BYU to the big 12, and the NIL.

[Markk]

LOL I'm fishing here as a huge football fan. I am just testing the waters on the folks here in regard to college football, if anyone here follows it. If this thread gets bounced, lol, so be it. I just watched one of the best games of my life with Colorado beating TCU. If you do not understand why this is a big deal for a football junkie, stop here, you will never get it.

Brigham Young University, the LDS owned university entered into the big 12 this season, after failing as an independent. Colorado after this year will be heading also to the big 12. No here is my hook that will tie it to this forum...given the NIL, again stop here if you don't get it, will BYU pay for talent as Colorado did, and shows worked, by taking one of the worse D1 teams in football last year and beating the runner up of last year's national championship game.

Will the LDS church use BYU monies (millions), to pay these "student athletes" so they can compete with the best teams in the nation, and teams like Colorado who are making history?

Should BYU, Texas Christian, Notre Dame, and other private religious schools go this route?

If no one cares, I get it.

 

[organgrinder]

Interesting question. I agree the student athletes have been taken advantage of by their universities for decades. The NIL agreements they strike with businesses doing advertising, etc. is ok in my book. Not all the big names are going to get NFL/NBA/ etc. contracts once their college playing days are over.

I have issues with universities promising the moon to recruits and those in the transfer portals in order to boost the university's image and bottom line. The bigger more prominent universities will have more capital to "invest". However, I think there needs to be some rules in place that restrict student athletes from bouncing from one program to the next year after year. Gonzaga landed a former Kansas BB player who played for a different institution the year before. That recruit just recently then dropped Gonzaga and is going elsewhere. Never even say the court and he would have likely been a starter.

Things are getting out of hand.

But it is all about money. Athletes don't care where it comes from. Neither do the universities as long as it pays off. In the case of private institutions, where do the freebies (tuition, board and room, etc.) come from? And how much is enough? Those are the questions.

 

[Markk]

I'm kind of torn here. It is complicated and complex with so many variables. It is also exciting and LoL almost scary in that this seems to be a huge monster.

As a capitalist, I am 100% for this...LOL mostly. As a USC fan, we should do well in keeping our So Ca players we are losing to the SEC.

I don't know, and have not really thought out what this means for smaller private universities that have sport programs? Will this help them get "better" athletes from booster monies?

Or larger Private schools like BYU and Notre Dame will have a tremendous pool of alum that will go after those that would not normally think about it.

I also ponder on should state owned schools be in an open market business like it seems to be heading...LoL, as if they are not already, but I think you know what I mean.

I love the fact, I hope, this might break the strong hold of the SEC... the Big 10 might be the premier conference in the near future, they are loaded, and the Big 12 is moving upwards, especially if Colorado is for real?

I really like that we might see players stay in college for the duration, if they can make as much in college or more...why not. Given the running back being so devalued in the NFL, and that so many college programs value the run game...will top running backs make more in the college game?

Are college players now professional athletes? This is a whole new can of worms. I could see a 1-year player going pro, bombing, then go back to college and challenge the rules that collage athlete are pros also. I know I am getting way ahead of things but who knows where this is going.

In regard to Mormonism and keeping this topic on this forum. The school is run by the general authorities and how will they interact with the high rolling boosters? IOWs, there is going to be huge amounts of monies flying all over the place...millions and millions. How does "church" separate themselves from all of this? Who is going to manage all the monies being thrown to the AD, and especially coach Sitake.

Like you wrote there needs to be rules, but they will need to evolve and assimilate as we see how the experiment progresses.