This will impact football more than concussions.

[BallBoy]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8895337/judge-rules-ncaa-athletes-legally-pursue-television-money

If this lawsuit goes through, this could make many athletic programs across the country unsustainable.  I am sure many schools may even shy away from appearing on national tv while the haves maybe able to demand more money for television rights thereby paying their players more. 

How would athletic departments fund an even great amount of spend for these which would cause many schools to pull back on the number of scholarships and end their proGrams entirely. 

Unfortunately, this would impact basketball as well. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yes, it would be a major issue but in reading the comments from the judge it sounds to me like she is very skeptical of the pursuit by O'Bannon and company.

There are folks here and elsewhere that believe college athletes are entitled to this....they should be very careful what they wish for.

[Cooby Snacks]

An aspect of pay-for-play that I feel has been under-discussed is its potential impact on the tax exempt status of the NCAA and the conferences.  One of the categories under which an organization can file for 501(c)3 status is "fostering amateur athletic competition."  That goes out the window when schools start cutting checks to its athletes.

Furthermore, athletic departments would have to be spun off as for-profit entities.  This would mean no more tax deduction on your yearly donation to the Blue & Gold Fund (which of course is not the only reason people give, but it is a pretty big incentive).

[MUCam]

The motion was procedural in nature (summary judgment) and not indicative of the end outcome in this case.

Nothing unusual here.

[avid1010]

chalk me up as one of those who feels the ncaa should think outside the box to do something for those that generate billions in revenue. i know very little about what the ncaa has for $$$, or even individual schools, but there are a number of things that could be "bargained" on the players side of things that wouldn't cost too much or touch the ethical balance of college athletics.  free tuition for graduate level work, a scholarship is no longer a 1 year deal for the institution (a player is forced out and the college signs another player while the kid being forced out has to sit a year), the letters of intent are mutual binding, some type of retirement/emergency fund, etc...  the ncaa knows it needs to make fans happy and universities happy....that's clear in everything they do.  the student athlete absolutely needs better representation. 

[muwarrior69]

Yes, it would be a major issue but in reading the comments from the judge it sounds to me like she is very skeptical of the pursuit by O'Bannon and company.

There are folks here and elsewhere that believe college athletes are entitled to this....they should be very careful what they wish for.

I agree with you Chicos. I maybe wrong but when a student sign their LOI they pretty much hand over to the NCAA the right to use their image (live or recorded video) or persona (computer gaming) without compensation. Perhaps some time limit could be put on that at which time any company or organization would then have to seek permission from the player. I do not think athletes should be paid.

[TJ]

chalk me up as one of those who feels the ncaa should think outside the box to do something for those that generate billions in revenue. i know very little about what the ncaa has for $$$, or even individual schools, but there are a number of things that could be "bargained" on the players side of things that wouldn't cost too much or touch the ethical balance of college athletics.  free tuition for graduate level work, a scholarship is no longer a 1 year deal for the institution (a player is forced out and the college signs another player while the kid being forced out has to sit a year), the letters of intent are mutual binding, some type of retirement/emergency fund, etc...  the ncaa knows it needs to make fans happy and universities happy....that's clear in everything they do.  the student athlete absolutely needs better representation. 

+1

[TJ]

There are folks here and elsewhere that believe college athletes are entitled to this....they should be very careful what they wish for.

I am not wishing, I'm just looking at the reality of the situation.  We have a situation where the top 64 schools/5 conferences generate more than a billion dollars (and rising) in revenue each year, sustained by the efforts of college athletes.  These institutions claim that a scholarship, etc. for each athlete is enough compensation in return for that kind of revenue.  As the revenue goes up and up and up some of the athletes are starting to disagree.  Additionally some parts of the public are also starting to feel that this is an unjust balance.  As the revenue continues to grow and the institutions continue to make their decisions based mostly on increasing revenue the sentiment is not going to go away.  The NCAA could try to proactively address this situation and come up with a mutually beneficial solution, or they could dig in to their current unwavering position and be stuck with whatever solution is thrust upon them.  Because I believe that eventually this will come to a head and there will be some kind of change.  I'm not sure if it will be good or horrible, but something will happen.

[Benny B]

I am not wishing, I'm just looking at the reality of the situation.  We have a situation where the top 64 schools/5 conferences generate more than a billion dollars (and rising) in revenue each year, sustained by the efforts of college athletes.  These institutions claim that a scholarship, etc. for each athlete is enough compensation in return for that kind of revenue.  As the revenue goes up and up and up some of the athletes are starting to disagree.  Additionally some parts of the public are also starting to feel that this is an unjust balance.  As the revenue continues to grow and the institutions continue to make their decisions based mostly on increasing revenue the sentiment is not going to go away.  The NCAA could try to proactively address this situation and come up with a mutually beneficial solution, or they could dig in to their current unwavering position and be stuck with whatever solution is thrust upon them.  Because I believe that eventually this will come to a head and there will be some kind of change.  I'm not sure if it will be good or horrible, but something will happen.

Last I checked, tuition & costs have been going up and up, too.

[honkytonk]

Last I checked, tuition & costs have been going up and up, too.

And didnt a report just come out a week or two ago that calculated the "investment" schools make towards each athlete? I remember some schools, especially in the SEC, being north of 100k per student-athlete...

We already cant compete with that...and the SEC is one of the conferences proposing pay or play. Clearly, they arent too worried about giving players at least some of the money...

[TJ]

Interesting chart.  It's 5 years old and things have changed.  It also has a lot of creative accounting.  I'm sure they also charge 100% of tuition as an expense even though most students don't actually pay that and they're paying themselves anyway.  But interesting nonetheless.

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/revenue

[ZiggysFryBoy]

what will deer antler spray do to the future of football?