NCAA Amateurism Lawsuit

[18.99s]

The superstar UConn Huskies point guard — who may very well be the most famous college athlete in the country at present — has taken full advantage of recent legislation that allows NCAA stars to make money off of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

I was like "Paige who?"

She's not even the most famous college athlete in her sport, unless fame is measured primarily by social media followers. Caitlin Clark and Fran Belibi (the dunker) have more name recognition, IMO.

[KevinR]

Kentucky is still waiting to hear about Oscar Tshiebwe's decision to go pro or remain in school. He is projected in the second round of the NBA draft, so no guaranteed contract. If he returns to UK, he has over $2M in NIL offers waiting for him. Those sponsors would probably not remain interested if he were just another journeyman in the pros. The times have certainly changed.

[jazzcyclist]

Instead schools like Duke University are offering them courses in "African American studies".
At schools like UNC, student athletes are given grades they did not earn in classes like "Swahili" which they will never use.

Ideally, there shouldn't be any African-American History classes because it should all be covered under American History. However, in this country that part of our history was whitewashed out of all the American History classes I had in school, so there are certain things I would have never learned about if I hadn't taken classes in college specifically aimed at the Black experience. It's the same with the history of Red folks in this country where as kids we are taught that Cowboys were the good guys and the Indians were the bad guys.

There's no excuse for giving kids grades they didn't earn but surely you know that this is being done in many courses besides Swahili, which is spoken by more people worldwide than Italian or Swedish, not to mention Latin.

Having said this, most of the athletes I know who are only in school for sports seem to major in Sports Management these days which is a total waste IMO. I know one well-known athlete who would have majored in Sports Management too if not for her college-educated parents, one of whom is a high school principal, who were having none of that.

[Atticus]

Ideally, there shouldn't be any African-American History classes because it should all be covered under American History. However, in this country that part of our history was whitewashed out of all the American History classes I had in school, so there are certain things I would have never learned about if I hadn't taken classes in college specifically aimed at the Black experience. It's the same with the history of Red folks in this country where as kids we are taught that Cowboys were the good guys and the Indians were the bad guys.

It rankles me rankled every February that we need to have a 'Black History Month' . . . but we do, for the reason you give. And yes, same with most other 'minorities', which apparently women are too (this being Women's History Month & November is Native American Heritage Month). All those poor pale-skinned people don't get a month - oh wait - every month is theirs! We are sooo far away from the goal.

[18.99s]

Ideally, there shouldn't be any African-American History classes because it should all be covered under American History. However, in this country that part of our history was whitewashed out of all the American History classes I had in school, so there are certain things I would have never learned about if I hadn't taken classes in college specifically aimed at the Black experience.

Offering classes in AA studies is one thing, and a very important thing. Offering a whole degree in it and cajoling athletes to study it as their only major is another. Nobody's getting a job based on that degree except the tiny percentage who will get to teach it. Almost every degree named "_____ studies" is 99% useless in the job market.

[jazzcyclist]

Offering classes in AA studies is one thing, and a very important thing. Offering a whole degree in it and cajoling athletes to study it as their only major is another. Nobody's getting a job based on that degree except the tiny percentage who will get to teach it. Almost every degree named "_____ studies" is 99% useless in the job market.

I agree with this, but mungo was pooh-poohing AA studies classes, so that's what I was addressing. AA studies degrees are useless. Kids would be better served majoring in history if they have a passion for AA studies, which is just a subset of American history, which just a subset of world history.

[TN1965]

I was like "Paige who?"

She's not even the most famous college athlete in her sport, unless fame is measured primarily by social media followers. Caitlin Clark and Fran Belibi (the dunker) have more name recognition, IMO.

Belibi is not even the most famous player on her team. People may have seen her dunk on Sports Center, but they probably don't remember her name. Haley Jones (Final Four MOP) is used in every ESPN promo for Stanford games, and Cameron Brink has more insta followers than any other Stanford player.

And you probably live somewhere in the Big Ten territory if you think Clark is famous.

