Eighteen year old kids are not ready to be in the NFL no matter how good they are. They would get killed because their bodies are not developed to where they need to be. Only a small percentage of the players play at the next level anyway. The ones who don't if they take advantage of their situation can get a free degree before heading into the real world. Sure they put in long hours year round but they are compensated with their education. All the normal students have to work year round for years to pay back the loans they have to get their degree.

 

Didn't say they would be ready, but if an NFL team thought that they could get a kid with great upside and put him on the practice squad for 2-3 years or they developed By-laws that would allow it for a period of time, most NFL teams would make the investment. The big advantage is they could develop them into their system. If I'm an 18 year old kid and have no interest in college and an NFL team wanted to pay me 200K a year to do this, I would think long and hard about it. Now, I do believe the NFL would generally want the kid to develop in a good college program, however as I stated, there are some unique exceptions and that opportunity is not there.

 

Our opinions don't set the market, the NFL or NBA, etc. does. I don't see this any different than an elite golfer or tennis player the PGA, MLB, NHL and ATP allow it. There are very few that are ready for those at 18 or 19.

 

The reason the NFL and NBA don't is they don't have farm systems as well defined as the NHL or MLB and they probably don't want to invest in it.

The reason the NFL and NBA don't is they don't have farm systems as well defined as the NHL or MLB and they probably don't want to invest in it.

 

Bingo. They've been getting free minor leagues for years. NCAA easy money goes away and they'll have to invest in a structure to transition kids from high school to the top levels of the sport like hockey, soccer, and baseball already have.

Bingo. They've been getting free minor leagues for years. NCAA easy money goes away and they'll have to invest in a structure to transition kids from high school to the top levels of the sport like hockey, soccer, and baseball already have.

 

This is the real long term consequences of this ruling IMO. The NFL has unbelievable amount of resources compared to any other sports organization and can pretty much do what they want, as long as it is legal. I know that there are college football fans that don't believe the NFL could crush them if they wanted, but they could. The reason they don't is the basically free developmental system the NCAA provides. It has nothing to do with which sport is better or I'd rather watch. As always, money and greed will rule.

Bingo. They've been getting free minor leagues for years. NCAA easy money goes away and they'll have to invest in a structure to transition kids from high school to the top levels of the sport like hockey, soccer, and baseball already have.

What happens to the majority of the football players who never get drafted. They have had an opportunity for a free education they would never get any other way. Also I bet many of them if they didn't play football would never go to college. You are worried too much about the money someone else is making and forgeting about the students opportunities they have over the normal students.

What happens to the majority of the football players who never get drafted. They have had an opportunity for a free education they would never get any other way. Also I bet many of them if they didn't play football would never go to college. You are worried too much about the money someone else is making and forgetting about the students opportunities they have over the normal students.

 

Not all of them get full rides. And this decision is going to have implications on WAY more sports than just football.

Not all of them get full rides. And this decision is going to have implications on WAY more sports than just football.

You got that right. All the smaller sports are money losers and the football and basketball pay for them.

You got that right. All the smaller sports are money losers and the football and basketball pay for them.

 

So are you saying that all the money that colleges make off of their football and basketball teams goes right back into the other sports at the college?

What happens to the majority of the football players who never get drafted. They have had an opportunity for a free education they would never get any other way. Also I bet many of them if they didn't play football would never go to college. You are worried too much about the money someone else is making and forgeting about the students opportunities they have over the normal students.

 

There will probably still be scholarships for sports, but there are WAY more scholarships for academics. They have opportunities, maybe not through sports as much, but they'll be there. I don't see this impacting many but the big big schools who profit big time from football and basketball. The majority of colleges struggle to have sports.

Here's my problem with deciphering if this decision is that big of a deal or not: "employee" does not automatically mean "wages". We often correlate being an employee as meaning all employees get paid. But, in reality, by virtue of being an "employee" does not always dictate pay. All volunteer organizations have, what the federal government sees as employees. For example, if a non-profit organization such as a school booster club is organized properly they have a set of bylaws and federal tax exempt status, to get a federal tax exempt status you have to have a EIN (Employee Identification Number), even though they have no "paid" employees. The government sees those volunteers as "employees" no matter if they receive pay or not. All volunteer fire departments have "employees", no matter if they receive payment or not.

 

So, my question, does it make that big of a deal for a ruling to be handed down that says players are "employees"?

Edited March 29, 201412 yr by Ram

I still can't get past the tax code law on tution assistance for employees . The law states you can only give employees $5250 of tax exempt tuition assistance per year. Athletes at a school like Northwestern would have a substantial amount of income they would have to claim . I think every employee at every other company in this country would have legitamite complaint if they allowed more for these employees .

I think that this might cause schools to stop giving athletic scholarships to anyone.

So are you saying that all the money that colleges make off of their football and basketball teams goes right back into the other sports at the college?

 

Isn't that dictated by Title IX?

Isn't that dictated by Title IX?

 

I know that Title IX establishes funding requirements for other sports, but I don't believe it requires that ALL money from ALL programs goes back into the other sports. Someone could correct me on that...but I find it pretty hard to believe.