Underwood to Michigan
- Under the Dome
- 153 Replies
I don’t disagree with anything you said here. ND players are paid well in NIL. The difference currently is paying the recruit before they produce on the field. If ND wants to join that game, im all for it, I mean, it’s not my money. All I was saying is that game is a bit easier when billionaire donors like Ellison & Knight exist for certain teams, because if their players don’t produce, it’s pennies on the dollar compared to regular millionaire donors.Wealthy alums have been supporting their favorite school's endeavors going back to the start of time. Isn't this essentially what endowments are? Some wealthy donor wants to see his school do well so is willing to burn millions of dollars of his own money so that the school prospers? I don't see the problem. It sounds like a win win to me. I don't understand why once the players start getting a well deserved piece of the pie, everybody wants to start clutching their pearls.
Also, a lot of prospects flameout (don't ever produce for the schools they join) but a lot of them do produce as well.
Is football talent less predictable than baseball talent that has to graduate like 4 levels of pro baseball before ever taking a major league at bat? I doubt it. The best HS baseball talent in the june draft get paid 7-8 figures and most of those guys don't ever make it to the major leagues. The average major league baseball team isn't making much more money than a college football blue blood in 2024.
Coaching staffs are being paid $20M at major P4 schools .. and now those same schools have added another $20-$30M in NIL to retain the players on their roster as well. This is the cost of doing business.
Football is dangerous. CTE is a real thing. Players are risking long term injury to make schools extremely wealthy at a chance to earn millions of dollars in the NFL someday with a very small window to earn. Its good that they are starting to get paid for the value that they produce (even if that value is purely potential value) much sooner.
What we don’t know is how locker rooms respond yet to a kid showing up day 1 with a 10M contract without earning his stripes. Do the other players care? Does it lead to envy and less team synergy? I’m honestly not sure but wouldn’t be surprised.