ESPN AND CFP COMMITTEE AGREE TO EXPANDED PLAYOFF MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL

[Cane4life18]

I agree but to protect player from themselves, I’d have it as an incentive for graduating. If you graduate, every scholarship player on the team receives a check of $75K for each year their team makes the playoffs (maxes out at $300K), regardless of how deep the team advances.

That’s a tiny slice of the pie over a 4yr span and that’s only if your team makes the playoffs all 4 years - if every player graduated and 75 kids on scholly, it’d be around $22.5mil. That’s a drop in the bucket and it would be an absolute game changing start to life for all the young people involved who don’t go to the NFL. They could purchase their first starter home or make a significant down payment on one. Would boost the economy as well.

Problem is, the players from schools not making the playoffs would scream bloody murder at the top of their collective lungs.

I like where you're headed but I'd tweak a few things. I'd probably lessen the amount to 25k for each game the team played. You can max out at 100k if you play all 4 playoff games. If you play 1 game you only get 25k. That money should put away in a high yield savings account and put in a trust to ensure it gets to the player or immediate family of the player.

I wouldn't require that the team makes the playoff 4 years out of 4 years. That would create more recruiting advantages for certain schools and would be ******** the players over by having to make the playoffs 4 years in a row in order to receive payment.

I'd also require that before disbursement of the funds to the player upon graduating they take a 6hr course on financial literacy. The course would be paid for by the CFB playoffs.

 

[CaneThang2020]

I like where you're headed but I'd tweak a few things. I'd probably lessen the amount to 25k for each game the team played. You can max out at 100k if you play all 4 playoff games. If you play 1 game you only get 25k. That money should put away in a high yield savings account and put in a trust to ensure it gets to the player or immediate family of the player.

I wouldn't require that the team makes the playoff 4 years out of 4 years. That would create more recruiting advantages for certain schools and would be ******** the players by having to make the playoffs 4 years in a row.

I'd also require that before disbursement of the funds to the player upon graduating they take a 6hr course on financial literacy. The course would be paid for by the CFB playoffs.

I agree with the 25K model. Also, I wasn’t saying you had to make the playoffs each year, you’re spot on in saying that it would create a recruiting advantage. I was saying it would be a per year or incentive - if you make it you get it, if you don’t you get nothing.

 

[Rickd]

The deal is worth 7.8Billion. The players who participate in the 12 team deserve a piece of that. Even outside of their regular NIL deals.

7.8B over 7 years is an insane amount of money.

Bob Thompson, former CEO of FOX Sports and founder of the B10 network, stated that the deal came in way under what was projected / expected. There has been talk that NIL deals going forward need to be restructured so that players don't get huge NIL deals and then "opt out" of bowl games. The top teams will be IN the CFP, and that generally means the top roster talent which, in today's environment, means solid NIL deals.

 

[GojiraCane]

For our sake what’s the cut for ESPN3 games?

I thought that we got the DuMont Network?

 

[Rickd]

The deal is worth 7.8Billion. The players who participate in the 12 team deserve a piece of that. Even outside of their regular NIL deals.

7.8B over 7 years is an insane amount of money.

It is $7.8b over 6 years and it comes in WAY below what was projected 2 years ago. They WERE projecting $2.0 - $2.2 per year and it came in at $1.3 B. Bob Thompson (former CEO of FOX Sports) stated that the early games in the projected 5+7 format drastically weaken the deal. The fact that the G5 champion will be playing in the early game (most likely) makes that less $$$ attractive whereas if it were all games with major conference teams participating the games would be worth more.

 

[dolpterry]

The deal is worth 7.8Billion. The players who participate in the 12 team deserve a piece of that. Even outside of their regular NIL deals.

7.8B over 7 years is an insane amount of money.

