Power 5 Voting Going on Right Now

[CU44SE]

Here is what some enterprising booster should do. Make a donation of about $1 - $2M to endow an academic-related university fund to assist with buying textbooks for students in need. Wire it into the AD so that it is only used for football players. Buy their books from this fund and let them keep the book-related portion of the TCoA stipend.

Better yet, steer all football players into taking the same course (where possible) so that you don't have to buy as many books, and let the players share the texts.

Don't even need to do that. Every class says you need a book but in reality you only really need a book for probably 25% of your classes. Usually renting on Amazon is really cheap and players in the same classes can share books.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Here is what some enterprising booster should do. Make a donation of about $1 - $2M to endow an academic-related university fund to assist with buying textbooks for students in need. Wire it into the AD so that it is only used for football players. Buy their books from this fund and let them keep the book-related portion of the TCoA stipend.

Better yet, steer all football players into taking the same course (where possible) so that you don't have to buy as many books, and let the players share the texts.

Well that's a complete NCAA violation right there. If you said, donate $2m to be given to students for books with 1/2 to athletes and 1/2 to non-athletes, then you might have something.

Athletes who receive books are also not required by the NCAA to return them, so unless the school requires their return like I was told SU does, they could sell them right away and pocket the money.

 

[javadoc]

Well that's a complete NCAA violation right there. If you said, donate $2m to be given to students for books with 1/2 to athletes and 1/2 to non-athletes, then you might have something.

That's the point - boosters want to get money to players and will find ways to do so. It's tricky to channel money to the players when there is a ban on payments in cash, and only payments in kind are allowed. If you open an avenue for legit payment in cash, then boosters will find ways to exploit this, because the new rule "launders" the cash to some extent, to an outside observer. And anything that gives one school a competitive advantage over another will be tried, even if it is only a $500 difference. The new talking point will be "how much of your TCoA stipend we let you keep as cash while still meeting your academic obligations".

 

[Full_Rebar]

Let's be honest, boosters aren't going to be worried about a $400 book stipend per semester- that's what the NCAA used a few years back, not sure if it's changed. Academic scholarship recipients have been able to get full cost of attendance, so this is just giving athletes the same opportunity.

This is just the 1st step to endorsement money, etc., but I don't think it's going to get boosters more involved with cash payments.

Now, the talking point I agree with, as some schools will point out the difference in cost of attendance to parents and recruits.

 

[javadoc]

Let's be honest, boosters aren't going to be worried about a $400 book stipend per semester- that's what the NCAA used a few years back, not sure if it's changed. Academic scholarship recipients have been able to get full cost of attendance, so this is just giving athletes the same opportunity.

This is just the 1st step to endorsement money, etc., but I don't think it's going to get boosters more involved with cash payments.

Now, the talking point I agree with, as some schools will point out the difference in cost of attendance to parents and recruits.

Time to dust off my proposal to make the "student" portion of student-athlete... optional. Pay each player the TCoA in cash, and let them buy tuition and attend classes if they want to. And get out of the way when the stampede for the private schools begins.

 

[Scooch]

Time to dust off my proposal to make the "student" portion of student-athlete... optional. Pay each player the TCoA in cash, and let them buy tuition and attend classes if they want to. And get out of the way when the stampede for the private schools begins.

I'm with you. I've long advocated that schools should be allowed to offer a major in Athletics. If smart kids want to get a degree in Marketing or Computer Science or Engineering that's great. If they don't then they can get credits for playing and practicing their sport, and maybe taking a few related classes in sports management or whatever.

The whole thing is such a sham, might as well be honest about it. College football and college hoops are minor league sports. In baseball and hockey those minor leaguers get paid. There's no need to keep up the farce that requires a kid to major in "general studies" just to stay eligible because the NCAA made-up the term "student athlete" to get out of paying them decades ago.

 

[Moontan]

There are many former SU student-athletes who have made the most of their opportunities.

Maybe someone should set up a D-League for the NFL. Those athletes that don't want to go to school could fulfill their apprenticeship there before hopping to the NFL.

They'll be playing before a couple of hundred fans at first. Maybe they'll flourish in the long run. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

 

[Scooch]

There are many former SU student-athletes who have made the most of their opportunities.

Maybe someone should set up a D-League for the NFL. Those athletes that don't want to go to school could fulfill their apprenticeship there before hopping to the NFL.

They'll be playing before a couple of hundred fans at first. Maybe they'll flourish in the long run. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

Oh, no doubt. I think its's crazy that both the NFL and NBA have gotten away with not having to invest in developing real, multi-tiered minor leagues the way MLB and the NHL have. Such a HUGE cost savings that is borne on the backs of academic institutions.

I just find the mandatory "student athlete" stuff laughable. There really is no viable path for a football player who does not want to attend college to develop for another 3-4 years and eventually enter the NFL. Yeah, a few guys have snuck into the league through weird circumstances, but it was more random chance than through an established route (say like how in hoops one can go abroad for a few years).

A football player has to go to college and has to pretend to be a student. It's all kind of silly.

 

[Moontan]

A football player has to go to college and has to pretend to be a student. It's all kind of silly.

True, for some student-athletes. That's on the NFL. If you're a college with a football program then you have no choice. At least SU has lots of majors for student-athletes to choose from. Presumably, there would be one of interest to the student-athlete. There are probably also some "less challenging " options. Some other schools (including GA Tech) don't.