Ron's Football League Idea

[Suspect Chin]

Ron has brought up on the air a few times an idea for a football league that would compete with the NCAA. This league would be for football players age 18-23 only, would provide those athletes with a salary, and would serve as a sort of minor league for the NFL. It would directly compete with the NCAA for top high school athletes.

Ron believes that these college athletes are bringing in so much money to the school and the athletic program, that simply getting a free education is not enough payment to the athletes.

I have two questions, do you think this league is a good idea? And two, do you think NCAA athletes should get paid?

[lleeder]

They should only get their daycare paid for.

[dino_electropolis]

Yes to the idea
No to NCAA pay.....not exactly why i disagree with it, it just seems to dirty the academics of it all.

[Enabler]

I like Ron's idea. But I dont think college players should get paid. Aside from the free education, those guys are paid in pussy and god-like status for 4 solid years.

[disneyspy]

the discussion of an alternative leaugue for those not interested in college has been discussed for decades,recently the courts ruled that the NFL's rule of 3 years removed from high school doesnt mean kids have to go to college but theres never been a succesful attempt at starting a minor league system. it seems with as shitty as all teams in the populous northeast are it would be possible but the problem is people have no interests in seeing 18 to 21 year olds play much less 18 to 23 year olds unless its for an established college league. you cant tell people what they want.

[IMSlacker]

I don't think the independent league idea would work. I don't think you'd get the fan support that the colleges get from the alumni. At best, it would be like minor league baseball, and the money would have to come from affiliated NFL teams.

I do think that NCAA athletes should be paid, and that if a group of schools decided to leave the NCAA and start paying their athletes, they'd be very successful.

[disneyspy]

and i believe they should earn credits for the amount of time they spend on college atheletics as well as minimum wage during those hours

[Suspect Chin]

the discussion of an alternative leaugue for those not interested in college has been discussed for decades,recently the courts ruled that the NFL's rule of 3 years removed from high school doesnt mean kids have to go to college but theres never been a succesful attempt at starting a minor league system. it seems with as shitty as all teams in the populous northeast are it would be possible but the problem is people have no interests in seeing 18 to 21 year olds play much less 18 to 23 year olds unless its for an established college league. you cant tell people what they want.

Agreed. Why would they risk not having a (free) education in case the NFL doesn't happen? I don't think making say ~$100,000/year for a couple years in the prep league, while passing up college, on the pipe dream that I would make the NFL would be a risk worth taking for most athletes.

[Suspect Chin]

I don't think the independent league idea would work. I don't think you'd get the fan support that the colleges get from the alumni. At best, it would be like minor league baseball, and the money would have to come from affiliated NFL teams.

I do think that NCAA athletes should be paid, and that if a group of schools decided to leave the NCAA and start paying their athletes, they'd be very successful.

Maybe, but then you essentially have an independent league made up of student athletes. I don't think the university is going to pass up all the benefits of being in the NCAA just so their football team can play in a small league of powerhouse teams.

[SP1!]

It wouldnt work because the NFL wouldnt agree to draft players from that league

[IMSlacker]

Would the NFL sign them as free agents?

[El Mudo]

I'm not on board with paying the athletes. I'll give you the premise that they're exploited by their prospective schools, but these guys also get free education at some of the best universities in this country, an army of tutors to help them while they're there, free medical care, and a lot of other benefits. For some guys, its the ONLY way they can get out of the ghetto. That's a pretty good deal.

I don't think there's any way that an independent league could compete with the NCAA. For one thing, the big colleges and universities are just so steeped in tradition that it would be impossible for a new league of younger players to upset that. There's nothing like the Third Saturday in October or the Little Brown Jug or Saturday Night games at LSU or the Rose Bowl or Notre Dame that an independent league could ever match up with. Some of these games have been going on for over a century....you just can't overtake that in one fell swoop. Not only that, these schools also have extensive, extensive networks of alumni and boosters that no other league could ever compete with.

Does anyone honestly think that a league competing with the NCAA could ever pack 112,000 into a stadium like they do in Gainesville or Ann Arbor or Columbus or Knoxville? Or the armies of people that show up to the Iron Bowl every year or follow teams around like Virginia Tech or Alabama? I highly doubt it, and I bet most of the better athletes and players would feel the same way.

[underdog]

It wouldnt work because the NFL wouldnt agree to draft players from that league

What if all the great players started going to that league?

[IMSlacker]

What if all the great players started going to that league?

I think he means that the NFL siding with the NCAA would keep the league from getting off the ground in the first place. The best athletes wouldn't go if it meant they wouldn't get drafted by the NFL.

[ozzie]

The NFL should realize by now the benefit of forming and supporting a true minor league system. 32 minor league teams, each affiliated and operated by a parent NFL organization.

Quit waiting around for someone else to start an independent league that the NFL has no affiliation with.

And quit worrying about TV or attendance. Run the league in the fall at the same time the NFL is playing, and use it for what it's for. A place to test marginal draft picks, or stockpile talent you can draw from. It would be for the league, not for the fans.

They keep putting touch-football rules in place and praying that they don't have too many injuries because mid-season pick-ups are not actively playing the game, and usually can't help immediately.

If it were up to me, I also wouldn't worry about finding minor cities or states to host. Play it like we did Varsity and JV football back in school. Expand your facilities to carry an additional 40 - 50 players, train and practice together, and even travel together during the season.

