My problem with College Football: Nick Chubb Injury

[Larz]

full discosure, I got a $500 pell grant for playing DIII hoops and ruined both ankles my freshman year and basically gave it up because my major was way to effing hard.  I don't feel like I was owed anything at all.  I did the long bus trips, saturday morning practices, the whole thing.  I just loved playing

[Villain The Foe]

The DIII lense is the only one that I have experience with. So I will give another example but I am not saying this is how it is D1. My son got hurt in a game and needed surgery his freshman year. They paid for it, but it also went through our insurance. Just cracks me up. Even at the D3 level these programs are brining in so much money. You really need my insurance to offset the costs? Doesn't seem right.

Play a game on the road, travel for hours. Here is a hoagie for you kid. And a water bottle. lol.

Thats just flat out wrong. Football is literally in my heart, but I do feel for the players man. This is why when Revis was doing his negotiating thing back in the day I was 100% in support because 99% of the time the shield wins. It was good to see a player with such business savvy and understanding that this IS a business. And though we call it college, the moment money is involved on any level it is business. The school should have covered the injury, no questions asked. 

The aftermath of injuries is something that I didnt even speak on, but im am not surprised. If you dont mind me asking, how did your insurance company respond? Did they raise rates given your son's football activity afterwards? 

 

[Warfish]

No to paying college athletes.  

Yes to paying for a NFL Minor League.

The problem is colleges running sports like a for-profit sports league, instead of colleges running colleges as institutions of higher learning.

College Sports is a disease.  One that should be killed off back to what it should be, a for fun extra of going to college.

Want more for-profit sports, start a minor league.

[Maxman]

Thats just flat out wrong. Football is literally in my heart, but I do feel for the players man. This is why when Revis was doing his negotiating thing back in the day I was 100% in support because 99% of the time the shield wins. It was good to see a player with such business savvy and understanding that this IS a business. And though we call it college, the moment money is involved on any level it is business. The school should have covered the injury, no questions asked. 

The aftermath of injuries is something that I didnt even speak on, but im am not surprised. If you dont mind me asking, how did your insurance company respond? Did they raise rates given your son's football activity afterwards? 

 

The amount of college kids that have had multiple surgeries is frightening. If you have a chance at the Pro's i get it. But like 99% of D1 athletes have no shot at making it to the next level.

[Larz]

 Did they raise rates given your son's football activity afterwards? 

 

the only policies that are claims rated that I know of are typically for groups over 500 contracts.  almost all individual policies are just pure demographics, and claims have no influence.

[southparkcpa]

buy insurance

these kids don't have the money...... 

[southparkcpa]

full discosure, I got a $500 pell grant for playing DIII hoops and ruined both ankles my freshman year and basically gave it up because my major was way to effing hard.  I don't feel like I was owed anything at all.  I did the long bus trips, saturday morning practices, the whole thing.  I just loved playing

you brought NOTHING to that university, you were owed nothing.   A top D1 player is very valuable.  A top D3 player is a commdity.  D3 and D1 are literally different planets.  

[Villain The Foe]

you missed the point.  the value of the scholarship is over $200,000 for a school like USC.  then try to determine the lifetime value of having a 4 year degree from USC on your resume.  they are getting paid.  very well actually. 

Fact: During the 50's a man with a high school diploma could have a wife, mulitiple kids, a car and home and pay for his entire family on one salary with a nice middle class job. during that same time many Colleges on a per capita basis didnt have the type of attendance as like today, yet the tuition (inflation adjusted) wasnt as expensive yet more valuable given the lack of competition (amount of students) in fields that required this level of education. 

TODAY: College is the most expensive it has ever been (based on salary median), yet the value of the degrees arent nearly as valuable as it was 60 years ago because they're handing these degrees out like candy because kids are taking out 200,000 dollar loans that most wont be able to pay back. Not to mention that both parents are now in the work force (which means twice the amounts of loans now that more women are in the work force) because the man can no longer support a family on his salary alone anymore...even with a college degree. 

Ever heard of overvalued/undervalued? Just because its 200,000 for 4 years doesnt mean that its worth that much. Also, if you go back to one of my original posts I said that if you were to pay each player 100,000 per season then those kids would leave school debt free and $200,000 to work with on their way to getting a job. 

I didnt miss the point, its that the degree's in terms of value isnt worth what kids are paying today. If it was then student loan debt (currently sitting at over 1 trillion) would not have over taken credit card debt. They would have the means to pay off the debt. 

They dont. 

[Savage69]

The only college player that ever should have been paid is Foe's main man MG..

[Villain The Foe]

The only college player that ever should have been paid is Foe's main man MG..

I personally made sure Glennon got paid under the table. lol. 

[Villain The Foe]

The amount of college kids that have had multiple surgeries is frightening. If you have a chance at the Pro's i get it. But like 99% of D1 athletes have no shot at making it to the next level.

Exactly, this is why when people state that these universities provide a platform to "showcase their talent", in relation to the percentage of guys that are actually drafted I can only conclude that this is less about a platform and more about football being a great industry for the universities. 

 

Or maybe its me. I tend to wear my tinfoil hat too tight at times! lol.  

[Villain The Foe]

you brought NOTHING to that university, you were owed nothing.   A top D1 player is very valuable.  A top D3 player is a commdity.  D3 and D1 are literally different planets.  

