See, right there, that's where we differ. I have no desire to keep players in college if they really want to be playing basketball for pay. I want them to pursue their dreams, and stop trying to muck up the sports I love simply because they think they should be able to have it both ways -- get a free education, get the coaching, development, exposure, training, etc, AND get paid too. Guys like Fab Melo had no business at SU. He just didn't. He should have been in the pros, or playing overseas, or in some pro development league from Day 1. Of course, your response to that will be "But there is no development league like that." And my response is, "So stop trying to make colleges be the development league for the NBA and NFL."
Here's my theory: The majority of the kids who are so deprived of money in these sports, come from poor backgrounds with little or no direction. They think their sports will be their future. But 99% of these kids will NEVER make it as professional athletes. And yet we keep telling them they will, and now people want to pay them something to help keep that false dream alive. When in reality what we should be doing is demonstrating to them that the education is far more valuable than the sport. I believe if the NBA and NFL were responsible for their own developmental leagues, these kids would see that there just isn't much future for them.
You see, you are interested in making it "a better game." I'm more concerned with the people involved and their futures..
Let me give you another often-used saying, "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." I'm certain many schools are trying to teach students these realities already and have been doing so for years if not decades through required economics classes, coaching and bringing in guest speakers to address the issues. Still, the problem remains, and it remains for those that do have pro careers and end up with nothing after time, and the problem remains for many people who are collegiately educated but end up with nothing at retirement and so on and so forth.
Times have changed, back when Bill Walton was playing, getting a full ride through college was enough because the dollars being made weren't so big. Either by the NCAA and it's schools or the dollars being made once in the NBA. That's not the case anymore. When times change, we have to get with the program and step up to save the college game. (Yes, it's not out of the realm of possibility that if nothing is done, things could get worse.)
I'm old enough to know that college basketball was better in the days when guys stuck around for 3 and 4 years. Remember Leo, Pearl, Owens, Coleman, Seikly and Douglas? Those are just names from SU that would be one and dones today. Basketball analysts will be the first to tell you that the game is much more diluted now-a-days. They like to use the word, different, when describing today's game versus then because they don't want to bite that hand that feeds them, but it's easy enough to read between the lines.
Don't know what to say about the statement, "So stop trying to make colleges be the development league for the NBA and NFL." Hun, stop trying? It always has been exactly that and until NBA/NFL hopefuls stop going to colleges and go straight to D-leagues or Europe it always will be just that. At least it has always been that in my lifetime. If colleges really wanted it to be just about student-athletics, why give scholarships out at all? Why not just drop all benefits and give no additional educational support, tutoring or special treatment? If a college wants to support the under-privledged, just randomly select 200 or so under-privledged kids per year and admit them to college and give them special tutoring. Why not? It's about the money. That's the one thing that's not going to change. Not ever, ever, ever. Players aren't stupid enough to see what the colleges are doing and not realize, I should be getting something too right? (I know, your gonna say, but they are getting something. Go back to paragraph two above please.) Remember when Lebron James was in high school and his mom, made the statement about her son's high school not giving any money to them for all the money they were taking in by charging the people coming to her son's games. Lebron's mom is no doubt high strung and a bit eccentric, but guess what, we do live in a capitalist country and her point their wasn't without some merit. People have a right to make money if they can.
It would be interesting to poll 100 college D1 players on your thoughts versus my proposal to give them a piece of the pie for their efforts and ask them the question, which proposal shows more care for you, the player? Then see which side would win. Remember, it's all about the money.
I really liked the post about drafting kids right out of HS, then the NBA team that drafts the player pays them 50k per year to play in college. Sounds great for the fans and the players, but most likely the NBA and NCAA wouldn't come to an agreement on this unless a congressional hearing on the issue occurred. The total cost of education initiative sounds like a positive thing and I'm glad to hear it's in the works. Almost sounds like it isn't far in practice from the kind of proposed money I was talking about so I hope it happens, still not sure it can get things back to the way they use to be. Ahh well.