[jazzcyclist]

College athletes wanted total freedom to do whatever they wanted, so now Grambling's volleyball coach says what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

https://www.ksla.com/2022/04/06/new-...entire-roster/

[Atticus]

College athletes wanted total freedom to do whatever they wanted, so now Grambling's volleyball coach says what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
https://www.ksla.com/2022/04/06/new-...entire-roster/

Coaches can make cuts and revoke scholarships, but I would hope that there's some semblance of 'due process'. It does not appear that happened in this case.

[18.99s]

Coaches can make cuts and revoke scholarships, but I would hope that there's some semblance of 'due process'. It does not appear that happened in this case.

This was a non-renewal, not a mid-year revocation. Colleges have long been able to arbitrarily decline to renew any sports scholarship at the end of the academic year, unless the scholarship has wording which guarantees it for multiple years. Revoking it mid-year is more difficult.

Remember what happened at Tennessee a few years ago, when some freshmen were abruptly kicked off the team before training began? But they kept their scholarships for the remainder of the academic year.

[jazzcyclist]

Jimbo Fisher may be enjoying this new era of college football but Dabo Swinney hates it and thinks the whole system needs to be blown up. I wonder if he would feel this way if Clemson didn't finish last season with 3 losses and out of the playoffs while hemorrhaging players through the transfer portal. I doubt that he would have any problems with the system if Clemson's boosters had pockets that were as deep as Texas A&M's boosters.

https://www.espn.com/college-footbal...llege-football

[Atticus]

In an article that bambam would be proud of, the author lambastes Dabo Swinney for his hypocrisy.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ma/7287575001/

Best excerpts:

Dabo Swinney’s incomprehension of capitalism and his lousy metaphors won’t derail Clemson football. What could, though, is the veteran coach's persistent reluctance to embrace evolution within college athletics.Swinney, in a recent interview with ESPN, painted himself as a relic while his sport speeds into a present where players are allowed to earn money off endorsements and may freely transfer without penalty. . . . Swinney clings to the myth of amateurism. Swinney defended his $8.5 million salary by telling ESPN "we live in a capitalist society." Yet, he argued that college athletes earning money devalues their education. In Swinney’s phony capitalism, universities (many of which, including Clemson, are government funded), coaches and administrators bathe in riches from a product supplied by athletes who do not earn wages.

As Swinney played the hits, he explained his distaste for transfers. "We're also not doing our job as coaches and recruiters if we're bringing in a bunch of transfers," Swinney said, before adding that he’s open to transfers who address specific roster needs. It's fair for Swinney to question whether relying on transfers would hamstring a program from signing, retaining and developing talent, but surely Clemson can add some impact transfers without sacrificing its roster model, particularly to help offset 11 departed transfers.

While Swinney worries about whether endorsement deals are fool’s gold for athletes, Texas A&M signed a No. 1-ranked recruiting class and Tennessee earned a commitment from five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. To what degree NIL deals influenced those developments is difficult to quantify, but know this: Before last summer’s NIL policy change, the Aggies had never signed a No. 1-ranked recruiting class, and Tennessee hasn’t signed a five-star quarterback since 2002.

Swinney’s message, n: Relish that free education, kiddos. "I've always been about education and the collegiate model and the collegiate experience," he told ESPN, "and I don't think what's been created now is healthy for the game." Never mind that earning coin is not proven to detract from "the college experience." Under Swinney, Clemson’s success throughout the 2010s was trumped only by Alabama. But in an era when players can earn money off endorsements and freely shop themselves to other scho ols, the coaches who embrace and trumpet their athletes’ profitability seem best-equipped to attract and retain talent. Swinney’s resistance to evolutions within his sport threatens Clemson's standing, while SEC programs charge into the new frontier.

[jazzcyclist]

Adapt or get left behind Dabo.

[Atticus]

Adapt or get left behind Dabo.

Many are hoping for the latter!

[jazzcyclist]

The new NIL rules will encourage a lot of women to try to cash in by out-hamming Tara Davis.

https://fb.watch/comsBeoA4y/