Giants at Eagles on Sunday afternoon.... Giants JV vs Eagles JV on the Saturday afternoon before, and who gives a shit if attendance is low, or if it's not televised. Minor league baseball is rarely if ever televised, and their attendance is shit compared to the majors.

The benefit there is that you have players who are familiar with your terminology and system, who teams could draw from. And who knows, some NFL cities aren't big college towns. You may get a lot of folks to come out and watch the games on the Saturday before, especially if you are grooming a hot young QB or other stud players that look like they'd be in the show one day.

Reduced ticket prices, MUCH reduced salaries for players and coaches, and make it fan friendly. Most traveling teams are in town the day before anyway. Have some NFL players and coaches making appearances at the JV game.

Bottom line, with only 32 NFL teams, and 4 - 5 rounds of picks with a legit shot to make an NFL roster, there is a lot of talent that goes undrafted every year. Teams could take a chance on a 5' 11" college QB and have him play JV against other NFL prospects before everyone just gives up on him and he gets a job selling cars.

[SP1!]

What if all the great players started going to that league?

It wouldnt matter one bit if the NFL said they wouldnt sign players from that league, I dont give a shit who went to the league if the NFL didnt sign off on it for a larger pay day then it doesnt mean shit.

That is the main reason for them to go in the first place, a larger payday.

[Knowledged_one]

Ron has brought up on the air a few times an idea for a football league that would compete with the NCAA. This league would be for football players age 18-23 only, would provide those athletes with a salary, and would serve as a sort of minor league for the NFL. It would directly compete with the NCAA for top high school athletes.

Ron believes that these college athletes are bringing in so much money to the school and the athletic program, that simply getting a free education is not enough payment to the athletes.

I have two questions, do you think this league is a good idea? And two, do you think NCAA athletes should get paid?

I think it is a completely retarded idea.

In order to compete you would have to set up a feeder system and considering there are roughly what 120 college football teams in division 1 and with most teams having what 60 or so players thats roughly 7500 football players. Out of those how many do you think go pro? Well the draft is 7 rounds and 32 teams so you get roughly 225 drafted and then maybe another 25 who make rosters that go undrafted. That leaves almost 7000 people with no life in football after college. How would a league replace the education these guys get to have jobs.

What happens to those in the other league who dont make the NFL cut? What do they have to fall back on? Where do they get the coaches from? The training staffs? The facilities to train and practice? The stadiums to play in?

The money that it would take is astronomical so that may be one of the stupidest sports ideas i think i have ever heard

[Knowledged_one]

The NFL should realize by now the benefit of forming and supporting a true minor league system. 32 minor league teams, each affiliated and operated by a parent NFL organization.

Quit waiting around for someone else to start an independent league that the NFL has no affiliation with.

And quit worrying about TV or attendance. Run the league in the fall at the same time the NFL is playing, and use it for what it's for. A place to test marginal draft picks, or stockpile talent you can draw from. It would be for the league, not for the fans.

They keep putting touch-football rules in place and praying that they don't have too many injuries because mid-season pick-ups are not actively playing the game, and usually can't help immediately.

If it were up to me, I also wouldn't worry about finding minor cities or states to host. Play it like we did Varsity and JV football back in school. Expand your facilities to carry an additional 40 - 50 players, train and practice together, and even travel together during the season.

Giants at Eagles on Sunday afternoon.... Giants JV vs Eagles JV on the Saturday afternoon before, and who gives a shit if attendance is low, or if it's not televised. Minor league baseball is rarely if ever televised, and their attendance is shit compared to the majors.

The benefit there is that you have players who are familiar with your terminology and system, who teams could draw from. And who knows, some NFL cities aren't big college towns. You may get a lot of folks to come out and watch the games on the Saturday before, especially if you are grooming a hot young QB or other stud players that look like they'd be in the show one day.

Reduced ticket prices, MUCH reduced salaries for players and coaches, and make it fan friendly. Most traveling teams are in town the day before anyway. Have some NFL players and coaches making appearances at the JV game.

Bottom line, with only 32 NFL teams, and 4 - 5 rounds of picks with a legit shot to make an NFL roster, there is a lot of talent that goes undrafted every year. Teams could take a chance on a 5' 11" college QB and have him play JV against other NFL prospects before everyone just gives up on him and he gets a job selling cars.

How are they going to fund this? Why not go ask David Stern (or Snoogans if hes here as his board character david stern) how the NBDL worked out, or NFL Europe none of them work because of the money and logistics.

If nobody comes to see the games how do you pay the people who work at the stadium?

And if its a choice minor league football on a Saturday would get trounced by the NCAA at every turn because the NCAA has tradition in its programs

[underdog]

It wouldnt matter one bit if the NFL said they wouldnt sign players from that league, I dont give a shit who went to the league if the NFL didnt sign off on it for a larger pay day then it doesnt mean shit.

That is the main reason for them to go in the first place, a larger payday.

So you actually think that if all the best players went to this "minor" league that there wouldn't be at least one NFL owner who would draft these players?

[Knowledged_one]

So you actually think that if all the best players went to this "minor" league that there wouldn't be at least one NFL owner who would draft these players?

Thats a horrible hypothetical because the best players would know their best chance to get drafted is in the NCAA and for sure all of the best players would not go to that league. Maybe after 20 or 30 years of building legitamacy it could work but not until then.