I think you just hurt @Larz feelings bro lol. (Joking)

[Larz]

you brought NOTHING to that university, you were owed nothing.   A top D1 player is very valuable.  A top D3 player is a commdity.  D3 and D1 are literally different planets.  

no sh*t.  seriously dude ?  lol

[Larz]

Fact: During the 50's a man with a high school diploma could have a wife, mulitiple kids, a car and home and pay for his entire family on one salary with a nice middle class job. during that same time many Colleges on a per capita basis didnt have the type of attendance as like today, yet the tuition (inflation adjusted) wasnt as expensive yet more valuable given the lack of competition (amount of students) in fields that required this level of education. 

TODAY: College is the most expensive it has ever been (based on salary median), yet the value of the degrees arent nearly as valuable as it was 60 years ago because they're handing these degrees out like candy because kids are taking out 200,000 dollar loans that most wont be able to pay back. Not to mention that both parents are now in the work force (which means twice the amounts of loans now that more women are in the work force) because the man can no longer support a family on his salary alone anymore...even with a college degree. 

Ever heard of overvalued/undervalued? Just because its 200,000 for 4 years doesnt mean that its worth that much. Also, if you go back to one of my original posts I said that if you were to pay each player 100,000 per season then those kids would leave school debt free and $200,000 to work with on their way to getting a job. 

I didnt miss the point, its that the degree's in terms of value isnt worth what kids are paying today. If it was then student loan debt (currently sitting at over 1 trillion) would not have over taken credit card debt. They would have the means to pay off the debt. 

They dont. 

I don't know what you are arguing anymore, lol.    for every kid who blows out their knee, there are hundreds more who get a marketable degree from a college or university for little to no cost.  these kids have a golden opportunity.  some will get hurt, some will blow it, but a lot of kids will have a leg up in life because of it

[Jet9]

Yeah, these guys are getting an education. That's why half of them can't form a complete sentence and documentaries like 'Broke' exist. 

 

UNC basketball anyone? This literally came to light very recently. But yeah, they're getting an education.

[Villain The Foe]

I don't know what you are arguing anymore, lol.    for every kid who blows out their knee, there are hundreds more who get a marketable degree from a college or university for little to no cost.  these kids have a golden opportunity.  some will get hurt, some will blow it, but a lot of kids will have a leg up in life because of it

Dont mind me, im on my "kanye west" right now. lol. 

[southparkcpa]

no sh*t.  seriously dude ?  lol

you spoke in the first person about how you did It for the game.  These guys are not in that class. 

absolutely did not mean to degrade what you did.  I played no sports in college except quarters and poker. 

[Villain The Foe]

Yeah, these guys are getting an education. That's why half of them can't form a complete sentence and documentaries like 'Broke' exist. 

 

UNC basketball anyone? This literally came to light very recently. But yeah, they're getting an education.

That "Free" education lol. Keep trying to tell people that "free" aint always the way. Get the money and pay for your schooling along with enough money to provide you a good start when school is over. 

The first paid NCAA student athlete will most likely be Revis kid. THAT dude plays NO GAMES. lol. 

[Sperm Edwards]

Villain - really good thread. I think about this all the time, but I know the kids getting paid isn't the answer. That would simply cause more problems. They have to maintain some level of integrity around academics, but where things are at now is beyond comical.

Even beyond the world of D1 there are so many limitations. The pressure on these kids is immense. My son was playing DIII football but had to retire early this season as he is facing his second surgery (he is a junior). I have done the math and the amount of money this program brings to the school is considerable. Yet when they travel for away games they are pretty tight. I realize that is a school thing, but still it is amazing how little they do for these kids. What they aren't allowed to do for them.

In D1 obviously the free education \ scholarship angle is there. But so many of these infractions make me laugh. These kids are bringing in millions and what they get in return is almost nothing. Even in the top D1 programs the % of kids that move on is small. Add in the time commitment and sacrifices the kids are required to make and this equation is out of balance.

What really gets me are 2 things that should be no-brainers (the first one of which Freestater mentioned).

First, that as long as the team isn't directly involved in the transactions, and as long as it doesn't create a conflict of interest (i.e. throwing games), these kids should be able to make whatever they can on their own name. Whether that's a couple of bucks on the side from boosters for BS "jobs"; signing autographs; getting paid for appearing or speaking somewhere; doing a local commercial; whatever. To me, if the team isn't writing a check, frankly it's none of their business. A "regular" college kid can get a job to make ends meet (like I did), but a college kid on the football team cannot. There simply aren't enough hours in the week to attend class, study enough to get good grades (it is a school so we must at least presume they're trying to do this), attend and participate in practices, work out, study the playbook, study game and practice film, and then every Saturday in the fall semester they play a game and then often need time to recuperate from it. Where's the time for a job? It doesn't exist. For the 98% of college players who don't make it to the NFL, this is the only time in their lives they'll be able to cash in on their names and fame/popularity/celebrity status. It's also the only time in their lives when they're prohibited from doing so. IMO it's a form of restriction of trade. 

Second, when kids like this get tragic, permanent + serious injuries, the college should be responsible for paying the medical bills. When they're making that much on the players and paying them relatively very little out of pocket in terms of costs, it seems right. Some leave college and may get crazy medical bills forever (not to mention other ancillary bills that aren't true "medical" costs directly or on paper, but that some - like an Eric LeGrand - will surely have to pay forever). Though in theory the cost would even out over time, if it is cheaper, the schools could otherwise just pay for insurance policies for the kids in case they do get that seriously hurt. I don't know if some/most/all schools do this now, but the kids should also be on permanent scholarship for the rest of their academic career (minimum GPA required) if they're no longer able to play purely as a result of injuries sustained while playing/practicing for the school. I consider this last thing to also be a part of medical coverage/insurance.

Medical coverage/insurance for injuries sustained playing the sport should be their responsibility. And any $ they can earn/get off the field - as long as the school isn't paying it - should be none of their business. 

[jgb]