FBS to be split- Now we know why schools paid heavy prices to move up

[JTApps1]

Wonder what the attrition rate on season tickets were this year across the G6?

If I’m not mistaken, Gillin said to the BOT in their most recent meeting that the waiting list for App season tickets continues to grow.

I still don't see how that's possible when there are several thousand tickets available across sections for each YC donation level. Even sections that require the lowest donation level have seats available.

[appdaze]

While i believe contracts are in the future, just remember, once it goes down the path of contracts there is no going back. Its a professional league. Now we are talking unions, personal health care insurance, sick leave, days off, labor laws, etc.... contracts might rein in the wild west transfer portal but they bring their own Pandora box. It wouldn't surprise me if some sue to not have to be a student anymore. Its happening slowly, year by year, right in front of everyone. The death of college sports as we know it.

You said you think contracts are the future. If you (or those reading who do) have aprehension about it, what do you see as being the downside of those labor concessions given to athletes who sign contracts?

I’m all for them because athlete contracts because it...
1. Protects the athlete compensation model. (Athletes win)
2. Sets up a model that would make it easier for schools to keep athletes with the program for a set period of time OR protect the school losing a player if he goes somewhere else (School wins)
3. Protects athletes' long-term health if he or she gets injured in our uniform (Athlete wins and it's simply the right thing to do)
4. Provides them with a model to take sick or injured time away. (Athletes already have this)
5. Could potentially codify a model of minimum academic standards that would have a clear violation/punishment system (Most fans probably support maintaining the academic model).

I’m not arguing I’m genuinely asking because I hear from a lot of people who don't want athletes to become employees but I personally don’t see many of the outcomes of employment being things these athletes don’t already get, just codified in a contract or being things that we, as fans, want programs to have too.

I am aprehensive to it from a nostalgia point of view. It will mean the end of what college football once was and once meant. If they go down this path, it won't be immediate, but in the long run, I see the student side going away. You're paying me 5 million to be your star QB. I don't have time for classes; I need to be fully focused on winning, as my winning brings the school 10s of millions of dollars. When this happens, the athletic departments have no reason to remain attached to a school and might separate. Then they will negotiate contracts to use the name, image, and likeness of the university on all their products to keep the image of connectedness for the sake of selling tickets. They could remain on campus facilities but pay fees for usage, as some minor league teams do. In the end, it will be more like watching a minor league baseball game with your favorite university's name on the jersey than what we once knew and loved.

In the short term (next 15 years), I foresee a number of schools dropping in division or dropping football to use what money they do have on basketball. I think mid-majors will have greater success in basketball as they continue to fall back into FCS life. P4 will, for all intents and purposes, break away and create their own cartel that fully controls the playoffs and money flow, continuing to use mid-majors as just a farm system. Mid-majors are going to go broke chasing the dragon. I could even see P4 making handshake agreements with certain G6 teams to help them farm specific recruits that they want to see but aren't quite ready for the big time, paying in kickbacks. This exists to a certain extent under the table, with junior colleges and some universities.

From a capitalist standpoint, I have no issue with it, as the athletes should be properly paid for putting their lives on the line for entertainment purposes. Your 1-4 follow this mindset and are correct. #5 already doesn't mean crap and is over. It's never fully coming back.


Also, play request. A little regional band from Oregon. I've got no connection, just like their music when they have Chandler as a guest on a song.

[t4pizza]

If I had to wager probably one more up and down cycle, so three years.

Or two more consecutive losing seasons for us. If we have 4 straight losing seasons (in todays world of nil and transfer portal), we will lose most of what has be built in brand and demand over the past 30+ years.

[AppWyo]

We have never had three losing season in a row at Appalachian in football.

[Bootsy]

With the way NIL is inflating expenses and making it more difficult to compete, one wonders when we’ll see more colleges and universities shutter their football programs and focus on other sports?

[AppStFan1]

With the way NIL is inflating expenses and making it more difficult to compete, one wonders when we’ll see more colleges and universities shutter their football programs and focus on other sports?

This is true. With how important NIL has become I wonder if schools could avoid buyouts and force coaches to just leave if they shrink the NIL funds? Coaches who know they have no chance to compete will probably look elsewhere.

As for your questions on schools dropping football I think we will see some do it. My question is will more drop football completely or just drop down a level due to money? St Francis is moving down from FCS to D3 and there are coaches who believe more FCS schools will do that. It will be interesting to see what happens more.

