pretty clear. And he's not simply asking for money, or denouncing the value of education. He's calling out the entire system of institutions and corporations that make tons of money off of him while he is not allowed to. He's questioning the integrity of those organizations that ask him to go to class and maintain his amateur status while forcing him to do promotional pictures, commercials, autographs, etc. for their monetary benefit. Such hypocrisy.

The NCAA likes to sell propoganda like their "most student athletes ...blah blah blah..." but most student athletes aren't making them millions. It's Ben Simmons on an ESPN commercial or a NCAA tournament ticket website. And there are slews of businesses that make money when a potential top pick comes to town and more people go to games.

Let's not even get into the racial/social implications that arise with this sort of indentured servitude in a sport in which a high percentage of players are African-American while a high percentage of coaches, school administrators, NCAA henchman, NBA owners/executives, etc. that make bank are white.

Ben Simmons should lauded for his honesty.
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Totally agree with this. The only negative thing I'd say about Simmons is that he should've embraced his one year of college and not totally blown it off. Education is education, regardless of whether you get a degree at the end. That said, I totally get the perspective that for someone whose goal is to be a professional athlete, they're not going to stay in school for four years anyway. They know they have a limited window to try and make money as an athlete; every year they're not in the NBA is a year they risk a potentially career-changing injury (while not having an NBA contract), and a year held against them by the NBA, which values youth so highly.
 
dyedorange said:
The only negative thing I'd say about Simmons is that he should've embraced his one year of college and not totally blown it off.
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I agree with you to a point, but guys like Simmons and other sure fire one and done guys I can absolutely see why they would blow it off. Simmons signed a massive Nike contract and was the #1 pick in the draft. He goes from a broke college student who is surrounded by rich schools, conferences and coaches who have built their fortunes off the backs of these kids. If I was in his shoes I would be counting down the days until my college season is over with. Honestly, if I was a guy like Simmons, I'd head overseas and play a year.
 
two3zone said:
I agree with you to a point, but guys like Simmons and other sure fire one and done guys I can absolutely see why they would blow it off. Simmons signed a massive Nike contract and was the #1 pick in the draft. He goes from a broke college student who is surrounded by rich schools, conferences and coaches who have built their fortunes off the backs of these kids. If I was in his shoes I would be counting down the days until my college season is over with. Honestly, if I was a guy like Simmons, I'd head overseas and play a year.
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I can see why someone in his shoes would think that way, but missing out on a free education--even if it's two semesters--it's still a lost opportunity. I don't want to knock him too hard though, mine is an easy criticism to make from the outside. Maybe he'll be one of those athletes that goes back to school after he's made his millions and is looking at what to do with the remaining 50 years on the planet. If he doesn't open a car wash or steak restaurant, that is.
 
Guess I'm a neanderthal when it comes to my viewpoint on the subject, I think Simmons is every bit the hypocrite he accuses everyone else of. His complaint is that he didn't earn money a year earlier. Why stop there? He came to the US only to get better competition and publicity. Doubt he traveled here from Australia to go to high school for an education either. He had options to get paid and not to use the US college educational system to achieve his goals. He could have stayed in Australia and played for their National Basketball League there while getting paid (like fellow Aussies Dante Exum & Joe Ingels etc) or he could have played anywhere overseas or even in the D-League. He didn’t want to.

Why didn’t he take any of those options but instead decide to come to the US fully knowing the rules? No one forced him to take the path he did, he could have skipped college, made money, made a name for himself in Australia or in another country and sold his own t-shirts. If he was good enough the NBA would have come calling. Thon Maker who came from Australia, played high school in the US, then went to Canada for more high school and prep school, skipping college and declaring for the NBA draft. The college game survived without Thon Maker and LSU would have survived without him. Ben Simmons could have done the same as Maker rather than partake in what he now calls a hypocritical step to the NBA via LSU with his godfather, David Patrick (now with TCU and Jamie Dixon).

Sorry but personally I’ll save my sympathy for real victims not multi-millionaires who made their own decisions to maximize the money they want to make on their initial NBA contract but are mad they didn’t make it a year earlier. He had options and he alone decided to take the path he took. I think there are many serious issues with the NCAA but his beef I wouldn’t put even in the top 50. I'm sorry if this sounds preachy. (how about the NCAA taking action on his accusations about enticements)
 
Fly Rodder said:
The NCAA isn't exactly fighting against the one and done culture. They're still cashing their checks.

It's a huge mess. Kids like Ben Simmons and Jabari Parker and Anthony Davis have zero reason to go to college for a year. It's pointless and cause more headaches than they're really worth.
Expand...

There's another option if they want to avoid the headaches

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