The Sham that is Div I Football

[DGS49]

The Façade of the Student-Athlete

At the SEC pre-season press conference this week, Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin discussed the recent changes to college football with the introduction of NIL money and the transfer portal. He said, "We've got professional sports." He explained that there is “free agency”, except with “no...

www.objectivityistheobjective.com

This is an insightful essay on the phenomenon of Division I college football.

My own view is that athletic scholarships are a cancer on "higher education," but that is less than a minority view. This essayist believes that college football teams get seriously-out-sized public support because of the illusion that the Division I athletes are amateurs. The latest developments explode this silly myth, so we'll see.

 

[Winco]

What else can piss you off?

Fuck.....just enjoy College Sports.

or quit watching AND never respond again.

 

[pknopp]

What else can piss you off?

Fuck.....just enjoy College Sports.

or quit watching AND never respond again.

Athlete's can now be paid. To me that means they can afford their own tuition and scholarships should go to those more in need. Some of those will still be athlete's.

 

[Winco]

Athlete's can now be paid. To me that means they can afford their own tuition and scholarships should go to those more in need. Some of those will still be athlete's.

Agree.....but, Athletes will NEVER give up their "Free Ride" even though they are making Millions on top of the Free Ride.

The NIL agreement is out of control.

I could go on for hours, if asked the specific questions.

 

[Lemmi]

College football is very entertaining when your team consistently wins. We can't all be Georgia Bulldog fans though or it doesn't work.

 

[themirrorthief]

regardless I still feel great about tenn huge win over over rated bama who pays more than most pro teams

 

[odanny]

College football makes money for only around 20-25 schools. The others actually lose money on their Div. I programs or struggle to break even, hence the superconferences we are now seeing in football. The SEC and Big 10 now have 14 and 16 schools in them, and the less successful ones may break even.

It's always been a business for the schools, Alabama and other powerhouse programs schedule patsies that they can crush, but the teams being crushed make money for playing them. With NIL, now athletes get to share in the profits.

 

[DGS49]

Does it bother any of you that this phenomenon does not exist anywhere else on earth? College sports are perverse and as I often say, a cancer on higher education in the U.S. They promote pointless, unproductive, wasteful activity on the part of the students. Why?

 

[HeyNorm]

Athlete's can now be paid. To me that means they can afford their own tuition and scholarships should go to those more in need. Some of those will still be athlete's.

For once we agree!

 

[22lcidw]

We love sports. It seems that sports are more powerful than the education in universities now.

 

[Unkotare]

Does it bother any of you that this phenomenon does not exist anywhere else on earth? ....

NO.

 

[Unkotare]

...... They promote pointless, unproductive, wasteful activity on the part of the students. Why?

Because YOU were always a bitter, resentful, uncoordinated weakling?

 

[Wiggle_Piggy]

The Sham of D1 football is that so many powerhouse teams have so many powderpuffs on their schedules, and it becomes a style contest like in figure skating

 

[Unkotare]

The Sham of D1 football is that so many powerhouse teams have so many powderpuffs on their schedules, and it becomes a style contest like in figure skating

Even at the D1 level (in any sport) there will always be some teams/competitors who are much better than most.

 

[Wiggle_Piggy]

Even at the D1 level (in any sport) there will always be some teams/competitors who are much better than most.

Yeah but having powerhouse teams like Ohio State have Akron and Toledo on their schedule is stupid

 

[Couchpotato]

Even at the D1 level (in any sport) there will always be some teams/competitors who are much better than most.

Some? There are only about 10 teams who have any chance at competing for let alone winning a national title in football at the FCS level. Ever. Those teams never change. There are 128 FCS teams. So essentially less than 10% of all the teams in the league have a shot at winning a title before the season even starts.