The Holy Land of Hoops

Talking with my dad this weekend (who is pretty conservative) and even he thinks the NCAA is an outright scam. So what is the best way to preserve the sport we all love while being fair to the students generating all the money.

If someone can add another good alternative I will add it to the poll.

The NCAA needs to get out front on this and regulate the stipend. This coming from a free market proponent but I only ask you to compare the NFL or MLB on the salary front and point to the NFL's success and MLB's troubles. Of course, the Kentucky's and P5's of the world would embrace the MLB model boxing out small market competitors with a stipend $$'s race. You can't have Florida Int'l upping the ante in the $$ equivalent of an arms race.

I try to reach a compromise whenever possible. The coaches are already getting paid so I would like to see the players get paid equal to their salary. So if Coach X gets paid $1 million then 10 scholarship players should each get 100,000. I know it seems a little jarring at first, but its fair in my viewpoint.

Small stipend or go back to the days when they were allowed to get jobs. I don't agree with anything like those hundreds of thousands a freshman getting spot minutes doesn't deserve that while some players bigger than the university deserve more. Plus I think while for the big NBA talents that idea that they aren't really students is true but what about those players that stayed for four years? They get paid to go to school on top of the full ride? Uncool, when I was boxing and bouncing at a bar to put myself through my last two years.

At the very least, athletes should be able to profit off of their own names. This includes being allowed to be paid for autograph sessions and appearances, and receiving royalties on jersey sales. If you are a good enough athlete that people want you to make an appearance, pay you for an autograph, or buy your jersey, that should absolutely be allowed.

Beyond that, I'd like to see some kind of stipend for these players as well as the ability to hold side jobs to make some income. Some of these NCAA rules and regulations are just absurd.

I suppose I'm in the minority, but I think they should be allowed to turn professional right out of high school – if the NBA won't have them, let them go to the D league or overseas. If they elect to play in college, they give up their right to earn anything.

ChicagoX wrote:At the very least, athletes should be able to profit off of their own names. This includes being allowed to be paid for autograph sessions and appearances, and receiving royalties on jersey sales. If you are a good enough athlete that people want you to make an appearance, pay you for an autograph, or buy your jersey, that should absolutely be allowed.

Beyond that, I'd like to see some kind of stipend for these players as well as the ability to hold side jobs to make some income. Some of these NCAA rules and regulations are just absurd.

That I'll agree with. Those players that are big enough to profit from their names should be able to do so. And certainly allow the side jobs again.

players should be allowed to immediately pursue a career playing basketball. No way should players get paid for autographs and or allowed to work for $$'s, this is where corruption sneaks in. Boosters pay big $'s to the player the coaching staff wants them to pay. It's that simple. Regulated stipend is the only way to have any chance for success and I guardedly use the word chance.

Dew wrote:I suppose I'm in the minority, but I think they should be allowed to turn professional right out of high school – if the NBA won't have them, let them go to the D league or overseas. If they elect to play in college, they give up their right to earn anything.

This is probably the best compromise. Players going to college would go to improve their game and/or get an education. That's really what college basketball should be.

BUT...the NCAA calls the shots, ultimately. I don't think compromising is an option. They would never agree to this formula. They would miss out on too many of the superstar one-and-dones (Anthony Davis, Melo, Durant, etc.). The casual fan would lose interest. I think the hardcore fans (like us) would still love the sport, but, overall, it would be bad for the brand.

I'm willing to bet the NBA likes the current system as well. While college certainly isn't at the level of the NBA, they can get an idea of how well these guys adapt to a higher level of basketball. I'd be willing to bet the NBA has an awful lot of power in determining the rule.

In the end, I think the current system favors the NBA and the NCAA and not the players. It's good for the brand, but it's bad for the kids. I don't really have a good answer. I don't think they should be paid, though. I think it's a pretty complicated issue.

I will say this...allowing players to go directly to the NBA would certainly level the playing field, which would probably help us tremendously . We don't put a ton of guys in the NBA.

Just to clarify because everyone always complains about the NCAA when it comes to one and dones: That is an NBA rule, not an NCAA rule! The NCAA isn't the entity forcing athletes to go to college. They CAN go straight to the D League, or overseas, or wherever. They just can't go straight to the NBA because the NBA doesn't want an undeveloped kid making $3M sitting on the bench. The NBAPA doesn't want an 18 year old to come in and ride the pine that forces a veteran player out of the league.

I understand the free market and everything, and people want these athletes to have the ability to go straight to the NBA and start making their millions, but the NBA owners and NBAPA want to maximize the amount of money that the people already associated with the league can get. As a fan I want the best basketball talent in the NBA. Outside of 5 or 10 players in each draft, most of the guys aren't good enough to make an immediate impact. The team knows they are likely to make a difference in a couple years though, so they still have them on the roster and dedicate resources to them. Essentially though, those guys are redshirting and diluting the rosters. I think it is more likely we see a renegotiation in two years of the CBA that tacks on another year before kids can enter the NBA.