The Pac-12 implosion is latest example of the farce that is college sports

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The implosion of the Pac-12 is merely the latest example of the farce that has become college sports. For some time now, the athletic-industrial complex has been chipping away at the pretense that student-athletes, at least in revenue-generating sports, attend the college of their choice for any reason other than playing ball. And why should they? The adults who run their programs are utterly transparent about what’s important to them: money. That’s why five Western schools are fleeing, for more lucrative television contracts.

What’s notable, and pathetic, is that the commentary around the death of the Pac-12 isn’t so much lamenting the pernicious impact of money on college sports as sadness for the demise of the status quo. A great regional sports league, long ago tainted by crass commercialism, the Pac-12 didn’t play the money game as well as its Midwestern and Southeastern athletic competitors.

-snip-

But forgotten in this discussion are the athletes, also known as the largely unpaid workers who prop up a racket that once was about enriching the bodies and minds of students. Focusing on more fairly compensating the players, while not perfect, presents a partial solution to the debacle.

The erosion in amateur college sports was well underway long before this latest TV-contract-induced reshuffling. Since 2018, the NCAA has operated a “transfer portal” that gives student-athletes the flexibility to switch schools — and teams. That means that during a season, a football coach might send out a squad filled with players other than those recruited from high school. According to the NCAA, there were nearly 10,000 sports transfers in 2021.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/07/pac-12-collapse-conference-realignment-ncaa-college-athletics/

[demosincebirth]

1. So true!

[Sky Jewels]

2. The commercialization of college sports,

especially football and basketball, is a twisted, perverse, disgusting and uniquely American phenomenon. It has always made me cringe. A civilized country wouldn’t let this crap get so out of hand. Other countries’ university systems manage to keep this stuff in perspective — they’re just games played by young people for fun, exercise, and low-key school rivalries.

[Skittles]

8. they have no shortage of fans who just suck that shit up

UGH

[Sneederbunk]

3. College $port$.

[Thunderbeast]

4. I am DONE with the whole scam...

Used to love my DUCKS!

No fun anymore. NILs, Transfer Portal, and now Disney and Fox picking the carcass of a league that operates in the wrong time zone.

Screw 'em! I am taking back my Satudays.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

5. I thought they would have athletic scholarships

but the rabbit hole you offered (thank you always) showed only some 1.5% get scholarships.

If school tuition or R&B were free, that would be compensation enough, but I guess most don't even get that :/

I also remember that my old school, Ohio State, were one of a very few schools who made enough money in athletics to pay for itself.

Which means the schools don't get money, the athletes don't get money, and all this revenue goes to the very small number of admins, coaches, etc.

I mean, the top compensation of public employees are coaches :/

[Zeitghost]

11. the money from football/basketball

Is largely spent propping up the non-revenue generating sports in the department. The big two (and mostly football) put a lot of lacrosse, swimming and track athletes through school.


Where is the 1.5% number coming from?

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

12. Numbers bounce around

but from the NCAA

Does the NCAA award athletics scholarships?
Individual schools award athletics scholarships. Division I and II
schools provide more than $3.7 billion in athletics scholarships
annually to nearly 190,000 student-athletes. Division III
schools, with more than 183,000 student-athletes, do not
offer athletically related financial aid, but most student-athletes
receive some form of academic scholarship or need-based grant.
Do many high school athletes earn
athletics scholarships?
Very few, in fact. About 2% of high school athletes are awarded
some form of athletics scholarship to compete in college.

[Zeitghost]

13. That makes sense

The vast majority of college athletes (at all levels) are not on scholarship. But then most are true "student-athletes" that are there for school first.

But the vast majority of those in the money making programs are on full ride with room, board and now NIL money. It's not a bad deal considering most will never sniff the pros.

[Botany]

6. I grew up with Ohio State football but the idea that teams

... from the Midwest and the East will be flying cross country to play games on the West Coast and teams on
the West Coast will be flying east to play football games
all the time dumping tons of CO2 into our atmosphere
is sickening. The Columbia River sturgeon is dying as are the King Crab in the Bering Sea, we have had 15 days of smoke from Canada's forest fires in Ohio this summer, and the areas burning in Canada should never be burning because they should have snow cover 4 to 8 months of the year.

This is madness.

[usonian]

9. GREEN means one thing to them (spoiler alert, it Ain't the planet)

Why should colleges be minor leagues for the professional leagues?

[roamer65]

10. As a UM grad, I whole heartedly agree.

It’s all about the 🤑🤑🤑🤑 now.

[dalton99a]

7. Kick

https://archive.ph/XO7U0