[APPdiesel]

While i believe contracts are in the future, just remember, once it goes down the path of contracts there is no going back. Its a professional league. Now we are talking unions, personal health care insurance, sick leave, days off, labor laws, etc.... contracts might rein in the wild west transfer portal but they bring their own Pandora box. It wouldn't surprise me if some sue to not have to be a student anymore. Its happening slowly, year by year, right in front of everyone. The death of college sports as we know it.

You said you think contracts are the future. If you (or those reading who do) have aprehension about it, what do you see as being the downside of those labor concessions given to athletes who sign contracts?

I’m all for them because athlete contracts because it...
1. Protects the athlete compensation model. (Athletes win)
2. Sets up a model that would make it easier for schools to keep athletes with the program for a set period of time OR protect the school losing a player if he goes somewhere else (School wins)
3. Protects athletes' long-term health if he or she gets injured in our uniform (Athlete wins and it's simply the right thing to do)
4. Provides them with a model to take sick or injured time away. (Athletes already have this)
5. Could potentially codify a model of minimum academic standards that would have a clear violation/punishment system (Most fans probably support maintaining the academic model).

I’m not arguing I’m genuinely asking because I hear from a lot of people who don't want athletes to become employees but I personally don’t see many of the outcomes of employment being things these athletes don’t already get, just codified in a contract or being things that we, as fans, want programs to have too.

I am aprehensive to it from a nostalgia point of view. It will mean the end of what college football once was and once meant. If they go down this path, it won't be immediate, but in the long run, I see the student side going away. You're paying me 5 million to be your star QB. I don't have time for classes; I need to be fully focused on winning, as my winning brings the school 10s of millions of dollars. When this happens, the athletic departments have no reason to remain attached to a school and might separate. Then they will negotiate contracts to use the name, image, and likeness of the university on all their products to keep the image of connectedness for the sake of selling tickets. They could remain on campus facilities but pay fees for usage, as some minor league teams do. In the end, it will be more like watching a minor league baseball game with your favorite university's name on the jersey than what we once knew and loved.

In the short term (next 15 years), I foresee a number of schools dropping in division or dropping football to use what money they do have on basketball. I think mid-majors will have greater success in basketball as they continue to fall back into FCS life. P4 will, for all intents and purposes, break away and create their own cartel that fully controls the playoffs and money flow, continuing to use mid-majors as just a farm system. Mid-majors are going to go broke chasing the dragon. I could even see P4 making handshake agreements with certain G6 teams to help them farm specific recruits that they want to see but aren't quite ready for the big time, paying in kickbacks. This exists to a certain extent under the table, with junior colleges and some universities.

From a capitalist standpoint, I have no issue with it, as the athletes should be properly paid for putting their lives on the line for entertainment purposes. Your 1-4 follow this mindset and are correct. #5 already doesn't mean crap and is over. It's never fully coming back.


Also, play request. A little regional band from Oregon. I've got no connection, just like their music when they have Chandler as a guest on a song.

All fair points. Certainly a worst case scenario but I’ve also thought what happens when players decide to sue and say going to class hinders their ability to spend time at practice, thus making them non-academic athletic representatives but that’s where contracts are necessary. If it’s codified now it makes it harder to throw dirt on it in court.

To quote the LOTR prologue “The World is changed”. Cfb as a whole either gets on board and accepts it’s in an existential crisis or it pretends it isn’t and has what’s left of the old model keeps getting chipped away until it’s something worse. We’ve seen what the lack of a cohesive plan has done with NIL. I think contracts can serve as guard rails not the runaway car.

Also that signer is a tank. Does he have any eligibility left?

[Bigdaddyg1]

What if (big if) we no longer funded any football or men’s basketball scholarships as all 100ish (85 football and 15 basketball) players became employees. How much would a theoretical net amount to assuming the savings from none of these 100 scholarships versus the payroll? Obviously the payroll increases based on the level of athletic talent we are able to sign. In reality how many football players would even be worth paying more than a scholarship value? I think a whole lot of average players would think twice about this decision.

[bcoach]

Most FBS schools operate with debt. What makes DG in particular irresponsible?

I'm not one to jump at following lemmings.


Many of them are hundreds of millions in debt with no clear plan to pay it off. Paying down a monthly payment while continuing to rack up more debt is unsustainable. Just Google "is college athletics debt sustainable." Hint, its not. The bill will come due at some point. Otherwise these universities will gradually hit the billions in debt.

People spending other peoples money almost never ends well.