Between NIL and a free education and free room and board this money needs to go strictly to the Colleges

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

Between NIL and a free education and free room and board this money needs to go strictly to the Colleges

Why stop there???
Unlimited access to world-class training facilities complete with free consultations with licensed trainers.
Top quality nutritionists, customized diet plans, and prepared meals.
Public relations training for dealing with the media.
Individualized tutoring for their coursework.
Limited edition team gear, including helmets, shoulder pads, pants, and cleats.

These young men don't know how good they have it. If they were more appreciative, they'd all tithe 20% of their NIL deals to their respective schools. And send a thank you card with the check. Right?

 

[Rellyrell]

College Sports has become big business…

Nah, fck that; college sports been big business! It’s been hiding in the cloak of darkness b4 the age of the internet, & wide spread information availability.

Why do u think boosters used to hand out brown paper bags to get the best athletes to come to their schools? B/c of winning? Lol; the schools that had the best athletes got the most notoriety, the more notoriety got the best funding. Don’t get it twisted, schools that have notoriety in the academic arena gets mucho $$, too, but athletics have always been a driving force.

The NCAA had a golden opportunity to make things right as conferences began negotiating TV deals by:
1. Ensuring student athletes received a % of that revenue, since those contracts were only considered b/c of their product
2. Allowing those same athletes to monetize off any merchandise/commercialism w/ their NIL used for profit.

I can guaran-****-tee the cluster fck we see today would not be around.

There’s been decades of bad decisions by Conference Commissioners, and NCAA leadership that’s led to the best purest form of sports down this spiraling effect. It wasn’t just incompetence; it was led by nepotism, cronyism, capitalism, sprinkled in w/ short sighted views.

If the SEC & B1G break away, we’re going to be back to the Dark Ages of CFB where u’ll have like 4 teams claiming to be Nat’l Champions. It would be a bad look, & the SEC & B1G will alienate itself from the rest of the CFB world. I truly wish I had a sit down meeting w/ all these folks, but one thing I realized from my experience in the corporate world, ego will always be before a crash. They probably received $700m/less b/c avid CFB fans r increasingly frustrated by what they see today.

 

[Cane4life18]

Between NIL and a free education and free room and board this money needs to go strictly to the Colleges

Why stop there???
Unlimited access to world-class training facilities complete with free consultations with licensed trainers.
Top quality nutritionists, customized diet plans, and prepared meals.
Public relations training for dealing with the media.
Individualized tutoring for their coursework.
Limited edition team gear, including helmets, shoulder pads, pants, and cleats.

These young men don't know how good they have it. If they were more appreciative, they'd all tithe 20% of their NIL deals to their respective schools. And send a thank you card with the check. Right?

Schools aren't making these resources available to athletes out of the goodness of their hearts. They're doing it expecting a return on investment in the form of wins which in part lead to advertising for the university and increasing interest into the school. Increasing interest leads to increasing applications from prospective students.

7.8 Billion is 7.8 billion. If they dedicate 10% to the players over the 6 years of the CFP that's only 780 million. There'd still be 7.02 Billion left for these companies and even schools to profit off of.

 

[Ajcane8]

Between NIL and a free education and free room and board this money needs to go strictly to the Colleges

NIL isn't paid by the schools (or the networks) - it's paid by rich guys and poor rubes who buy into "collectives." NIL is just a "legal" form of the bag game, and that's pretty obvious. The education (and everything that goes with it) isn't free, it's bargained for.

That said, WHY the NFL's minor league system is wholly subsidized by "institutions of higher learning" is another question for another day, but... pay the employees.

 

[SCarolina Ibis]

Between NIL and a free education and free room and board this money needs to go strictly to the Colleges

Think of a scholarship (which covers room and board and education) as an agreement between the player and the school for the standard 12 game schedule, which IS governed/sanctioned by the NCAA.

NIL is incentive to accept the agreement (scholarship) above.

The POST season is where the scholarship argument falls flat. The postseason by definition is "in addition to" the regular season.

Bowl games are not part of the NCAA. They pay schools for their participation. When players tell schools they aren't playing in a bowl game, there's a reason schools can't pull their scholarships.

