Thompson takes lead

[Side Show Joe]

Brett wrote this article about Thompson's suit against the NCAA and its member conferences. The article quotes Thompson.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/colleges-headlines/20140815-thompson-takes-lead-in-compensation-suit-against-ncaa.ece

Edited August 15, 2014 by Side Show Joe

[northtexassigep]

I guess all those double wells and Vegas bombs added up at Tavern.

[Side Show Joe]

I guess all those double wells and Vegas bombs added up at Tavern.

Please explain.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Side Show Joe

[Christopher Walker]

Yay! Altruism! Suck it, haters.

[northtexassigep]

just a joke, not a funny one.

[H-towngreen]

I'm ok with a scholarship covering the full cost of living expense. Anything past that, no.

[VideoEagle]

I notice he's the "named" plaintiff and NOT the sole plaintiff. There's a huge difference!

[Mean Green 93-98]

I'm ok with a scholarship covering the full cost of living expense. Anything past that, no.

But what is the "full cost of living expense"? Does this include eating out a couple of times a week, and a couple of nights out partying? If so, why not eating out a couple of times a day, and money to really live it up partying a couple of nights? Many of us might include a car, with insurance, gas, maintenance, etc., as a cost of living--should that be included? If not, why not; and how do you draw a clear line? At what point has it crossed over from amateurism into semi-pro or pro? This whole thing is potentially opening up a Pandora's box.

[VideoEagle]

But what is the "full cost of living expense"? Does this include eating out a couple of times a week, and a couple of nights out partying? If so, why not eating out a couple of times a day, and money to really live it up partying a couple of nights? Many of us might include a car, with insurance, gas, maintenance, etc., as a cost of living--should that be included? If not, why not; and how do you draw a clear line? At what point has it crossed over from amateurism into semi-pro or pro? This whole thing is potentially opening up a Pandora's box.

Go with the Olympic model. There is a standard of "living expenses" although I'm not sure exactly what it is. Any endorsements, use of likeness, etc., goes that goes beyond those goes into some kind of trust until they are out of school. That fixes things like EA Sports/NCAA Football using actual players numbers and names. It also gives schools some support in paying for living expenses.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

“Derek’s a solid guy who puts the interest of others before himself,” Gudmundson said. “He wants to help the school and the sports he loves. Derek is not in this to get a couple of bucks.”

Duh. Yes, counsel Gudmundson. We all know that the plaintiffs in these things get chicken scratch compared to what the attorneys get if the lawsuit is successful.

What is disappointing to me is that, yes, open competition is coming - whether or not this lawsuit advances - but, that North Texas is not set financially to compete. Oklahoma is already setting up food trucks, and their AD says they will begin with a million dollar budget for that.

Derek, sadly, doesn't understand that the lawsuit of his "counsel," if successful, will create an even larger chasm between the haves and have nots.

The real problem will come when the 85 scholarship limit is eliminated again. You'll have what OU, Texas, and everyone else had in the 1970s - open season for any and all you can get on campus.

So, the decision for the poor kid becomes this: I can go to North Texas and start and get X amount in benefits. Or, I have an offer from OU to get XYZ amount of benefits, although my chances of starting there are no as good.

Back then, you had guys like Jimmy Rogers and Jim Culbreath going to OU, although never starting, but with enough talent to end up in the NFL. The sway of going to bowls and playing for national titles...and, whatever money OU's boosters were handing out...won out over starting.

In the future, the schools like OU will simply be the middle men for the boosters of old. Three decades ago, the NCAA busted SMU for it. Now, they are on the brink of endorsing it as long as the schools hand out the cash and prizes instead of the boosters.

It's coming soon, and it isn't good for UNT unless we decide to "feed the monster" the way the traditional schools have.

That's what we get for playing by the rules all these years: left behind in the dust...and, one of our former players helping widen the competitive canyon between us and OU/Texas/Bama, etc.

Edited August 15, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[untbowler]

sorry hard to feel bad for these guys getting everything paid for, yet wanting more, they could suck it up do what 90% of college do and have to get loans, work a job while attending classes and scrape by on pennies.

No sympathy for athletes, they chose to play and got taken care of. Very petty

[pastorgrant]

“Derek’s a solid guy who puts the interest of others before himself,” Gudmundson said. “He wants to help the school and the sports he loves. Derek is not in this to get a couple of bucks.”

Duh. Yes, counsel Gudmundson. We all know that the plaintiffs in these things get chicken scratch compared to what the attorneys get if the lawsuit is successful.

