Could this be THE END for College Football?

[Santa]

I feel like the only thing this could possibly threaten is JUCO football. This has Sam Bruce, Figs, Maurice Clarett, Mike Williams, and Kevin Olsen written all over it.

That's a lot of talented players just off the top of your head. Think of how many more there are. The teams in this league will be able to smoke NCAA teams on the field of play because they will have the talent, and they will have unlimited time to practice, install schemes, train, etc.

When players from this league start getting drafted higher than kids out of NCAA schools, then that should sound alarm bells for college football.

 

[Plzwork4]

I am all about it. Players should at least be given a choice on how to make it to the NFL. Then it is up to the player if he wants to take the instant cash, or become a slave and get a free education.

Some people need money now. Not in two years.

Please stop with the slave bull****. Its so tiresome.

 

[HurricaneUWW]

I would argue that this "minor league" would actually make CFB better! Think about it? What athletes are we talking about here? The top of the line guys that don't care about school and never have. The guys that have ZERO LOYALTY to anybody but themselves and their personal interests. The guys that don't care which school they attend as long as they feel it is their best route to the NFL and has the most perks. So by removing more of the selfish divas that dip out early for the pros, now you have more 4th/5th year players that are actually developed, less turnover and destruction of quality depth on an annual basis, presumably less disciplinary issues, and ultimately a better team and product on the field across the board from the 22 positions at the expense of a few entitled "elite" athletes. Sounds good to me.

Assuming the league could sustain itself for at least 5-10 years and expand to more teams, I think it's a win-win for everyone.

However, as mentioned above, among other barriers, getting QUALITY OFFICIALS, may be one of the biggest. There is already a massive shortage across the country and some states are struggling to find enough officials to play all their hs games. Imo their needs to be millions of dollars and hundreds of hours put into revamping the entire structure of officiating from the top down.

 

[NoVaCane04]

I think this could be wildly successful...but I don't understand the rationale of being less than 4 years removed from hike school.

 

[Santa]

I don't know how I feel about this. I agree current players need to get paid in some fashion, but they also NEED some sort of an education. Even if they don't finish their degree, having some accountability outside of football will better them in the long run.

Nobody NEEDS an education. An education is a means to an end. If a kid is 6'4, 230 lbs and can run a 4.4..... maybe the best career path for him is professional athletics.

This league is designed from the ground up to prepare professional athletes for a future NFL career. That's more than any university can or will offer them.

I would argue that focused NFL preparation is more valuable to the kid than a degree in Sociology. JMO

As an educator..this is by far the dumbest statement ever made on this board.

Education is correlated with a myriad of factors like crime, SES,, employability, life expectancy, health, social mobility, relationships, community engagement, political engagement etc. but hey who needs all that ****. lets have some uneducated unskilled 45 year olds who can suck more from the system than contribute to it. great plan...you seem qualified to serve on the Trump transition team.

Maybe I worded my thoughts poorly.

I see playing in the NFL as a career choice, no different from being a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. And just each of those professions require specialized training, so does a career in athletics.

This new league is designed from the bottom up to provide intensive, specialized training for kids who aspire to be professional athletes.

A degree in the humanities might be valuable in other ways, but just as is wouldn't be sufficient to prepare a young doctor for a career in medicine or a young lawyer for a career in law, the degree is insufficient to prepare an aspiring athlete to reach his potential in the NFL.

I think the general level of disrespect universities have for atheltics as a life pursuit is at the root of their problems in this instance. What universities see as a game or a pasttime is, to a privileged few, a lucritive career choice and a profound opportunity to impact the world.

Those kids, few in number as they may be, deserve and need the best training and support system to help them aspire to their dreams and reach their full potential.

 

[52CANES]

I don't know how I feel about this. I agree current players need to get paid in some fashion, but they also NEED some sort of an education. Even if they don't finish their degree, having some accountability outside of football will better them in the long run.

Nobody NEEDS an education. An education is a means to an end. If a kid is 6'4, 230 lbs and can run a 4.4..... maybe the best career path for him is professional athletics.

This league is designed from the ground up to prepare professional athletes for a future NFL career. That's more than any university can or will offer them.

I would argue that focused NFL preparation is more valuable to the kid than a degree in Sociology. JMO

As an educator..this is by far the dumbest statement ever made on this board.

Education is correlated with a myriad of factors like crime, SES,, employability, life expectancy, health, social mobility, relationships, community engagement, political engagement etc. but hey who needs all that ****. lets have some uneducated unskilled 45 year olds who can suck more from the system than contribute to it. great plan...you seem qualified to serve on the Trump transition team.

Maybe I worded my thoughts poorly.

I see playing in the NFL as a career choice, no different from being a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. And just each of those professions require specialized training, so does a career in athletics.

This new league is designed from the bottom up to provide intensive, specialized training for kids who aspire to be professional athletes.

A degree in the humanities might be valuable in other ways, but just as is wouldn't be sufficient to prepare a young doctor for a career in medicine or a young lawyer for a career in law, the degree is insufficient to prepare an aspiring athlete to reach his potential in the NFL.

