Getting serious about monetizing college sports

[Langue_doc]

I have no skin in the game, but here's the NYT on this topic.

Decades in the Making, a New Era Dawns for the N.C.A.A.: Paying Athletes Directly
If approved by a judge, the $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit would allow for the first revenue-sharing plan for college athletes. The question now: How will it work?

[apl68]

I'm just not very optimistic that anything truly equitable is going to emerge from all this.  Or that cash-hungry institutions aren't going to end up getting suckered by their business partners.

[Hibush]

I'm just not very optimistic that anything truly equitable is going to emerge from all this.  Or that cash-hungry institutions aren't going to end up getting suckered by their business partners.

Equity is the farthest thing from the mind of the people involved in any of the negotiations. They all want the most advantaged to get richer at the expense of everyone else. The issue being debated is whose advantage will be valued highest, and which disadvantaged schools and athletes will have their money added to the pot.

[Parasaurolophus]

Pretty sure this is going to end up with someone offloading a fuckton of HerbaLife on a hapless college. (Kinda like Red Lobster.)

[jimbogumbo]

I was going to post about Red Lobster and Sears, and the connection to US public charter schools when I saw this: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rolled-red-lobster-rcna153397

PE won't do the sell property to itself -lease back- asset strip described here, but they will come up with something different to strip from universities. They don't get to be big PE firms without knowing how to exploit rules to make money, often leaving carcasses of industries. For example, a different scheme has helped fuel the rising cost of home prices and rents(yes, I know there are other major contributing factors), but PE is big part of †he problem. It will be something else for college sports, but it will happen.

And to be clear, I think the Power Five conferences absolutely have used athletes in football and basketball as cogs to make money, and the athletes in those sports should have a greater share of the profits.

[Wahoo Redux]

I think the Power Five conferences absolutely have used athletes in football and basketball as cogs to make money, and the athletes in those sports should have a greater share of the profits.

I do hope that the full cost of their education, tutoring, medical care, insurance, and training tables will be deduced from their share of the profits in this age of massive student loan debt and colleges subsidizing sports programs.

[jimbogumbo]

I think the Power Five conferences absolutely have used athletes in football and basketball as cogs to make money, and the athletes in those sports should have a greater share of the profits.

I do hope that the full cost of their education, tutoring, medical care, insurance, and training tables will be deduced from their share of the profits in this age of massive student loan debt and colleges subsidizing sports programs.

I was careful to specify Power Five for this reason: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-remains-power-five-revenue-leader-with-880-million-haul-for-2023-fiscal-year-per-report/

[Bbmaj7b5]

You could always have a look at this John Oliver video if you want to see what collegiate athletes did before the NIL agreement.

[spork]

U Tennessee increases football ticket prices to ostensibly pay athletes:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/41302985/tennessee-ups-season-ticket-prices-10-help-pay-athletes.

I assume most of the additional money collected will go to athletic staff and the NCAA.

[Mobius]

Cost of business. Just like pro teams have different standards depending on how much the ownership provides, colleges will need to compete to get the best athletes.

I think the Power Five conferences absolutely have used athletes in football and basketball as cogs to make money, and the athletes in those sports should have a greater share of the profits.

I do hope that the full cost of their education, tutoring, medical care, insurance, and training tables will be deduced from their share of the profits in this age of massive student loan debt and colleges subsidizing sports programs.

[Hibush]

The NY Times has a update on how professional college sports is going. Ole Miss made the decision to be a national top-12 team and make it to the playoffs, and to do what is needed to get there. Their athlete payroll for this season is $10 million.

They hired the best coaching staff they could get and recruited hard.

An important decision was to separate the money from the coaching. The coaching staff decided which players they wanted, but the booster group used some formula to decide how much to pay each prospective player. Compensation obviously affected where players ultimately signed. (Because of "the portal", players can switch schools between seasons, so there is less friction to change for a better offer than in the past.)

The result is that Ole Miss is currently 5-2, 1-2 in league play, putting them in the #12 position in the SEC and not on track for league playoffs.

[FishProf]

The result is that Ole Miss is currently 5-2, 1-2 in league play, putting them in the #12 position in the SEC and not on track for league playoffs.

They are, however, one win away from being bowl eligible. That would be there first bowl appearance since...(checks notes)... last year.  Which would make a 5-year streak...

That's better than their historical 46% bowl attendance rate...so, good job?

[Mobius]

UNLV didn't have $100k to pay the starting QB, who left the team. I'm fine suggesting Howard and many outside the P4 aren't worth squat.