Tuesday, March 14, 2006
4Pundits � March Madness and faux student-athletes
4Pundits � March Madness and faux student-athletes
The very essence of big time college athletics has long been a pet peeve of mine. The folks at 4Pundit address the issue in a generally fine article poking at the hypocrisy.
Let me start out by saying that unlike the author at 4Pundit, I'm a big big sports fan. Some of my fondest and earliest memories involve me going to Seattle Rainiers minor league baseball games at Sick's Stadium with my mom. I distinctly remember a sharp line drive that almost decapitated us when it curved and bounced off of the seat between us like yesterday. I remember my joy of watching the first exhibition game of the Seattle Supersonics back in 1967 and the first ever Football game of the Seattle Seahawks. I was also a big follower of the University of Washington Huskies during the Warren Moon era. So I love all the major sports in the United States (don't kid yourself hockey is not a major sport in this country -- witness when it departed because of labor strife no one really noticed.) Despite my love of sports, I have totally given up watching college sports entirely. Why? It's not because of drug scandals, it's not because of steroids or recruiting violations, or thuggery by "so called student athletes". For the most part those things have their corollaries in the major league sports as well. No, it's because the NCAA by its very nature is an exploitive, anticompetitive thieving cartel. The NCAA basically robs student athletes of the compensation they would get in a truly competitive market and redistributes it to coaches, athletic directors and their member institutions.
In a normal business, workers (substitute the phrase "student athlete" in this context) get to choose the firm they'll go to and negotiate over the type of compensation that they'll receive. It's how markets work in a capitalist society, the give and take of determining what the market price of a service or input into a final product. But in the NCAA cartel world, the members of the cartel get together and set the level of compensation that the student athlete will receive. Moreover, the cartel establishes a mechanism for punishing institutions, coaches and players who do not abide by this agreement. Now some might ask, how does this differ from how it works in the NFL where there is a draft and salary caps and such. Well here's the difference, in the NFL there is a player's union that negotiates with the owners to jointly establish the appropriate level of compensation. At least someone is representing the players.
What makes this even worse is that the NCAA makes these pious pronouncements about how this whole system is designed to help the student athlete. In essence, they're robbing these athletes and they loudly proclaiming what good folks they are for doing it. It's beyond disgusting.
So here's the situation, the NCAA is going to do its tournament. Coaches will get endorsement deals from the major sponsors, the teams will get the gate and money compensation as well. What do the players on the teams get. A chance to play basketball. That's just about it. Oh and the Glory.
The very essence of big time college athletics has long been a pet peeve of mine. The folks at 4Pundit address the issue in a generally fine article poking at the hypocrisy.
Let me start out by saying that unlike the author at 4Pundit, I'm a big big sports fan. Some of my fondest and earliest memories involve me going to Seattle Rainiers minor league baseball games at Sick's Stadium with my mom. I distinctly remember a sharp line drive that almost decapitated us when it curved and bounced off of the seat between us like yesterday. I remember my joy of watching the first exhibition game of the Seattle Supersonics back in 1967 and the first ever Football game of the Seattle Seahawks. I was also a big follower of the University of Washington Huskies during the Warren Moon era. So I love all the major sports in the United States (don't kid yourself hockey is not a major sport in this country -- witness when it departed because of labor strife no one really noticed.) Despite my love of sports, I have totally given up watching college sports entirely. Why? It's not because of drug scandals, it's not because of steroids or recruiting violations, or thuggery by "so called student athletes". For the most part those things have their corollaries in the major league sports as well. No, it's because the NCAA by its very nature is an exploitive, anticompetitive thieving cartel. The NCAA basically robs student athletes of the compensation they would get in a truly competitive market and redistributes it to coaches, athletic directors and their member institutions.
In a normal business, workers (substitute the phrase "student athlete" in this context) get to choose the firm they'll go to and negotiate over the type of compensation that they'll receive. It's how markets work in a capitalist society, the give and take of determining what the market price of a service or input into a final product. But in the NCAA cartel world, the members of the cartel get together and set the level of compensation that the student athlete will receive. Moreover, the cartel establishes a mechanism for punishing institutions, coaches and players who do not abide by this agreement. Now some might ask, how does this differ from how it works in the NFL where there is a draft and salary caps and such. Well here's the difference, in the NFL there is a player's union that negotiates with the owners to jointly establish the appropriate level of compensation. At least someone is representing the players.
What makes this even worse is that the NCAA makes these pious pronouncements about how this whole system is designed to help the student athlete. In essence, they're robbing these athletes and they loudly proclaiming what good folks they are for doing it. It's beyond disgusting.
So here's the situation, the NCAA is going to do its tournament. Coaches will get endorsement deals from the major sponsors, the teams will get the gate and money compensation as well. What do the players on the teams get. A chance to play basketball. That's just about it. Oh and the Glory.
# posted by Strange Anomaly : 12:31 PM
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OH PLEASE! Hockey is the ONLY decent sport.
Re: Paying student athletes. If they're good enough to get into professional sports, they'll soon be pulling in outrageous salaries. Consider college sports their unpaid internships. I know I did an unpaid internship -- along with thousands and thousands of other college students who want the experience in their chosen field.