I think the general level of disrespect universities have for atheltics as a life pursuit is at the root of their problems in this instance. What universities see as a game or a pasttime is, to a privileged few, a lucritive career choice and a profound opportunity to impact the world.

Those kids, few in number as they may be, deserve and need the best training and support system to help them aspire to their dreams and reach their full potential.

This, and oh yeah, the league will provide tuition and books to local community college, internship connections and councelling. So its a moot point. They will be paid and offerred an education.

 

[DTP]

I'm still waiting to hear how they're planning on paying for all of this.

 

[AK_Cane]

I feel like this would hurt JUCO a little more

 

[DTP]

Here's why this won't work. Nobody cares about minor league sports. Minor league franchises in baseball, hockey and the NBA are financially supported by the major league franchises tied to them. Without the NFL to support it, a minor league would fold immediately. Yeah, paying players 50 grand a year sounds great but with what money? Plus coaches, officials, facilities, insurance and tons of other costs that you have to factor in. What minor league sport has any type of TV audience to get revenue from? Even if they somehow sell tickets, that money isn't nearly enough to cover operating expenses. They would have to bank on college football fans dropping their allegiances to their teams to follow random minor leaguers. Not gonna happen.

Many of the minor league baseball teams are profitable, getting hundreds of thousands of tickets sold each yesr.

All the expenses are still covered by the major league affiliate. The players' contracts, coaches, trainers, medical staff, equipment, etc.

Have to mention that the overwhelming majority on MiLB contracts equal out to well below minimum wage when you factor in the time commitment of each player during the season.

Every player in the minors was originally a draft pick at one time. I understand there's a million rounds in the MLB draft so there's guys who never actually sign a big $ contract. Prospects and high draft picks usually make millions before they ever even see the majors so that counters the career minor league guys who's initial rookie contracts have expired and they make like $25,000 a year or whatever the minor league minimum is.

 

[Ropa]

What is so hypocritical here is how many people support this idea of players coming straight out high school to play professional ball for less than a $100K. And at the same time criticize a player for leaving college early with one year of college remaining. Can you imagine just how many kids will washout of this system with no college eligibility left because the have already disqualified themselves by signing these contracts? **** this is worst than the College deal; the kid loses long-term!

 

[champcane]

It can be fixed. Just require a college football player to complete his degree before he can go to the league. If a player graduates in 3 years....they can go. Here is my reasoning behind this. Most of us who work, may have needed a degree in order to get their job. The NFL is a company no different from any other company other than it makes billions per year. Most players that makes the league will only play a few years before their bodies give out. So the player has a fallback plan to make a living outside of football.

 

[MIATL]

I'm still waiting to hear how they're planning on paying for all of this.

I believe the concept is just a VC idea.

Folks will invest in the league, and the entire league will be an owned entity run by the managing directors of the fund.

The sales pitch will likely be completely dependent on getting a TV contract, which seems probable, given the July and August time-frame they are indicating. That's a dead time for TV sports, between the end of NBA and the beginning of the college and NFL seasons.

I hope it happens.

I'm old enough to remember the end of the USFL. The death of that league was not sticking to the original operating model ... Which was a by-product of individual owners blowing the salary cap and thinking more of their franchises than they should have.

Assuming this plan fully sticks to be a minor-league or developmental league, I think this can work.

... Until people start griping about collusion, and keeping the salaries at $50K ...

 

[52CANES]

What is so hypocritical here is how many people support this idea of players coming straight out high school to play professional ball for less than a $100K. And at the same time criticize a player for leaving college early with one year of college remaining. Can you imagine just how many kids will washout of this system with no college eligibility left because the have already disqualified themselves by signing these contracts? **** this is worst than the College deal; the kid loses long-term!

They are paying them and giving them college tuition and books. How is that worse than just education?

 

[Novacane32000]

It can be fixed. Just require a college football player to complete his degree before he can go to the league. If a player graduates in 3 years....they can go. Here is my reasoning behind this. Most of us who work, may have needed a degree in order to get their job. The NFL is a company no different from any other company other than it makes billions per year. Most players that makes the league will only play a few years before their bodies give out. So the player has a fallback plan to make a living outside of football.

Problem with this is ,there are more than a few players on every team with no business being in college in the first place. Not everyone is meant to have or needs a college education .

On another note ,on average ,if you pay your way through college for 4 years, it takes about 12 years to recover the losses when you consider tuition and lost wages. So yeah...not for everyone.

 

[RocketsandCanes]

I feel like the only thing this could possibly threaten is JUCO football. This has Sam Bruce, Figs, Maurice Clarett, Mike Williams, and Kevin Olsen written all over it.

That's a lot of talented players just off the top of your head. Think of how many more there are. The teams in this league will be able to smoke NCAA teams on the field of play because they will have the talent, and they will have unlimited time to practice, install schemes, train, etc.

When players from this league start getting drafted higher than kids out of NCAA schools, then that should sound alarm bells for college football.

