WSJ article: Why college football should be banned

[VideoEagle]

An interesting article by the author of Friday Night LIghts. I did enjoy the phrase "Outside of Las Cruces, where New Mexico State is located, how many people even know that the school has a football program? None, except maybe for some savvy contestants on "Jeopardy.""

I disagree with the overall article, but it makes for interesting reading

Here is the link! As I understand it, the link will work for non-subscribers for a few days.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I agree that Bob Stoops' and Nick Saban's salaries are pretty well ridiculous.

Otherwise, it's just the same old tired arguments we've heard a million times. The athletes receive nothing, even though they receive a completely-paid college education. The students receive nothing, as if all that comprises the college experience is found in books and lectures. If so, this writer needs to take on college union buildings, fraternities, and every non-directly-academic campus organization.

[GrayEagle]

If football and the myriad of other sports had no redeeming value then why would it continue for the last one hundred years plus? How many colleges and universities participate? Why colleges? Why not high schools? Sports mirror life. We work hard and strive for excellence. If sports weren't important then at least the majority of students would attend colleges that had no athletic teams (if they can find one). Every now and then some jackass comes along that wants to reinvent the wheel. And did I hear right? The motif of your livelihood is high school football?

Sure, greed can overtake every aspect of our lives but exposed greed serves as a deterrent to being unfair. Huge salaries should be decreased and eventually there will be enough complaints to make that happen but you don't throw out the baby with the bath water. We've enjoyed sports for centuries and still managed to advance our nation technologically. All studying and no diversion make Jack an educated idiot.

[Mark Gommesen]

Although article makes several points, it over looks others. The publicity generated by Division 1 sports, particularly football, is immeasurable it increases enrollment, increases the colleges visibility, encourages alumni involvement in university including donations. The problem is a few major conferences have monopolized the media revenues in college sports. I was shocked at the disparity between media contracts of the C-USA and the Big 12 for example. Broadcasters are making billions while paying the college conferences less than the programming they provide is worth, particularly to conferences other than a select few. This is why the CUSA/MWC most merge or form a alliance to negotiate media contracts.

[meangreendork]

College football isn't the problem - it's the NCAA and it's AQs that are the problem. Andrew McNulty throwing a football in a UNT uniform isn't the problem. It's that odds are, no matter what the team does or who it beats, UNT will never see the same financial benefits from media coverage that a losing BIG XII team will see.

[Quoner]

Rebuttal: http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/5/8/3004720/college-footballs-place-in-society-one-humble-opinion

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Odessa hated him after the book "Friday Night Lights" about Permian came out.... He misled a lot of people about what he was doing and about what he thought. He seemed to want to trash football then more than anything else..

[KRAM1]

Odessa hated him after the book "Friday Night Lights" about Permian came out.... He misled a lot of people about what he was doing and about what he thought. He seemed to want to trash football then more than anything else..

Still loved the book. Have a copy at home to this day.

The "why college football should be banned" stuff is just plain silly..."ain't" gonna happen. And, BTW, the taxpayers are not paying Stoops and Saban's inflated salaries. So, whatever they make is fine with me...want to talk about inflated salaries, let's talk about Hollywood, the music industry and professional athletes as well. On the other hand, free market...no tax dollars, one is free to buy or not buy the tickets, records, etc. So....if owners and fans want to pay the freight good for them. No problem with it at all. Now, if the taxpayer was on the hook...as they are for some of the studium around the country, then that, my friend, is another matter altogether. Pay the taxpayer off first...or don't have the taxpayer involved in the first place...before the owner makes a dime over expenses. Just sayin......fun discussion topic however, no?

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Still loved the book. Have a copy at home to this day.

The "why college football should be banned" stuff is just plain silly..."ain't" gonna happen. And, BTW, the taxpayers are not paying Stoops and Saban's inflated salaries. So, whatever they make is fine with me...want to talk about inflated salaries, let's talk about Hollywood, the music industry and professional athletes as well. On the other hand, free market...no tax dollars, one is free to buy or not buy the tickets, records, etc. So....if owners and fans want to pay the freight good for them. No problem with it at all. Now, if the taxpayer was on the hook...as they are for some of the studium around the country, then that, my friend, is another matter altogether. Pay the taxpayer off first...or don't have the taxpayer involved in the first place...before the owner makes a dime over expenses. Just sayin......fun discussion topic however, no?

..

--A good post Kram... Coach's and sports saleries are crazy but as you pointed out... very little of it is from tax dollars. A lot this madness go back to about 1980..... why then..... the space program had gotten to the point that we had good communication satelites and all of a sudden cable TV networks popped up everywhere including 24 hours sports, news, and entertainment and even movie channels... Roger Staubach's highest salery was about was only $250,000 if I remember right and he was rather well paid by NFL standards. Once cable TV and 24 hour media was in place entertainment and sports salaries zoomed up... Now so many people wear sports clothing as well which creats more money for them which was not the case when iI was growing up and even in college years.. There so much money out there now that did not exist before. . Ticket prices are crazy in many places.... but look at the stands... most are very full... so it is hard to argue they are too high... there is a demand and they can sell a lot of them..

Edited May 11, 2012 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[UNTflyer]

"The players themselves don't benefit, exploited by a system in which they don't receive a dime of compensation."

Cost to attend four years at:

$186,920 - Notre Dame

$130,536 - Cal Berkley

$226,906 - SMU

$229,224 - Vanderbilt

$225,936 - Tulane

$228,720 - Duke

Edited May 11, 2012 by UNTflyer