College Football: Can't Watch It Anymore

[Captain Obvious]

Sorry I use to love college football but before long they are going to have to start the Legal Division which has all the teams not on probation.

Money has wrecked the sport.

The SEC should just be called what it is, The minor leagues of the NFL where players are payed to play.

The Big 12 is the big 2, everyone else is leaving because they can't hang with Texas or OU who are making money like they are professional teams.

The BCS is going to screw any other team so good luck getting an even playing field

I'm just sick and tired of having to wonder if the winning team is playing fair or are they going to get their title revoked in a few year

Capt.O

[Lund Explorer]

Sorry I use to love college football but before long they are going to have to start the Legal Division which has all the teams not on probation.

Money has wrecked the sport.

The SEC should just be called what it is, The minor leagues of the NFL where players are payed to play.

The Big 12 is the big 2, everyone else is leaving because they can't hang with Texas or OU who are making money like they are professional teams.

The BCS is going to screw any other team so good luck getting an even playing field

I'm just sick and tired of having to wonder if the winning team is playing fair or are they going to get their title revoked in a few year

Capt.O

Let me list all of the things I find wrong with your post.

#1 ...............

Guess that's it!

[Sam]

Now come on Capt. O, where else can you find the pagentry, loyalty, fan support, outstanding coaches and future great players but in college football?

Dr. Emmert said yesterday that the NCAA rule book is too cumbersome and that it needs to be revised to target the truly serious problems and to do away with the small stull that is clogging up the system.

Even with players and coaches misbehaving, it is still the best sport we can have and I know you will enjoy the season like the rest of us.

[Captain Obvious]

Now come on Capt. O, where else can you find the pagentry, loyalty, fan support, outstanding coaches and future great players but in college football?

Dr. Emmert said yesterday that the NCAA rule book is too cumbersome and that it needs to be revised to target the truly serious problems and to do away with the small stull that is clogging up the system.

Even with players and coaches misbehaving, it is still the best sport we can have and I know you will enjoy the season like the rest of us.

Misbehaving is an understatement. Don't get me wrong I think the NCAA is a little to hard like coming down on players who get their dinners bought for them. I mean face it the school is feeding them for free anyways so whats wrong with a fan showing some love.

But this whole Ohio State, Miami,USC it is getting out of hand.Yes I know the atmosphere around the sport is unbelievable but after that how can you consider players and coaches great when they are cheating left and right?

I think they need to have a Minor league football league, yes it would hurt college football but it would help make it clean. No more hearing about how 18 year old kids can't refuse thousands of dollars blah blah.If they want to make money go play in the minors the money would be there and teams could start grooming players to fit their system.

What ever happens we need something that will stop the cheating and kill the BCS.

Capt.O

[Root beer]

All of these scandals are getting on my nerves. If Alabama gets hit with one, I may have to pull the plug on college football. I cannot understand why boosters and agents are getting kids in trouble and kids not knowing rules or simply refusing to follow them.

[.ghoti.]

Top level college football is a great sport. But, sooner or later, it is going to have to be recognized for what it is. It's a business. It's a BIG business. Everybody involved makes a great deal of money. Except the players. There's a reason the football coach makes ten times the salary of the best professor on campus. Football brings in a tremendous amount of money.

I think it's about time some of that money gets into the hands of the people who really make it happen; the players. It's not like they aren't already being paid to be there. Let's not be hypocritical about it. What the heck do you think a football scholarship is?

The NFL is not interested in trying to establish a "farm" system. It already has an excellent no cost farm system. It's called the SEC, or Big 12, or Big 10, or........

[Root beer]

I really don't want to hear the argument that college football players should be paid extra in addition to the scholarships. Not every school brings in that kind of money, and maybe 5 programs actually makes a profit in which some of them are actually giving to academic side of the university. (depends on the school) They play football in exchange for a free education, if their jersey are popular, then NFL will recognize that and they'll make their money then. Of course I don't know how the new rookie salary cap impacts this, but there is always endorsement when they leave college...

[SDoolittle]

They are receivivg an education in return for their services. Four years at the University of Oklahoma will cost a student paying resident rates roughly $70,000. Nonresidents will pay about $113,000. That's for tuition, books, and room and board. In a sense, they are being paid $70,000-$113,000 to play football for four years. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing them receive a small stipend, but honestly, no amount of money will ever be enough to satify many of them. If they received a few hundred dollars, they would demand a few thousand. If you think college football is corrupt now, start paying them and see what happens.

[Captain Obvious]

The NFL is not interested in trying to establish a "farm" system. It already has an excellent no cost farm system. It's called the SEC, or Big 12, or Big 10, or........

My point exactly these colleges are nothing more than a farm system so why shouldn't the players be paid like it?

[5bass]

My dig with the system is that you'll have the university tell the players to refuse any money offered to them by boosters, alumni, etc....but as soon as the player turns his back, the university is accepting cash handouts from anybody that will give them one. In turn, the boosters and alumni that 'donate' the most money get the better choices of tickets, parking, suites, etc....it's hypocritical at best.

[NorcalBassin]

From a purest's standpoint I definitely hear you. However, the sport has been dirty for decades (SMU) and countless programs and boosters are finding ways to bend or break the rules without getting caught (except for Miami and OSU). I love college sports and can fortunately still enjoy it for what it is... a pseudo professional sport.

[Root beer]

My dig with the system is that you'll have the university tell the players to refuse any money offered to them by boosters, alumni, etc....but as soon as the player turns his back, the university is accepting cash handouts from anybody that will give them one. In turn, the boosters and alumni that 'donate' the most money get the better choices of tickets, parking, suites, etc....it's hypocritical at best.