They may be able to smoke college teams, but being able to crumble a near billion dollar industry takes a lot more than talent. Lets take me for example. There is no way in **** I'd ever stop watching Miami play. There are thousands of people just like me that feel the same way about their own team. College football has a rabid and dedicated fan base.

Now lets move to this new league. Say it has 4-8 uber talented teams. In order to "hurt" the NCAA in any way, shape, or form, they will have to take some of its business. This would require it to be a nationwide league. Being a nationwide league would literally bankrupt the new league from the start. The only way I see it succeeding is if it truly is a Pacific league, and all the teams play within 4-5 hours of each other. This would allow significant savings on travel. They would all likely have to play in smaller municipal stadium, and not on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, or Thursdays (unless they do the USFL off-season schedule, which would be smart).

The point is, I think a league like this could absolutely exist and do good things with a high level of competition. What I do not believe is possible is that it will be SO successful that it will literally end college football. The fandoms of Michigan, OSU, Notre Dame, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. are too ingrained into the fabric of American households and culture to just give up on their programs in order to watch a few highly competitive games a year. Especially when team will likely be made up of kids that were "***** ups". Kids that couldn't get into college, or got in trouble with the law, or just flat out didn't want to go to college. The bright lights of ESPN and bowl games and the Heisman trophy mean a lot more to 18 year olds than people think.

That being said. I think this league would be cool and a beneficial thing if they kept it small and used it as a tool for some of those kids that couldn't do it the usual way.

 

[Tad Footeball]

Why do so many supposed college football "fans" secretly hate the sport?

 

[Cash]

Mike Shanahan and someone associated with the New England Patriots are putting together a new league to compete head-to-head with the NCAA.

The league will feature kids who have been out of high school 4 years or less, will be called the Pacific Pro Football League and will originally feature 4 teams in California, with the idea to expand later to other states.

The league will PAY PLAYERS directly out of high school and will have pro-style schemes that are designed to prepare kids directly for the NFL. There will be no limits on practice time, no useless academic requirements, no NCAA rules.... just football and NFL preparation.

No more slave labor, and no more getting sanctions for selling your own autograph. Now every kid with some talent has a chance to "feed the fam." See the link below.




Pacific Pro Football League Details Announced for Non-NFL-Eligible Players | Bleacher Report

And no more college education for kids who will have a very minimized professional career with nothing to fall back on. Yeah good idea!

 

[ThomasM]

I've been for this idea for years. Every other sport has a minor league system that makes money, and it would work for the NFL as well. Let's be real for a minute.. For those concerned with kids getting an education, most of them are NOT getting an education right now playing college football. They are being passed through simply to make their schools money. My solution would be to have it written into every contract that when the young man is done playing football, they will have an education paid for by the league. That way when they go to college, they will actually get an education, not be used by the schools to make money.

One more point. This would make the bag men irrelevant. These young men who need money right now will get it, and STILL have a decent shot at the NFL.

So does this hurt "College" football? As we know it, yes. But college football as we know it NEEDS to change. It's an uneven playing field, and we all know it. This would put the college back into college football.

 

[Santa]

Mike Shanahan and someone associated with the New England Patriots are putting together a new league to compete head-to-head with the NCAA.

The league will feature kids who have been out of high school 4 years or less, will be called the Pacific Pro Football League and will originally feature 4 teams in California, with the idea to expand later to other states.

The league will PAY PLAYERS directly out of high school and will have pro-style schemes that are designed to prepare kids directly for the NFL. There will be no limits on practice time, no useless academic requirements, no NCAA rules.... just football and NFL preparation.

No more slave labor, and no more getting sanctions for selling your own autograph. Now every kid with some talent has a chance to "feed the fam." See the link below.




Pacific Pro Football League Details Announced for Non-NFL-Eligible Players | Bleacher Report

And no more college education for kids who will have a very minimized professional career with nothing to fall back on. Yeah good idea!

How about giving the kids and their families a CHOICE instead of assuming that we know what's best for them?

Nobody is going to force kids to play in this league and college, I assume, will remain an option

 

[Santa]

I would argue that this "minor league" would actually make CFB better! Think about it? What athletes are we talking about here? The top of the line guys that don't care about school and never have. The guys that have ZERO LOYALTY to anybody but themselves and their personal interests. The guys that don't care which school they attend as long as they feel it is their best route to the NFL and has the most perks. So by removing more of the selfish divas that dip out early for the pros, now you have more 4th/5th year players that are actually developed, less turnover and destruction of quality depth on an annual basis, presumably less disciplinary issues, and ultimately a better team and product on the field across the board from the 22 positions at the expense of a few entitled "elite" athletes. Sounds good to me.

Assuming the league could sustain itself for at least 5-10 years and expand to more teams, I think it's a win-win for everyone.

However, as mentioned above, among other barriers, getting QUALITY OFFICIALS, may be one of the biggest. There is already a massive shortage across the country and some states are struggling to find enough officials to play all their hs games. Imo their needs to be millions of dollars and hundreds of hours put into revamping the entire structure of officiating from the top down.

Great point