Your argument is basically.. make them work beyond the agreed upon contract without additional compensation.

It's exactly the kind of argument that's going to lead to unionization.

 

[Tony4Canes]

You do realize they basically do something year round. If I remember the only week they basically get off is around July 4th. Should they get extra for all that time??

 

[TRick72]

On campus playoffs games are going to be elitttteee

 

[CaneinBroward]

College Sports has become big business…

Nah, fck that; college sports been big business! It’s been hiding in the cloak of darkness b4 the age of the internet, & wide spread information availability.

Why do u think boosters used to hand out brown paper bags to get the best athletes to come to their schools? B/c of winning? Lol; the schools that had the best athletes got the most notoriety, the more notoriety got the best funding. Don’t get it twisted, schools that have notoriety in the academic arena gets mucho $$, too, but athletics have always been a driving force.

The NCAA had a golden opportunity to make things right as conferences began negotiating TV deals by:
1. Ensuring student athletes received a % of that revenue, since those contracts were only considered b/c of their product
2. Allowing those same athletes to monetize off any merchandise/commercialism w/ their NIL used for profit.

I can guaran-****-tee the cluster fck we see today would not be around.

There’s been decades of bad decisions by Conference Commissioners, and NCAA leadership that’s led to the best purest form of sports down this spiraling effect. It wasn’t just incompetence; it was led by nepotism, cronyism, capitalism, sprinkled in w/ short sighted views.

If the SEC & B1G break away, we’re going to be back to the Dark Ages of CFB where u’ll have like 4 teams claiming to be Nat’l Champions. It would be a bad look, & the SEC & B1G will alienate itself from the rest of the CFB world. I truly wish I had a sit down meeting w/ all these folks, but one thing I realized from my experience in the corporate world, ego will always be before a crash. They probably received $700m/less b/c avid CFB fans r increasingly frustrated by what they see today.

When I was a kid, each conference was its own fiefdom with its champion locked in to certain bowls, no matter what and like you said, you'd have multiple teams claiming the NC each year because most of the top teams didn't play each other at the end of the year. Miami, FSU, and Penn State were all independents and actually had a better shot at winning the NC each year because their independence gave them the opportunity to play in ANY bowl game aside from the Rose Bowl.

Then, the conferences (except for the Big 10 and PAC 12 because "the Rose Bowl"!) agreed to the Bowl Coalition to play a NC game which allowed a conference champ to get out of a previously obligated bowl game. We were evolving into a more sane process to get a NC, but the Big 10 & PAC12 held out because they wanted to keep their traditional Rose Bowl game. Then, the Big 10 & PAC 12 finally joined and the BCS was started. Again, positive evolution. The CFP - even better. The conferences worked together for the betterment of the game as a whole.

Now, we're regressing. Conferences are looking out for their own selfish interests over the health of the game as a whole. Now, we have 2 conferences (who's kidding, TV executives) meeting together to plan out the future of college football. And as bad as it was when I was a kid regarding finding a true champion, at least every team played with their full compliment of players no matter what bowl game they played in. Now, if it's not a playoff game, 10% (sometimes worse) of each team is not on the field.

 

[hesskilla]

I agree with the 25K model. Also, I wasn’t saying you had to make the playoffs each year, you’re spot on in saying that it would create a recruiting advantage. I was saying it would be a per year or incentive - if you make it you get it, if you don’t you get nothing.

@Cane4life18 too

So, you both think the athletes should only get paid if they graduate? Do they have to graduate from the school they played for in the playoff? What if they are jags (no fault of their own), and transfer to G5 school? A DII school? Does that degree count? Can their degree be in Microwave Cooking? Are they allowed to take extra classes so they can graduate in 3 years?

What if they act like dumb 19 year old kids and get kicked off their team? Does that money remain with school? What if it takes them longer than 4 years (like many of my friends in college)? What if they graduate 10 years later after their NFL career has finished?

