Wow!

[The Man In Blue]

I just hope college football doesn't become it's own thing and all the Olympic / non revenue sports go away in college.

This will be the interesting question in 5-10 years. NCAA and colleges held on to these sports because of the parasitic nature of profiting off of free athletes (and publicity to attract a student body).

Now that the bar doors are open, I don’t think it unfathomable for football and basketball to branch off from the colleges into their own “minor league” system. I especially see this happening with the conferences taking more and more power into their own hands. I can totally see Big12 Football becoming a league.

 

[The Man In Blue]

The rest of the D1 teams (other than the typical top contenders) should just give up then. They will never be able to recruit and keep athletes if some schools can afford to offer this type of money. Why even have a WCWS? The school that can pay the most will most likely win each time. That’s really disappointing.

You are a stodgy old romantic, like me.

However, sports in college has long been a business. Now labor has some power.

I would argue it isn’t the SCHOOL that can pay the most. It is the network — alumni, donors, benefactors, and sponsors — that the school can tap in to. Read some of the articles I posted.

 

[The Man In Blue]

It will go the way of other minor league sports. People are going to stop caring and the money will go away.

Most minor league operations haven’t figured out that the marketing is different. Major league sports are about the individual players. Minor league sports are about the fan experience. College has pursued the major league model, so it is no surprise that the sport is going that way. The reality though is that people go for the gameday experience, not just to see this year’s featured flavor.

 

[Vertigo]

You are a stodgy old romantic, like me.

However, sports in college has long been a business. Now labor has some power.

I would argue it isn’t the SCHOOL that can pay the most. It is the network — alumni, donors, benefactors, and sponsors — that the school can tap in to. Read some of the articles I posted.

I guess D3 is now more aligned with how I feel college sports should be.

 

[daywalkerdad]

Stanford is Ranked 5th in pay. The first salary is early career. the second salary is mid career. Obviously the type of degree that you major in will have a significant factor in your salary. These are just average salaries.

https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors

5

Stanford University

Engineering, Private School, Research University, For Sports Fans

$98,900

$177,500

359

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Research University, For Sports Fans, State School

$66,400

$116,700

I think they should include cost of living. 89000 in Ok City is equal to 177500 in San Francisco. Not all students stay in the area of the school but enough probably do to account for a decent amount in salary differences.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Yet, when you look at MLB and see so many players from poor Latin American countries, you wonder if all the lessons and travel really make that much of a difference. Heck, Mariano Rivera used a milk carton as a glove when he was a kid. I don't think even @ANNASDAD would confuse that with Horween, despite the carton's contents originally designed to hold something from a cow.


Who is the team outside the SEC most likely to be able to compete for a title now? Is it Duke? Another premier private academic school? Is it UCLA? FSU?

Ahh … now we are getting somewhere! We’ve created an artificial barrier to entry via all the hands-out-pay-me gatekeepers. I’ve long said a mediocre player with financial stability will be seen long before an awesome poor player.

MLB learned a long time ago that quality talent can be found and nurtured cheaply rather than sold to them.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Stanford is Ranked 5th in pay. The first salary is early career. the second salary is mid career. Obviously the type of degree that you major in will have a significant factor in your salary. These are just average salaries.

https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors

5

Stanford University

Engineering, Private School, Research University, For Sports Fans

$98,900

$177,500

359

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Research University, For Sports Fans, State School

$66,400

$116,700

I wonder if Stanford would do the same thing as OU is doing? Do you think they'd cancel classes for a softball game day?

 

[Strike2]

Stanford is Ranked 5th in pay. The first salary is early career. the second salary is mid career. Obviously the type of degree that you major in will have a significant factor in your salary. These are just average salaries.

https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors

5

Stanford University

Engineering, Private School, Research University, For Sports Fans

$98,900

$177,500

359

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Research University, For Sports Fans, State School

$66,400

$116,700

These average salary comparisons, like many school comparisons, are so much BS. Not only do they not take into account field of study, they ignore the cost of living at the place of employment for most graduates. I looked up the same numbers for the school my oldest graduated from last year, and her starting salary was at the "mid-career" number, which is working out just fine in Texas. $99K in the Bay area is barely getting by for a single person. $177K won't qualify for a mortgage necessary to buy a house in the more desirable places in any CA coastal city. I'm not talking about some fancy house...just a regular crummy build quality 2,000 sq ft house built decades ago. I guarantee you that for every Stanford STEM major starting at $100K+, there's an Ed major starting at $60K, and a _____ Studies major barely making $40K. Trying to apply any of this to an individual, particularly an athlete who is currently listed as "undeclared", is a waste of time.

 

[4Martini]

I’m aware of the admissions process at the Ivies and the fact that they will take a top athlete with grades below the norm for compared to typical admission - still must be within a certain SD of the norm, though.

I must have been mistaken about Stanford - I thought they were more similar to MIT where coaches have very little input?

We talked to some Stanford parents in line at the WCWS - they told us that the coach told their daughter she could get a B or two and be okay- but she absolutely had to take the hardest level classes offered (AP/ IB) to be considered. So maybe a tiny leeway- but not much.

 

[BucketDud]

This will be the interesting question in 5-10 years. NCAA and colleges held on to these sports because of the parasitic nature of profiting off of free athletes (and publicity to attract a student body).

Now that the bar doors are open, I don’t think it unfathomable for football and basketball to branch off from the colleges into their own “minor league” system. I especially see this happening with the conferences taking more and more power into their own hands. I can totally see Big12 Football becoming a league.

The reason I don't think they will branch off into minor leagues is won't be the same interest level if not attached to the school. IMO the reason people have more interest in college athletics is the students and alumni have a built in loyalty. They feel part of the success when it is their team.

Yes there are other fans of a team for various reasons, but take away that core group of fans and you aren't paying seven figure NIL deals. Both sides need each other even if it makes for uncomfortable bed partners.