Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="reedny, post: 2593433, member: 1423"] Well expressed points, as usual, and good damage control. But this (red) is where you're incorrect IMO. It's not a market. D-1 student athletes are, by definition, amateurs - including the 1-2% with pro potential. It's such a small number that, even if I bought your "compensation" argument, the exception would be driving the rule. The fact is that, as unfair as NCAA enforcement is, college sports benefit (handsomely I might add) the vast majority of SA's. Even NBA prospects (most) are just that - prospects. There is no "market" for them because, not only are they amateurs, they're not finished products. The very reason they choose college is to develop and enjoy being in an academic environment (at least at most legit schools). That is their choice, and as we saw with the Bazely fiasco, almost all of them think it's worth it. Your analysis also ignores the huge costs colleges bear in funding their BB programs (among many other institutional expenses). Syracuse spends between $13 and $14M every year on its basketball program. There's lots of TV money, BUT they pay their players stipends and all their living expenses, along with providing an environment conducive to learning. They also, by law, have to fund other Title IX programs like womens soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse and other sports that are net revenue losses. Even without the title IX issue, the "value" argument is a mirage. While SU BB usually has at least one prospect with NBA potential, most of its players are not pro prospects. Even the ones that are, jump as soon as they're ready for pro ball (and sometimes even before). You can claim all you want that these guys should be compensated as "employees", and that they have all this "value" in the "market" ... but the NBA doesn't agree. Not until they're ready to be drafted are they truly "marketable" - and then they almost always leave college. Look at Bazely, a kid with obvious pro potential. Is he being showered with endorsement money? Hardly. The only people who want to hand him cash are agents looking to score a fee off him in a couple years .. and all they do is offer loans. So your argument continues to fall apart even for the few for whom you think the whole system should be reformed. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?