What is disappointing to me is that, yes, open competition is coming - whether or not this lawsuit advances - but, that North Texas is not set financially to compete. Oklahoma is already setting up food trucks, and their AD says they will begin with a million dollar budget for that.

Derek, sadly, doesn't understand that the lawsuit of his "counsel," if successful, will create an even larger chasm between the haves and have nots.

The real problem will come when the 85 scholarship limit is eliminated again. You'll have what OU, Texas, and everyone else had in the 1970s - open season for any and all you can get on campus.

So, the decision for the poor kid becomes this: I can go to North Texas and start and get X amount in benefits. Or, I have an offer from OU to get XYZ amount of benefits, although my chances of starting there are no as good.

Back then, you had guys like Jimmy Rogers and Jim Culbreath going to OU, although never starting, but with enough talent to end up in the NFL. The sway of going to bowls and playing for national titles...and, whatever money OU's boosters were handing out...won out over starting.

In the future, the schools like OU will simply be the middle men for the boosters of old. Three decades ago, the NCAA busted SMU for it. Now, they are on the brink of endorsing it as long as the schools hand out the cash and prizes instead of the boosters.

It's coming soon, and it isn't good for UNT unless we decide to "feed the monster" the way the traditional schools have.

That's what we get for playing by the rules all these years: left behind in the dust...and, one of our former players helping widen the competitive canyon between us and OU/Texas/Bama, etc.

I want to throw out another hypothetical regarding this whole situation. What if CUSA and AAC both keep up with the new rules that the P5 are setting out (as I think both conferences have voted to do, I know CUSA has), and it essentially becomes a P7 with us included? What would we all think then? I think if that did happen, we would start to see our schools bringing in more, so that we could potentially afford to keep keeping up.

It seems like this whole thing could potentially be a back door into the "haves" category for us. I don't know that will happen, but I think that being in CUSA vs being in the Belt gives us a much better shot at something like this happening. CUSA is much more proactive and aggressive than the Belt was. Actually, we voted to pay cost of attendance before any of the P5 leagues officially did.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Your hypothetical is fine...but, would require us to pony up OU/Texas-type booster money in the future. And, for the school to be receiving television and bowl money equal to Big 12/SEC/Big Ten-type television and bowl contracts.

Of those three things, zero are happening now or have happened in the past. And, it is highly unlikely that it will happen in the future...unless one of us wins the lottery each year and decides to give most of what is left after taxes on the prize to UNT.

[pastorgrant]

Your hypothetical is fine...but, would require us to pony up OU/Texas-type booster money in the future. And, for the school to be receiving television and bowl money equal to Big 12/SEC/Big Ten-type television and bowl contracts.

Of those three things, zero are happening now or have happened in the past. And, it is highly unlikely that it will happen in the future...unless one of us wins the lottery each year and decides to give most of what is left after taxes on the prize to UNT.

We won't keep up with the UTs and the OUs, but I could see us keeping up with the KStates and the Texas Techs if we keep winning and the hypothetical I laid out happens.

[Harry]

We won't keep up with the UTs and the OUs, but I could see us keeping up with the KStates and the Texas Techs if we keep winning and the hypothetical I laid out happens.

agreed

[oldguystudent]

just a joke, not a funny one.

Exactly. The jocks go to RipRocks.

[cogido]

What's new about greed? OK, I didn't get a full scholarship to continue playing football after high school, my bad luck. I got to go to a war, survived, used the GI Bill ( which didn't pay for EVERYTHING either) and I also worked to make ends meet and went to NT full time and graduated. Now I spend big bucks on UNT athletics which I love, BUT, I'm disappointed in Derek's lawsuit because it's just another example of "give ME, ME, ME more." Greed sucks, whether it's the Universities or the players, ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL. GMG.

[Mean Green 93-98]

We won't keep up with the UTs and the OUs, but I could see us keeping up with the KStates and the Texas Techs if we keep winning and the hypothetical I laid out happens.

I don't think so. K-State athletics took in $36.8 million in gifts alone last year. Not to mention, they have a football program that churns out a major profit at the gate (over 50k in attendance every game). We are further than light years away from keeping up with these teams, financially speaking, even if we can catch up with them on the field.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Mean Green 93-98

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I don't think so. K-State athletics took in $36.8 million in gifts alone last year. Not to mention, they have a football program that churns out a major profit at the gate (over 50k in attendance every game). We are further than light years away from keeping up with these teams, financially speaking, even if we can catch up with them on the field.