Not exactly. The university uses those funds to provide players uniforms, equipments, etc. Boosters normally entice players into going to a certain school for pay, is not same thing as a university getting money to provide players with what they need to play. And the money the boosters donate usually gives universities more money than if they had sold those parking spaces, suites, etc to general public.

Now, if you were to say boosters are allow to pay players to go a certain university, creates recruiting disparity. Instead of head coach selling the universities, his coaching prestige, etc Recruits are looking for biggest buck they can find from each booster. It just ruins the sport's amateurism.

[shootermcbob]

Let's not kid ourselves. What happened at Ohio State, Miami, and USC happens at ALL major football & basketball universities.

It is happening right now in some form at your favorite university. It was going on at Akron back in the 80's and they were division 2. The biggest difference is the idiots who so completely go overboard and when caught, they have not been smart enough to maintain "plausible deniability".

Take John Calipari...GREAT coach, GREAT RECRUITER, fills the stands, and when he leaves, the universities have to pull down all the banners of their success.

Yet, he himself has never been proven to have done anything wrong...plausible deniability.

The coaches...except for maybe Joe Paterno, HAVE to not only win, but win big, AND fill the stands...every game.

It is not about football, or basketball, or even winning really,,, it is all about the MONEY.

[5bass]

Not exactly. The university uses those funds to provide players uniforms, equipments, etc. Boosters normally entice players into going to a certain school for pay, is not same thing as a university getting money to provide players with what they need to play. And the money the boosters donate usually gives universities more money than if they had sold those parking spaces, suites, etc to general public.

You proved my point. No matter what the university does with the money......money is money.

[Sam]

If you pay football players you have to pay all athletes.

With 140 plus athletes on scholaship at any one time you can see the financial impact on a university. And the smaller schools will not be able to foot the bill.

College football is a proving ground for the NFL. College football players have to play through their junior year and basketball players can go pro at any time. This is America so who can blame them for taking the money? Not me. I am glad for everyone of them.

There are a lot of "jock sniffers" who want the vicarious thrill of being around college and pro athletes and will do what they want to make friends with the players. Happens in high school, too. No way to get rid of them unless there are state or federal laws against their practices and they go to jail.

And if the cheating coaches face legal problems; are banned from coaching for "X" years; or go to jail the cheating would stop.

Some schools do not bar alumni and fans from the campus or teams after they are caught cheating. I don't want to point fingers but Bama is one of the schools that has allowed this practice to continue. When the AD stays at a boosters home or allows a booster into the pressbox or locker room the school is asking for trouble. This has been documented by Paul Finebaum on his radio show.

Many students come from poor backgrounds and the money, cars, women, clothes, jewelry, housing and trips are too much to pass up. We all would probably do the same if we were in their shoes.

You must also realize that a small percentage of players break the rules but it reflects on all athletes which is a shame.

With all of the above college football is a fantastic sport and I love watching the games.

[Root beer]

You proved my point. No matter what the university does with the money......money is money.

I thought your point had to do with universities telling players not to accept money from boosters, but the universities then accepts it from boosters was hypocritical on the universities' part? I guess I read wrong.

I cannot find this being hypocritical...

[Sam]

No Root Beer, you are right.

Students cannot accept money, gifts, summer jobs, etc. that is out of the norm from the regular student body.

The schools can accept money from any source and for anything such as naming a bathroom after a doner, creating a "chair" in a college, etc.

College fund raising is big business.

You must also realize that the larger institutions make the athletics department fund itself without any institution funds. This is why football is so imporatant as it fuels all other sports, especially women's athletics.

If you wanted to give your favorite college volleyball player $10 to have dinner you are in violation of the NCCA rules.

If you wanted to give the university $10,000,000 of stolen funds there is no problem.

Isn't America great?????

[Root beer]

No Root Beer, you are right.

Students cannot accept money, gifts, summer jobs, etc. that is out of the norm from the regular student body.

The schools can accept money from any source and for anything such as naming a bathroom after a doner, creating a "chair" in a college, etc.

College fund raising is big business.

You must also realize that the larger institutions make the athletics department fund itself without any institution funds. This is why football is so imporatant as it fuels all other sports, especially women's athletics.

If you wanted to give your favorite college volleyball player $10 to have dinner you are in violation of the NCCA rules.

If you wanted to give the university $10,000,000 of stolen funds there is no problem.

Isn't America great?????

Oh, I knew all of this stuff. I just couldn't figure out how universities are being hypocritical at telling their athletes not to accept money from boosters, while they turn around and accept it from boosters. Way I see it, not every individual athletes benefits from boosters giving money. Cam Newton for instance, he was at center of a huge pay-for-play scheme. He was getting paid to go to Auburn in additional to his scholarship while other players playing along side of him had to live off the scholarship. (Before Auburn fans bash me, I'm just using this as an example to prove my point) Now, if Auburn accepted money from a booster, that entire donation is being used for entire team or athletic department to benefit from. I cannot find hypocrisy in this situation. This is basically how it works. Look at the new Miami allegation, the guy said he gave improper benefits to 72 players. Not every athlete that came through that program got extra benefits. That's unfair.

That the way I see it. It about who is benefiting from the money.

[Sam]

By rule, players are not to receive any benefits that the non-athletic student body recieves. That is an NCAA violation.

There are no rules as to what monies an university can accept either direct or through their Alumni Association or Athletic Foundations.

So if Mr. Jones, a bookie, wants to give your daughter money for a hamburger that is a violation but Mr. Jones can give the university all the money he wants and their is no violation.

If we did not have the NCAA rules in place the college athletics world would be full of people paying players and their families money to attend the individual's favorite school.

It would be a "pay for play" disaster.

[Captain Obvious]

If we did not have the NCAA rules in place the college athletics world would be full of people paying players and their families money to attend the individual's favorite school.

Uh don't we have that already with the NCAA?