why not paying players costs more than paying them

[Millhouse]

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2012/05/should-stocks-trade-in-0001-increments.html

the gist of this link is that when plane ticket prices were regulated, airlines couldn't compete by lowering price so they competed by who could have bigger seats and more lavish nonsense.

i've made this point before, but the same thing is happening with the facilities arms race.

if you can only pay players in facilities, you're going to end up spending way more. you have to spend a lot of money on nice carpeting before a player will be indifferent between that carpeting at the football complex and $50 cash.

 

[upperdeck]

so this assumes places wont do both? pay players and spend on facilities?

 

[MaxwellCuse]

How about we just establish a professional minor league? We can set up franchises in places like Birmingham, Orlando, Memphis, Knoxville, Columbia, San Antonio, Jackson, Little Rock and Oklahoma City. Places that are just football crazy and don't mind a little cheating -- well maybe a LOT of cheating -- to win? And they can pay their head coaches $5 million for all I care because I won't be watching or listening.

 

[SmilinBob]

How about we just establish a professional minor league? We can set up franchises in places like Birmingham, Orlando, Memphis, Knoxville, Columbia, San Antonio, Jackson, Little Rock and Oklahoma City. Places that are just football crazy and don't mind a little cheating -- well maybe a LOT of cheating -- to win? And they can pay their head coaches $5 million for all I care because I won't be watching or listening.

Because people like the illusion that is college sports.

 

[Scooch]

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2012/05/should-stocks-trade-in-0001-increments.html

the gist of this link is that when plane ticket prices were regulated, airlines couldn't compete by lowering price so they competed by who could have bigger seats and more lavish nonsense.

i've made this point before, but the same thing is happening with the facilities arms race.

if you can only pay players in facilities, you're going to end up spending way more. you have to spend a lot of money on nice carpeting before a player will be indifferent between that carpeting at the football complex and $50 cash.

I'm not sure I follow. I'm in favor of compensating players, but if you do it as a straight payment then it's going to be done equally. The 85th kid on scholarship is going to make the same as the 5-star, golden-boy, QB recruit. So how would that then stop schools from dumping money into facilities to gain an edge?

 

[Millhouse]

I'm not sure I follow. I'm in favor of compensating players, but if you do it as a straight payment then it's going to be done equally. The 85th kid on scholarship is going to make the same as the 5-star, golden-boy, QB recruit. So how would that then stop schools from dumping money into facilities to gain an edge?

i shouldn't have referred to the arms race. there will still be competition in facilities but it would start from a lower point if players were paid. if every player is paid exactly the same everywhere, there will still be additional waste but maybe facilities would be less important. since players don't get paid any cash, they can only look at what they're paid in couches and carpets. maybe facilites would be a little less important and there would be less wasted donor money

 

[Scooch]

i shouldn't have referred to the arms race. there will still be competition in facilities but it would start from a lower point if players were paid. if every player is paid exactly the same everywhere, there will still be additional waste but maybe facilities would be less important. since players don't get paid any cash, they can only look at what they're paid in couches and carpets. maybe facilites would be a little less important and there would be less wasted donor money

Maybe that'd be the case if paying players happened 30 years ago, but that horse has long since left the barn, IMHO. I can't envision a scenario where this insane arms race doesn't continue unabated, unless and until the residents of the states who play big-time football demand it to stop. I expect to see that right after we legalize heroin.