Question: When will college football officially be classified a pro sport?

[Tide&True]

I know there are a lot of moving parts that need to be sorted out first but when will the amateur label be gone in college sports? Also, will high school sports suffer the same fate?

 

[uafan4life]

Probably when we decide to remove virtually all the other sports from the college game...

 

[bamaga]

Some Olympic athletes win medals that turn into millions while they still keep their amateur status. I think that if the Universities pay the players , they are no longer amateurs. As long as a pseudo third party is paying, amateur they will stay. Tricky part is if they unionize or are ruled state employees by a government body or court.

 

[bamaga]

One could argue that scholarship athletes, while being compensated in tuition, room , board, were never truly amateurs.

 

[CullmanTide]

The IRS is watching.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

The IRS is watching.

The taxman never giveth, but shall taketh away

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I know there are a lot of moving parts that need to be sorted out first but when will the amateur label be gone in college sports? Also, will high school sports suffer the same fate?

College football is already professional. High school will come soon enough.

There's been illegal recruiting at the HS level forever. Since being a professional is no longer an impediment to playing college ball, money at the HS level is the next logical step.

Some Olympic athletes win medals that turn into millions while they still keep their amateur status. I think that if the Universities pay the players , they are no longer amateurs. As long as a pseudo third party is paying, amateur they will stay. Tricky part is if they unionize or are ruled state employees by a government body or court.

I actually think a College Football Players' Union would bring some sanity to what is currently an insane process.

I've predicted many times on this forum that 50 +/- schools will break away from the NCAA and form their own body. Owners (in this case, school presidents, probably in consultation with their ADs) negotiate compensation terms with the players' union.

The current moves by the SEC and BIG strike me as interim steps toward that happening. I'm guesstimating time to the final structure at 2 years. Maybe less, given what's going on in the Pac-12.

Yeah, it would have been nice if the NCAA had gotten out in front of the NIL thing and attempted to put some structure in. But they didn't, and I'm not sure anything they did would have held up in court anyway. Regardless of who did or didn't do what, that bell can't be un-rung now.

With a union / management structure, you bring in some federal oversight in the form of the NLRB, which obviously has subpoena power coupled with serious investigatory resources to keep a lid on cheating on the contract. You also get the IRS involved, which would bring some no-foolin' enforcement structure to the whole setup.

And yeah, I'd prefer the old days. They're as gone as 33-cent gasoline. No sense tilting at a windmill trying to un-do NIL.

The best we can do is make it sane and transparent. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Side note: I’m betting the “handlers” and “advisors” and various other hangers-on want no part of the IRS’s involvement. But it‘s coming, and as we used to say on the playground, ”They don’t play.”

 

[AlexanderFan]

These guys aren’t paid to play football, they are paid because playing football made them recognizable. This is why I wonder how the NCAA can’t have some jurisdiction over a market they created, which in turn made the NILs of these kids worth money.

Nobody is worshipping these kids if they are rowing down the Warrior River or some other obscure sport.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

These guys aren’t paid to play football, they are paid because playing football made them recognizable. This is why I wonder how the NCAA can’t have some jurisdiction over a market they created, which in turn made the NILs of these kids worth money.

Nobody is worshipping these kids if they are rowing down the Warrior River or some other obscure sport.

I don't disagree, but the point is moot. Regardless of what we think, SCOTUS disagrees...to the tune of 9-0.

This coming from a court that I doubt would vote 9-0 on the sky being blue.

There is no going back.

 

[LSUgrad2BamaDad]

On SiriusXM EspnU yesterday, the guest hosts were talking about whether college FB could take on the NFL. Why limit the players to 4 years, they said. where would Trevor Lawrence rather be, Clemson and being paid millions or in Jax? They were saying how players clearly loved their college days more so than NFL, but they forget they were never a 30 year old college player.

 

[TideEngineer08]

On SiriusXM EspnU yesterday, the guest hosts were talking about whether college FB could take on the NFL. Why limit the players to 4 years, they said. where would Trevor Lawrence rather be, Clemson and being paid millions or in Jax? They were saying how players clearly loved their college days more so than NFL, but they forget they were never a 30 year old college player.

There are so few Universities with the infrastructure to even think about challenging an NFL franchise on finances. I can't see it as realistic in any way, even taking into account how the players all seem to love their college days more. But let's think about that. What makes them actually love their college experience? Much if it is precisely what makes college football different from the NFL, professional experience.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

I don't disagree, but the point is moot. Regardless of what we think, SCOTUS disagrees...to the tune of 9-0.

