Arena 2023-24 NCAA Football Discussion

Yeah, I believe ESPN aired a football game from them last week.

 

Why on earth has this season not been cancelled yet!?

 

Kirk Herbstreit getting choked up on GameDay discussing racial injustice. Admire it for the words and the stand but also the willingness to show emotion like this on TV.

Herbie's a real one.

 

First college football player dead of COVID complications.

Son of a former Steeler/Bengals player too.

 

And theoretically that should be ending the "football players can't die from this, they're young and healthy" narrative.

This stuff is why, as much as I enjoy the college football season, I'm not watching any games coming out of areas with high COVID rates. And as the only states with low rates are, like, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, that's no football for now.

 

I don't know if I should be surprised or not that this news didn't get more coverage. I saw it yesterday. The VA Tech/UVA game to be played next week has been at very least postponed: https://www.pilotonline.com/sports/...0200912-m4nm6ibkgffqfjmqls7kkaschi-story.html

I'm not surprised because I feel like we (as a country) are doing everything possible to ignore the virus and just go on with normal life. If they report this they are admitting there's a problem. I literally could only find one major National source had covered the story (USA Today). I consider the Washington Post local since both schools are in VA and many kids from the NOVA part of the DC suburbs go to both schools. The numbers of students testing positive according to the linked story at VA Tech is not good. But that's a discussion for the Pandemic thread.

 

I think it's more that the national news is more focused on the wildfires out west and the pandemic in general than sports at the moment.

 

LSU wants to truly prove that herd immunity is a thing without a vaccine:

 

From what is being reported, Ohio State is the one that got the big push for it to return. Makes sense. They are the one team in the B1g that could win a national title.

I am happy though B1G at least waited until next month so at least they can test the players everyday like they are planning. Obviously controlling migration is much more manageable when you are doing that.

 

They are not free labor, they get scholarships worth hundreds thousands of dollars. Can you say they are still being underpaid IE should be allow to make money outside of school just like anyone else can including endorsements and memorabilia? Yes. Their compensation is not up to what they are making for these schools. But again they are not "free labor", they are getting compensated for playing sports and D1 athletes do not even have to "work" at the school like some other divisions as to. Like DIII scholarship athletes have to work at the school beyond playing their sport. My roommate in college was on a full scholarship at a DIII school (we were in apartment that was 10 minutes between each of our campuses) and also had to work at the ticket booth at the football games and/or the weight room.

 

There are no D3 Athletic Scholarship.

They don't get any income. So they are free labor. In most cases, they are actually restricted from getting income.

 

Actually there are. They are just "official" athletic scholarships but there are athletes who are given scholarships at DIII and in return again have to work other jobs within the school that they receive NO PAY for. It's no different then private high schools that give "scholarships" to athletes and then have to work at the school again without pay. See Christian Laettner in high school for details.

 

I was a D3 athlete. I do not know of a single story where grants and such resulted in a "full scholarship" based on athletics. A work-study job, a merit-based scholarship, or a need-based financial aid package are not athletic scholarships-- unless you're suggesting there's widespread fraud at the D3 level where those are being given to athletes without the other criteria.

Also where are you seeing the "Ohio State is the one that got the big push" reported? Certainly the Buckeyes had more incentive than other teams, but Nebraska players literally sued the Conference and their state Attorney General got involved lol.

As someone who has followed the process closely, the largest factor seems to have been the change in rapid testing options-- as well as info around myocarditis. I don't think presidents at, like, Rutgers or Michigan (the rivalry aside-- their prez is a medical doctor who has not shown great love for the football program in the past) would care much an Ohio State title-bid-related push. Unless Bucks threatened to leave the B1G, which I haven't heard anything about.

Hopefully the structure of football programs keeps players safer than some of them otherwise might've been-- like the Miami of Ohio dumbasses having positive house parties. It's the one thing that helps me rationalize watching at all.

Nobody should be on campus at all, honestly.

 

I mean sure. You live your reality. My source documentation is not only the official website, but also the fact that I went to a D-3 school.

The link I provided noted that 75% of D-3 student athletes receive some kind of merit and/or needs-based support.

And, yeah, Lloyd ninja'd me and has even more closely related real life experience. But I still wanted to get in the mini dig about your reality vs actual reality.

 

I would put money on Luke's roommate telling everyone he got a "full athletic scholarship" to pick up chicks.

Except I would not actually put money on that, I'm still paying for my D3 school.

 

My roommate in college was on a " A work-study job" program for a DIII school in reality was a athletic scholarship for track and field since they were a powerhouse team (they won the national championship our senior year of college) . My Godchild was offered the same thing at a bunch of DIII schools until University of Illinois offered him a athletic scholarship late. It might not have the title of "athletic scholarships" but that is what it acts like. I also had so many students over the ten plus years have the same thing. Mostly for football but few for lacrosse as well though lacrosse is mostly a club sport in college still. I mean how ironic is that the kids who get merit scholarships and work-study programs at DIII schools often times just happen to play sports and be good at them LOL!

Sure @DarthIntegral that is why all these DIII coaches are parading into our school and hanging out in our PE offices as they are offering "merit scholarships" only including asking us coaches about players including what "help" they will need. Again it might not say "athletic scholarship" but that is what it is since let's face it, if the kid did not play a sport they would not be getting interested to be recruited and receive financial help. Period.

Actually no @LloydChristmas as he wound up marrying his high school sweetheart (still married to this day) as they meet her first day of high school (he was a Sophomore). She never had a chance!

And the cat is out of the bag with these kids on campuses. Even if they shutdown the campuses, I don't see a lot of them going home or at least trying to stay.

 

Awful decision by the B1G.

 

I agree @mnjedi though I do again give them credit for waiting until at least they had the testing capacities to have a reasonable job of controlling migration. Had the other conferences waited I think everyone would be in a much better place to resume safely and not happen what apparently did at LSU. Ultimately I think they really did not it for this year but rather future years since let us assume for a moment both B1G and Pac12 do not play this year but the other three powerhouse conferences (and ND) do with no serious consequences. That could put the B1G and Pac12 at a major disadvantage recruiting wise for the next several years as the other three conferences can go, "we were able to play when those other schools were not". Pus it would effect TV deals going forward since I hate to admit it but it is a cut throat business and the SEC, ACC, Big12 and ND were able to play IE provide content to networks when the B1G and Pac12 were not.

 

Also, you know the cost of education only exists on paper. Someone could say "The cost of tuition at Harvard is $0." In which case a scholarship is $0. There's a difference in being paid money or bartering for goods or services.

College athletes are unpaid . They are literally free labor -- which doesn't mean that there is no cost associated with them, but that they are literally unpaid labor. The revenue per student is much, much higher than the cost per student -- so the university is paid (also has a cost), the staff are paid (also has a cost), etc. Everyone is paid, except the labor generating the revenue.

 

You are free to have the opinion the Big Ten coming back is a bad decision. But don’t have this take

 

That's... certainly a take!