Did they still provide the same service (high TV ratings) whether they graduate or not? Did they still subject their bodies to life altering injuries even if they don’t get a degree? Did their Name, Image, and Likeness contribute to the large TV payment (Ex. ESPN discusses the players on multiple shows throughout the season)? Are stars like Cam Ward adding zero value to the playoff TV ratings? Would there be a product without the best 18 to 20 year old football players? Do the respective colleges get paid their share of the 7 billion regardless of whether they graduate or not?

They are contributing as much or more to the product than the institutions. They should get paid regardless of whether they graduate or not. If they are on the 85 man roster, they should get a cut. Of course they have to remain in good academic standing for that, but 100% should not be required to earn a degree. They are employees per the Supreme Court. They shouldn’t be forced to sign a 4 year contract with stipulations in order to get paid some of the money they are making for their employer. Money they will only collect at the end of the 4 years.

Also, just to be clear, my son would get his degree no matter his skill level or draft projection. That’s between me and my son. This issue is between a school (company) and the players (employees) over a tremendous amount of money that the players are responsible for producing for the school. Those are two different issues. Please try not to confuse them.

 

[Cane4life18]

@Cane4life18 too

So, you both think the athletes should only get paid if they graduate? Do they have to graduate from the school they played for in the playoff? What if they are jags (no fault of their own), and transfer to G5 school? A DII school? Does that degree count? Can their degree be in Microwave Cooking? Are they allowed to take extra classes so they can graduate in 3 years?

What if they act like dumb 19 year old kids and get kicked off their team? Does that money remain with school? What if it takes them longer than 4 years (like many of my friends in college)? What if they graduate 10 years later after their NFL career has finished?

Did they still provide the same service (high TV ratings) whether they graduate or not? Did they still subject their bodies to life altering injuries even if they don’t get a degree? Did their Name, Image, and Likeness contribute to the large TV payment (Ex. ESPN discusses the players on multiple shows throughout the season)? Are stars like Cam Ward adding zero value to the playoff TV ratings? Would there be a product without the best 18 to 20 year old football players? Do the respective colleges get paid their share of the 7 billion regardless of whether they graduate or not?

They are contributing as much or more to the product than the institutions. They should get paid regardless of whether they graduate or not. If they are on the 85 man roster, they should get a cut. Of course they have to remain in good academic standing for that, but 100% should not be required to earn a degree. They are employees per the Supreme Court. They shouldn’t be forced to sign a 4 year contract with stipulations just so they can get paid some of the money they are making for their employer. Money they will only collect at the end of the 4 years.

Also, just to be clear, my son would get his degree no matter his skill level or draft projection. That’s between me and my son. This issue is between a school (company) and the players (employees) over a tremendous amount of money that the players are responsible for producing for the school. Those are two different issues. Please try not to confuse them.

Ultimately the end goal should be to put these young men in position to be successful in life. That's what I would like to see. A lot of the points you make are valid and just make sense. I'm not going to make a strong rebuttal about you being wrong because you're not in many aspects. I will say that there are a lot of points you're making that would require tweaking and proper wording in contracts. There would need to be bylaws prepared for special situations that will assuredly come up. I'm for anything that benefits the players and their families.

 

[hesskilla]

Ultimately the end goal should be to put these young men in position to be successful in life.

I agree with that 100%

 

[Rickd]

7.8 Billion amd not one dollar allocated towards the players. Smh.

Can't be sure about that ... the entire revenue distribution model for the new contract has yet to be finalized. Also with the suits against the NCAA over NIL it is feasible that very soon university revenue WILL be allocated to support NIL programs. That money based on the current model is distributed 75% to the P5 conferences and 25% to the G5 conferences. That would be $975M distributed between 65P5 programs or $15 million per school. That is a fraction of a university athletic budget. Miami's athletic budget is somewhere north of $150 million per year so based on the NEW contract the school might be receiving something like 8-10% of their athletic budget from the CFP distribution.

 

[Hoyacane1620]

 

[Tony4Canes]