This coming from a court that I doubt would vote 9-0 on the sky being blue.

There is no going back.

I get your point, but this court issued a 9-0 ruling last week. 20-1410 Xiulu Ruan v. United States (06/27/2022)

Mainly, I wanted to beat Earle to the punch...

 

[Al A Bama]

One could argue that scholarship athletes, while being compensated in tuition, room , board, were never truly amateurs.

Maybe these players making big bucks can pay for their tuition, room, board, etc and donate to St. Jude’s Hospital. This could help them with the IRS.

 

[CajunCrimson]

On SiriusXM EspnU yesterday, the guest hosts were talking about whether college FB could take on the NFL. Why limit the players to 4 years, they said. where would Trevor Lawrence rather be, Clemson and being paid millions or in Jax? They were saying how players clearly loved their college days more so than NFL, but they forget they were never a 30 year old college player.

Then where do the 4* HS kids go? Because rosters are only so big.

“In a trade today, the Miami Dolphins from the NFL trade Tua T. to Auburn from the CFPL in exchange for The rights to Bo Jackson, Bo Nix, Mike Bobo, 5 other guys named Bo, to be named later, and Pastor Newton’s church including all mineral rights and skeletons buried within”

It could happen

 

[CullmanTide]

Then where do the 4* HS kids go? Because rosters are only so big.

“In a trade today, the Miami Dolphins from the NFL trade Tua T. to Auburn from the CFPL in exchange for The rights to Bo Jackson, Bo Nix, Mike Bobo, 5 other guys named Bo, to be named later, and Pastor Newton’s church including all mineral rights and skeletons buried within”

It could happen

The spring leagues.

 

[bamaga]

I don't disagree, but the point is moot. Regardless of what we think, SCOTUS disagrees...to the tune of 9-0.

This coming from a court that I doubt would vote 9-0 on the sky being blue.

There is no going back.

Yes , the NCAA ignored the problem for decades until the problem made the NCAA irrelevant in how it is administrated through court order. No one’s fault but the NCAA . Kind of makes you wonder if this was actually intended. Member institutions can now wash their hands of it if things go sideways. Let’s blame the NCAA without pointing out they are the NCAA.

 

[Tideflyer]

College football is already professional. High school will come soon enough.

There's been illegal recruiting at the HS level forever. Since being a professional is no longer an impediment to playing college ball, money at the HS level is the next logical step.



I actually think a College Football Players' Union would bring some sanity to what is currently an insane process.

I've predicted many times on this forum that 50 +/- schools will break away from the NCAA and form their own body. Owners (in this case, school presidents, probably in consultation with their ADs) negotiate compensation terms with the players' union.

The current moves by the SEC and BIG strike me as interim steps toward that happening. I'm guesstimating time to the final structure at 2 years. Maybe less, given what's going on in the Pac-12.

Yeah, it would have been nice if the NCAA had gotten out in front of the NIL thing and attempted to put some structure in. But they didn't, and I'm not sure anything they did would have held up in court anyway. Regardless of who did or didn't do what, that bell can't be un-rung now.

With a union / management structure, you bring in some federal oversight in the form of the NLRB, which obviously has subpoena power coupled with serious investigatory resources to keep a lid on cheating on the contract. You also get the IRS involved, which would bring some no-foolin' enforcement structure to the whole setup.

And yeah, I'd prefer the old days. They're as gone as 33-cent gasoline. No sense tilting at a windmill trying to un-do NIL.

The best we can do is make it sane and transparent. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Side note: I’m betting the “handlers” and “advisors” and various other hangers-on want no part of the IRS’s involvement. But it‘s coming, and as we used to say on the playground, ”They don’t play.”

Well, we already essentially have the free agency part of the equation in play in the form of the transfer portal. The rest will follow as described above, IMHO.

 

[BamaMoon]

I affirm your right to ask this question (because that's what a discussion board like this is for) but it seems to me that we are asking questions (raising concerns) that are out of our hands.

All I can say is whatever happens to "college football" I think I'll still be watching as long as Alabama fields a team.

 

[Tide&True]

I affirm your right to ask this question (because that's what a discussion board like this is for) but it seems to me that we are asking questions (raising concerns) that are out of our hands.

All I can say is whatever happens to "college football" I think I'll still be watching as long as Alabama fields a team.

I will always be a Bama fan regardless if things are done the way I’d like or not. Will I ever be as fervent a fan as I use to be…probably not.

 

[LSUgrad2BamaDad]

Then where do the 4* HS kids go? Because rosters are only so big.

Send them to the minors, I.e. the NFL, until they prove themselves