Ostensibly Hoops

[hedge]

"If true, Pitino’s “I’m shocked” and “I’m innocent” approach is a complete lie (shocker) and what little is left of his legacy is completely destroyed."

Including his tenure at UK?

[hedge]

"but academics are the reason the kids are amateurs."

Actually, I think the textbook definition of amateur is "you're not getting paid to do it"...

[hedge]

I have to admit I got a chuckle at your added "and all that" after "potential human trafficking"...

[eCat]

"but academics are the reason the kids are amateurs."

Actually, I think the textbook definition of amateur is "you're not getting paid to do it"...

well they are getting paid - tuition, room and board, a monthly stipend, etc.,

Its the academics that separates them from professionalism.

[aTm]

The only way to really get rid of the corruption, IMO, is to allow the athletes to make money off their personal image. Allow endorsements. Thats the only way to loosen the amateurism strings without blowing the whole thing up and fairly reflect the value. Its a bitch as far as competitive fairness goes because going to a more popular school is going to lead to more endorsements for star players, but its always been unfair along those same lines anyway.

[aTm]

The other way, paying the players, is madness. Would never work. The animosity of structuring the value of how you pay Rice players vs Texas players, or football players vs baseball players, or men's basketball players vs women's basketball players would reduce college sports to a fractured mess. At least with endorsements, when a star quarterback gets paid hundreds of thousands and the women's softball star gets paid peanuts you can just blame Nike or whoever for being sexist and its not institutionalized by the school.

[eCat]

I like the endorsement idea - but I'm not sure a 19 year old could handle that, nor could other 19 year olds that get nothing.

[Saint]

The only way to really get rid of the corruption, IMO, is to allow the athletes to make money off their personal image. Allow endorsements. Thats the only way to loosen the amateurism strings without blowing the whole thing up and fairly reflect the value. Its a bitch as far as competitive fairness goes because going to a more popular school is going to lead to more endorsements for star players, but its always been unfair along those same lines anyway.

Or make it a crime to take money, miss class or commit a crime as a scholarship athlete.

[Cletus]

Why is it important that these guys stay "amateurs"?

[eCat]

Why is it important that these guys stay "amateurs"?

amateurs for the purposes of this discussion equates to real students , at least in the context of my posts.

[hedge]

Are you seriously saying that one and done's are real students??

[aTm]

I don't care if they are pure amateurs. They should be students though, since that's kinda the whole fucking point.

I don't care if, say, Myles Garret or whoever gets paid $100k from Adidas while he's in school, or if he's in Raising Cane's or Wings-N-More commercials on Brazos valley tv, or selling a fuck ton of autographs, but whether he is allowed on the team to play football should be based on him being enrolled and legitimately going to A&M's classes. I'm for strengthening academic ties with athletes, and loosening amateurism by allowing endorsements, but I'm also against outright professional sports (ie they get paid a salary to just show up and play football)

[eCat]

Are you seriously saying that one and done's are real students??

They go to school and attend classes for the full two semesters they are there, just like any other student.

Whether anyone believes that or not I don't care, I've read too many first hand accounts from other students reporting in these players being at class, after late games, after the end of the season, during tournaments, etc., At least at UK under Cal, they are real students.

[eCat]

schools are either overreacting - which I doubt - or are running scared.

Bama fires their assistant AD without him even being named and now this from Auburn

---



Auburn University is responding to federal charges being brought against assistant head coach Chuck Person by offering full refunds to any fans who no longer want their season tickets.

Person was named in the FBI investigation in a complaint Tuesday for allegedly accepting payment from advisers and managers in exchange for directing his players to them as part of a larger scheme that also involved apparel manufacturers.

In a press conference Tuesday, FBI investigators explained they had Person on tape telling a players’ parents he personally used an adviser during an introductory meeting, adding that NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley did too. He went on to state he did not receiver money from the advisers, which was untrue.

Person was named in the complaint for receiving a total of $91,500 in bribes over 10 months, giving $18,500 to the mothers of two players. He is the lone person from Auburn named in the complaint so far.

The decision by the university to refund tickets comes just two days after the school announced all its season tickets had sold out.

[eCat]

I also don't buy into the idea that an athlete can major in football or basketball and equate it to the same as a music major or a ballerina.

[AlabamAlum]

I don't care if they are pure amateurs. They should be students though, since that's kinda the whole fucking point.

I don't care if, say, Myles Garret or whoever gets paid $100k from Adidas while he's in school, or if he's in Raising Cane's or Wings-N-More commercials on Brazos valley tv, or selling a fuck ton of autographs, but whether he is allowed on the team to play football should be based on him being enrolled and legitimately going to A&M's classes. I'm for strengthening academic ties with athletes, and loosening amateurism by allowing endorsements, but I'm also against outright professional sports (ie they get paid a salary to just show up and play football)

I think boosters would subvert the endorsement deals so badly that you might as well pay them instead of that route.

Alabama booster, Logan Young, owned car dealerships in the Memphis area before his death. I can imagine if he had lived, and endoresement deals like you mention were allowed, he would be contacting bluechip recruits and saying, "Don't go to USC, go to Bama. I'll pay you $500k to do some commercials for my Ford dealership!" Before long, students wouldn't sign with a school until they had their endorsement deals worked out.

[AlabamAlum]

Funny thing about the Bama guy who quit, he worked for the NCAA before Bama hired him:

"He was the assistant director of enforcement at the NCAA. It involved working on cases dealing with potential violations of NCAA amateurism rules."

[hedge]

Why is it important that these guys stay "amateurs"?

I guess it's not terribly important to me, outside the whole tradition of college sports, but it seems like if you're going to pay these guys, you'd have to set up a whole new league. I don't see how colleges could get into the business side of it, but maybe they could. The reality is that the vast majority of kids who play college sports are never going to play professionally, at any level. Not sure how you would compensate those guys or keep team unity when one guy is getting paid $200K and most of the others get nothing....

[hedge]

"I don't care if they are pure amateurs. They should be students though, since that's kinda the whole fucking point."

Well, eCat's belief that most one and done's are truly as motivated with regard to academics as the kids who are pre-med notwithstanding, I can't imagine that paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of that is going to motivate them even more to get to that 8 a.m. sociology class...

[eCat]

"I don't care if they are pure amateurs. They should be students though, since that's kinda the whole fucking point."

Well, eCat's belief that most one and done's are truly as motivated with regard to academics as the kids who are pre-med notwithstanding, I can't imagine that paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of that is going to motivate them even more to get to that 8 a.m. sociology class...

I don't give a flying fuck about their motivation, I just expect them to abide by the rules in place. One and done, 4 year role player, 5 year chemistry major - they have obligations to meet as students. They can think its a waste of time and do the bare minimum necessary to stay eligible, but they are going to do it. The support they receive in obtaining that $1.5m contract can be their motivation to be adequate students for 9 months of their life.