Comments for A Path Less Traveled... http://chrisburfield.net Life & Ideas As a Walk Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:27:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on Down with the NCAA… by zainabbis http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-874 zainabbis Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:27:08 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-874 As a college athlete i agree with you. Lucky for me all i do is run track. Basketball and football players are treated like pennies; Manipulated just to bring funds and fame to the school As a college athlete i agree with you. Lucky for me all i do is run track. Basketball and football players are treated like pennies; Manipulated just to bring funds and fame to the school

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by putnam120 http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-871 putnam120 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:03:25 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-871 Yes they might be getting a free education, but you have to consider, do they really want it? Most of the big time players that know they will be going pro are probably of the mind set that they are just there to "do their time". Yes a college education might cost $XXX.XX, but since the player can't convert that to cash in their pocket it is just viewed as a waiting period. It's kind of like if your parents gave you a BMW and said, "drive this for a few years, then we will give you a Ferrari". Not much incentive for you to care too much about the BMW. Sure this isn't the case for most college athletes. However, we all know that this type of conversation only is about those that intend to (and have a realistic shot at) become professionals. For the majority of the students the NCAA regulations don't really affect them that much, since like the advertisements say "There are 380,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports". Yes they might be getting a free education, but you have to consider, do they really want it? Most of the big time players that know they will be going pro are probably of the mind set that they are just there to “do their time”. Yes a college education might cost $XXX.XX, but since the player can’t convert that to cash in their pocket it is just viewed as a waiting period.
It’s kind of like if your parents gave you a BMW and said, “drive this for a few years, then we will give you a Ferrari”. Not much incentive for you to care too much about the BMW.
Sure this isn’t the case for most college athletes. However, we all know that this type of conversation only is about those that intend to (and have a realistic shot at) become professionals. For the majority of the students the NCAA regulations don’t really affect them that much, since like the advertisements say “There are 380,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports”.

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by cburfield http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-869 cburfield Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:05:52 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-869 I say this because I know you in real life but you write such long replies to my posts that I think you should start your own blog :-) I say this because I know you in real life but you write such long replies to my posts that I think you should start your own blog :-)

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by Matt T. http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-868 Matt T. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:14:50 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-868 Of your three points, I can only agree with the second, that students should be allowed to be in contact with agents. I do not believe that students should be paid for their performance for several reasons. First, players are, as you say, sovereign individuals. They choose to play a sport under the conditions offered. Football and basketball players, 90% of whom know they will never be good enough to go pro, still enthusiastically submit themselves to the grueling athletic process knowing they will not be paid in cash. Their payment is getting to continue playing a sport they love, to run out in front of thousands of cheering fans, be big men on campus, and compete for championships. You may say that's overly romantic, but like I said, most athletes don't view college as a pipeline to the pros, and so they only put up with it for those kind of rewards. Secondly, the value of a degree to an athlete is much greater than the cash value of free tuition. The majority of Division I athletes are able to overshoot their academic upside and attend better schools due to their rare skills. I wonder how many Duke basketball players or Notre Dame football players would be earning degrees from such prestigious schools without sports getting their foot in the door. You think a Duke degree (and alumni network) doesn't confer a wage advantage over Random State U.? Thirdly, paying student athletes merely lowers the tier of what is professional, which I believe would ruin the incentive structure for many high school athletes aspiring to play in college. A minor league structure for the NFL is unfeasible. Casting a wide enough net to grab enough promising recruits to field even 10 5o-player rosters of teams would be prohibitively expensive, and would not be financially viable on its own because even if the quality was good, people would not go see it (college football is more about school loyalty than it being the most quality product.) Furthermore, what player would want to toil in the minors making no more than the cost of a college scholarship, without all the fame and glory that comes with it in college? Nobody, even a prospective pro, would choose that "shortcut." A minor league system probably is more viable in basketball since the teams can be relatively small. However, that would entail many more prospects than the simple "one and done" players, especially as it would lower the bar of how good you had to be to try and go pro. Thus a massive drain of NCAA talent would occur: while this would support your cause it would be economically (and politically) unviable because few want to see March Madness turned into March Mediocrity merely to establish some balance back to education. It would also increase the risk of players of graduating too soon and ending up with no education and no pro contract, since, as I said, the bar to jumping to pro would be lowered. That being said, I agree with the overall premise that the NCAA does not really put students or education first, but frankly, neither does any segment of our education system outside or primary school. As to your point about coaches, perhaps rules should be initiated that only punish offending coaches and not institutions: or if the current administration feels entitled to cap CEO pay I think they'd be better off capping the outrageous sums of money that coaches of "not for profit" institutions are being granted so that coaches don't keep running around in search of an extra buck. Of your three points, I can only agree with the second, that students should be allowed to be in contact with agents. I do not believe that students should be paid for their performance for several reasons. First, players are, as you say, sovereign individuals. They choose to play a sport under the conditions offered. Football and basketball players, 90% of whom know they will never be good enough to go pro, still enthusiastically submit themselves to the grueling athletic process knowing they will not be paid in cash. Their payment is getting to continue playing a sport they love, to run out in front of thousands of cheering fans, be big men on campus, and compete for championships. You may say that’s overly romantic, but like I said, most athletes don’t view college as a pipeline to the pros, and so they only put up with it for those kind of rewards. Secondly, the value of a degree to an athlete is much greater than the cash value of free tuition. The majority of Division I athletes are able to overshoot their academic upside and attend better schools due to their rare skills. I wonder how many Duke basketball players or Notre Dame football players would be earning degrees from such prestigious schools without sports getting their foot in the door. You think a Duke degree (and alumni network) doesn’t confer a wage advantage over Random State U.? Thirdly, paying student athletes merely lowers the tier of what is professional, which I believe would ruin the incentive structure for many high school athletes aspiring to play in college.
A minor league structure for the NFL is unfeasible. Casting a wide enough net to grab enough promising recruits to field even 10 5o-player rosters of teams would be prohibitively expensive, and would not be financially viable on its own because even if the quality was good, people would not go see it (college football is more about school loyalty than it being the most quality product.) Furthermore, what player would want to toil in the minors making no more than the cost of a college scholarship, without all the fame and glory that comes with it in college? Nobody, even a prospective pro, would choose that “shortcut.” A minor league system probably is more viable in basketball since the teams can be relatively small. However, that would entail many more prospects than the simple “one and done” players, especially as it would lower the bar of how good you had to be to try and go pro. Thus a massive drain of NCAA talent would occur: while this would support your cause it would be economically (and politically) unviable because few want to see March Madness turned into March Mediocrity merely to establish some balance back to education. It would also increase the risk of players of graduating too soon and ending up with no education and no pro contract, since, as I said, the bar to jumping to pro would be lowered.
That being said, I agree with the overall premise that the NCAA does not really put students or education first, but frankly, neither does any segment of our education system outside or primary school. As to your point about coaches, perhaps rules should be initiated that only punish offending coaches and not institutions: or if the current administration feels entitled to cap CEO pay I think they’d be better off capping the outrageous sums of money that coaches of “not for profit” institutions are being granted so that coaches don’t keep running around in search of an extra buck.