Exactly. And, whether we keep winning or not, whatever we are doing doesn't exist in a vacuum. Kansas State and Texas Tech are getting tens of millions of dollars each season, whether or not they win, due to conference bowl money and television money.

No one is standing still waiting for us to catch up. And, again, I say the Criminal 5 conferences will push further until they have no limit in scholarships or money spent. They are now legalizing what they punished SMU for in the 80s.

And, who really believes this will stop at food? Once the food is upped to what the athletes think is equal to "the rest of the non-athlete student body" (which is absurd, because it's already better), then what's to stop the complaint train to moving on to subsidizing certain types of apartments, leasing of automobiles, etc.

It's not catching up, it's keeping up, and realizing that it's no longer about long term gratitude for getting an education paid for. It's about what can I get now. The Criminal 5 are simply tired of hiding their dirt.

Turns out, the shrimpy Miami booster busted a few years ago was ahead of his time, a pioneer in the new Football Welfare State.

Edited August 15, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I worked two jobs through school at almost all times. Some semesters, I couldn't afford to go full time. So, I went part-time.

It's insulting for the athletes to make this overarching assumption about what "the rest of the non-athlete students" are getting. I think most people I know were like me.

And, now, as much as college costs now, I can't imagine many students living as extravagantly as these athletes say they do.

[Ben Gooding]

"The Criminal 5 are simply tired of hiding their dirt." This is 100% accurate. Mixed in with greedy "student"-athletes and attorneys we have the shit show we are currently in.

[TheWestie]

Not advocating we go back to this but, for those of you older than me, when did the 24/7 365 college football life thing start? When you were at NT in the 70s, 80s, 90s, did players have enough free time to hold down a part-time job on campus? Or over the summer instead of working out with a S/C coach and taking a full load of summer classes?

[UNT 90 Grad]

Not advocating we go back to this but, for those of you older than me, when did the 24/7 365 college football life thing start? When you were at NT in the 70s, 80s, 90s, did players have enough free time to hold down a part-time job on campus? Or over the summer instead of working out with a S/C coach and taking a full load of summer classes?

"Here's a kid that would work at Whataburger", Villarreal said. "He would come to practice in the afternoon as a walk-on, then go in and take a shower and go to work. What's neat about him is once he went on scholarship, he continued to do the same thing."

Read more:

http://ntdaily.com/fitzgerald-made-big-impact-in-short-amount-of-timhttp://ntdaily.com/fitzgerald-made-big-impact-in-short-amount-of-time/e/

Edited August 16, 2014 by UNT 90 Grad

[Christopher Walker]

This is something not many of you get, but even when in some cases kids are able to be on these teams and also have jobs, they're still making minimum wage. It's a wage that simply has not kept up with the times and they cannot live off of it, even when combined with scholarship.

I also empathize with the "I worked my tail off in school, so can they" crowd because over the last seven years (six of those in school), I worked between two to four jobs or gigs at a time. Right now I work ~70-80 hours a week between four gigs.

The difference here is that only one of those gigs was ever minimum wage and I took it simply out of a love for the people I worked with. The others ranged from $10-33/hour because I also took the time to be specialized in a couple of things that warrant that sort of pay. That's lucky. That's luxury. And I'm super grateful for and humbled by it.

Student athletes do not get that luxury during their collegiate careers. The things they have the time to specialize in are their sport; their finely crafted entertainment for those fans who would so quickly turn around and complain that their entertainers are being greedy. An entertainment role that doesn't necessarily prepare them for the stark reality of it not continuing past graduation. And man, I would especially be aghast if anyone started to question their work ethic...

Now of course, no side in this is truly altruistic. You'll still have the glorified Manziels of the college sporting world. But Conference USA and it's member schools are committed to bridging the gap appropriately and in the right altruistic manner, and I'm damned proud of a school and conference that's willing to do that.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Christopher Walker

[Ben Gooding]

The minimum wage argument is a moot point. No one forces them to play. It is 100% voluntary. In the event that universities and/or the NCAA starts to force these guys to play football then sure, pay them. Aside from that they are compensated very well for their volunteer work. I guess the next time I go box canned goods for the sake of volunteering I am going to ask to be compensated. Next time I donate blood I am going to ask for more than a sugar cookie. Next time I mow my 80-year-old neighbors yard I am going to ask her for compensation. Next time I stop on the side of the road to help someone change a tire I am going to be ask for compensation after I am done. Again, no one forces them to play. If they aren't happy with their compensation then don't play. Simple.