I wonder how many of the folks in the college band are whining about not getting paid? Or the cheerleaders. Or the service clubs. Oh that's right, they aren't special like student athletes.
Of course, I just skimmed through your diatribe because non-hockey sports talk bores the hell out of me so I may have the whole topic wrong. Either way it felt good to bitch about it especially since March Madness is getting me really mad -- it will be pre-empting my soaps Thursday and Friday.
Re: Paying student athletes. If they're good enough to get into professional sports, they'll soon be pulling in outrageous salaries. Consider college sports their unpaid internships. I know I did an unpaid internship -- along with thousands and thousands of other college students who want the experience in their chosen field.
I wonder how many of the folks in the college band are whining about not getting paid? Or the cheerleaders. Or the service clubs. Oh that's right, they aren't special like student athletes.
Of course, I just skimmed through your diatribe because non-hockey sports talk bores the hell out of me so I may have the whole topic wrong. Either way it felt good to bitch about it especially since March Madness is getting me really mad -- it will be pre-empting my soaps Thursday and Friday.
# posted by 
: 10:16 AM
: 10:16 AM
Oh a hockey enthusiast. You know when hockey was gone, I really didn't notice. Nor did most of the sports world. As for non-paid internships, well to be honest, I don't think the universities get together form a cartel and eliminate an entire area of work from you. As for marching bands, puhleeze, no one would pay to watch a marching band, there is no economic utility in being a member of a marching band, in other words, they aren't giving up potential revenue. College football players and basketball players are making millions for other people, they should get a piece of that action.
I will say this however, your comment was amusing, especially that part about hockey being the only decent sport. I'm still laughing about that one.
*cheers*
I will say this however, your comment was amusing, especially that part about hockey being the only decent sport. I'm still laughing about that one.
*cheers*
Here's to the hundreds of thousands of us -- HOCKEY RULES!!!!!
And there's no need to pay student athletes. People seem to worship athletes (and pay the outrageous fees) as if they were gods of some sort. "Hollywood" seems to have the same problem. Of course, us mere mortals enable this type of behavior because we pay the outrageous fees to go to the games, go to the movies, buy the merchandise, etc. Pay student athletes? Nah. Let them work their way through the ranks like the rest of us did.
And there's no need to pay student athletes. People seem to worship athletes (and pay the outrageous fees) as if they were gods of some sort. "Hollywood" seems to have the same problem. Of course, us mere mortals enable this type of behavior because we pay the outrageous fees to go to the games, go to the movies, buy the merchandise, etc. Pay student athletes? Nah. Let them work their way through the ranks like the rest of us did.
# posted by : 7:38 AM
: 7:38 AM
Hundreds of thousands of hockey fans? Where do you live? Canada?
As for athletes paying their own way...well, actually they're paying their way and the way of the coaches and the way of the institution. They should be cut a piece of that action. That's free enterprise and the american way.
College hockey players on the other hand...well...there just isn't a large enough market to make that a profitable venture.
As for athletes paying their own way...well, actually they're paying their way and the way of the coaches and the way of the institution. They should be cut a piece of that action. That's free enterprise and the american way.
College hockey players on the other hand...well...there just isn't a large enough market to make that a profitable venture.
Hey, interesting! You didn't really notice the NHL-lockout, "nor did most of the sports world." Are YOU the sports world? Do YOU know what the sports world thinks?
Let me tell you, outside the States, especially over here in old Europe, no one gives a shit about football or baseball. But there's gazillions - yeah! - of hockey fans over here, whether it's in Scandinavia or Mid Europe or Eastern Europe or in the South. They cheer for their teams, they cheer for the NHL, they know the players and they love their game. Does that tell you something? :)
Let me tell you, outside the States, especially over here in old Europe, no one gives a shit about football or baseball. But there's gazillions - yeah! - of hockey fans over here, whether it's in Scandinavia or Mid Europe or Eastern Europe or in the South. They cheer for their teams, they cheer for the NHL, they know the players and they love their game. Does that tell you something? :)
# posted by : 1:47 AM
: 1:47 AM
Ha! I can rally the troops! Ok, so not a lot of troops, but troops nonetheless. heheheh
# posted by : 2:14 PM
: 2:14 PM
Angie,
It explains why I'm so happy to be living inside the United States. *grin* I also doubt that outside of Canada, which by the way has been losing hockey franchises to the United States, that most of the sports world, in europe, couldnt' give a dime worth of interest in the NHL.
Let's face it hockey is a bore. The CFL is even more interesting than NHL hockey. It might be a toss up between cricket and hockey though, but only because cricket matches are so long that you kind of extend the level of boredom.
Oh and Twig, I hate to tell you this, but the fact that you can't seem to rally a lot of troops tends to confirm my analysis. *grin*
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It explains why I'm so happy to be living inside the United States. *grin* I also doubt that outside of Canada, which by the way has been losing hockey franchises to the United States, that most of the sports world, in europe, couldnt' give a dime worth of interest in the NHL.
Let's face it hockey is a bore. The CFL is even more interesting than NHL hockey. It might be a toss up between cricket and hockey though, but only because cricket matches are so long that you kind of extend the level of boredom.
Oh and Twig, I hate to tell you this, but the fact that you can't seem to rally a lot of troops tends to confirm my analysis. *grin*
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