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by Lakia http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-867 Lakia Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:17:35 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-867 I like the idea of creating minor leagues. I mean baseball has it. But, I don't know, I'm not too savvy on things like that. Do you think minor leagues would work for other sports besides baseball??? That's something to think about. I like the idea of creating minor leagues. I mean baseball has it. But, I don’t know, I’m not too savvy on things like that. Do you think minor leagues would work for other sports besides baseball??? That’s something to think about.

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by Evie Garone http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-865 Evie Garone Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:56:39 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-865 Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Nice read. Interesting take on things...now I have to sit and ruminate on the whole bloody topic and come up with my own decision...hmmm... evelyngarone.com Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Nice read. Interesting take on things…now I have to sit and ruminate on the whole bloody topic and come up with my own decision…hmmm…

evelyngarone.com

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by balladeer http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-864 balladeer Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:41:40 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-864 Love your take on things. I do a sports blog here at wordpress and I think anyone who is fed up with the same things you cover would get a kick out of it .It's like a sports version of The Onion. Ed Love your take on things. I do a sports blog here at wordpress and I think anyone who is fed up with the same things you cover would get a kick out of it .It’s like a sports version of The Onion.

Ed

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by Noor http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-863 Noor Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:05:35 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-863 Nice read! -Noor http://noor724.wordpress.com/ :) Nice read!
-Noor
http://noor724.wordpress.com/
:)

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by rosslongaz http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-862 rosslongaz Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:52:00 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-862 The sports world is the epitome of the free and open market. You're in America, not some binding country where you have limited rights. ...That was a joke, of course. But that is one of the basic, platform principles America has grown upon. Whether it exists anymore remains to be seen. I don't believe the NCAA is leaving out integrity so as to progress themselves as an entity or organization. The 'one and done' rule was incorporated somewhat recently. You could possibly argue that before this rule, the NCAA was not doing its job to the best of their ability to protect the integrity of college sports. But the rule itself was a small step toward protecting that integrity. I do, however, like your third proposal. Since college athletes make zero money, and it's currently illegal to get assistance from those pursuing their professional interests, it would make sense to take monies accumulated from their marketability to go toward their future...after graduation. The sports world is the epitome of the free and open market. You’re in America, not some binding country where you have limited rights.

…That was a joke, of course.

But that is one of the basic, platform principles America has grown upon. Whether it exists anymore remains to be seen.

I don’t believe the NCAA is leaving out integrity so as to progress themselves as an entity or organization. The ‘one and done’ rule was incorporated somewhat recently. You could possibly argue that before this rule, the NCAA was not doing its job to the best of their ability to protect the integrity of college sports. But the rule itself was a small step toward protecting that integrity. I do, however, like your third proposal. Since college athletes make zero money, and it’s currently illegal to get assistance from those pursuing their professional interests, it would make sense to take monies accumulated from their marketability to go toward their future…after graduation.

]]> Comment on Down with the NCAA… by cleatsandlapels http://chrisburfield.net/2010/07/26/down-with-the-ncaa/#comment-861 cleatsandlapels Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:34:45 +0000 http://chrisburfield.net/?p=558#comment-861 Interesting post. How would you apportion the money that is set aside for the athletes? Who would exactly get that money? Does a bench player get the same as a starter? Would you give money to a player who is now professional? While I think that the student athlete/agent relationship is a major problem, at times I think that the issue gets overblown because we are probably talking about an extremely small percentage of students athletes that even go pro and of that small percentage, an even smaller percentage that take money before going pro. Interesting post. How would you apportion the money that is set aside for the athletes? Who would exactly get that money? Does a bench player get the same as a starter? Would you give money to a player who is now professional?

While I think that the student athlete/agent relationship is a major problem, at times I think that the issue gets overblown because we are probably talking about an extremely small percentage of students athletes that even go pro and of that small percentage, an even smaller percentage that take money before going pro.

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