Can colleges lock players to a contract

[WildcatsAndBourbon]

You know, I’m excited about Pope and I do want to see the next chapter as it unfolds. But I also don’t know that I can be that much of a fan of one year mercenaries.

I do have a curiosity about the ongoing changes…since college sports are changing to be like pro sports, could a college lock a player to a time based contract. Could a college say, “Yea, we’ll get you that money, but you have to guarantee your going to be here for 2 or 3 years?”

 

[CincinnatiWildcat]

Maybe, but if another school doesn't make you promise more than 1 year they will probably choose that other school, the beauty of markets.

 

[EliteBlue]

This is why it needs to go ahead and progress to the universities paying the players and not collectives. Make them employees. This comes with potential salary/NIL caps to pay players but maintain some level Of equal playing field.

Now GM roles matter bc roster management of deciding if you want to drop 5m on a single star or go get 5 1m type guys etc comes into play. It also opens the door to universities signing bigger deals for multi year deals tiered monthly payments that increase the deeper into the contract you get….with buyout clauses if a player transfers where said player or receiving university would have to pay 10% of remaining contract etc.

Those simple changes deters serial multi transfers for a single player and also deters tampering. Gives a chance for some roster continuity as well as preventing the richest schools from dominating and killing any real competition that isn’t just open highest bidder. Also make it a violation if the money comes from outside the university or businesses… and the business can’t be owned by an established booster; if so, they just have to donate to the university channels (I.e. Nike can’t use Oregon players tk give multi million deal. Tysons chicken can’t write obscene salary commercial spots as a loophole. If you allow it then it would have to be approved by a third party that sets “average market value for this type of work nationally” and you can’t pay more than that….like appraisals in other fields)

We are a professional sport now. Time to admit it and implement business rules like every other pro sport has. Current the college landscape is the only anarchy Wild West Pro Sport. All the others have structure. We need to build the structure. Kids can have agents now…this is what agents are there for.

It isn’t a complex problem to solve….we have endless examples all around to base it on

OOORRRRRR…… the schools and leagues come together and say we need to revert. Decide that all college athletes get paid from a percentage of the conference TV money and postseason money. (Say 20%). Athletes get paid from the 20% pot of what their sport brings in…or even a flat rate for all athletes that play in televised games. (Sorry rifle team). So all football players in the SEC get 100k a year (random amount..just an example)….. they are getting paid and arent the martyrs they were being made to be that started this movement. 6figure jobs puts them in the top 20% of salaries w college degrees. The reality is, we can go back to no boosters, no sponsors, maintain non college conference stipend amateurism…..if they complain and want tk sit out or go overseas or to the nonexistent GLeague…who cares. College sports has the following bc of the loyal fan bases and people will continue to watch like they always have even if you miss out if the top 10% of talent And truth be told, the athletes need the stage of college athletics just as much as the colleges need them. Even if NFL/NBA made full blown minor league systems there will still be plenty of ppl that attend colleges that are good if not great athletes for college sports to continue and be entertaining (again, the college fanbase watch out if state and school pride, not to be entertained by the worlds best pros)…baseball has had the option for players to skip college all together for years and the CWS has survived and thrower even as the least watched major sport.

I personally prefer option 2….(although option 1 is more realistic what can/will happen). Option 1 is simpler and more true to COLLEGE athletics while the athletes are still getting a cut of what they are earning for the university. Guess what…harsh reality, employees of multimillion dollar businesses don’t make millions typically your lead engineer at Lockheed makes 100-200k, same at Apple etc….when you’re a Pro, go get your mega million endorsements

 

[Mike-D]

as of right now, uhhh nope. you can't lock anyone into a contract on name, image, likeness. until the NCAA figures their shit out, this is where we are. the end.

 

[Jerbear76]

You know, I’m excited about Pope and I do want to see the next chapter as it unfolds. But I also don’t know that I can be that much of a fan of one year mercenaries.

I do have a curiosity about the ongoing changes…since college sports are changing to be like pro sports, could a college lock a player to a time based contract. Could a college say, “Yea, we’ll get you that money, but you have to guarantee your going to be here for 2 or 3 years?”

Colleges don’t pay players. If they did they could lock them into a contract but will do whatever it takes not to split revenues.

 

[cal=8]

I'm pretty sure Virginia just made it legal for Colleges to compensate players. That's where it's headed, contracts and all.

 

[UK90]

You know, I’m excited about Pope and I do want to see the next chapter as it unfolds. But I also don’t know that I can be that much of a fan of one year mercenaries.

I do have a curiosity about the ongoing changes…since college sports are changing to be like pro sports, could a college lock a player to a time based contract. Could a college say, “Yea, we’ll get you that money, but you have to guarantee your going to be here for 2 or 3 years?”

I’m pretty sure that can’t happen as long the NCAA clings to this fictional notion that they’re really just “student athletes”, not employees, and that this is just amateur, not professional, sports.

Once the NCAA finally cuts the bullshit and admits what this really is …a university-sponsored professional team …then maybe we can get some common sense regulation with fixed length contracts like other pro sports have.

 

[SoCaliCat]

Players are not considered employees of the University, so I can't see what basis there would be to form a contract. It'll all be sorted .... eventually.

 

[Anthony B]

I think they need to set limits on how often a player can transfer. No player should be playing for a different team every year. Thats the equivalent of a free agent signing a 1 year contract year after year.

 

[TankedCat]

I said this on another thread

NIL retention bonus

a multi year back end loaded deal where a player would get a bucket load of money to play multiple years at a college.

Of course he loses all motivation to perform at a high level if he knows he is locked in and is going to get paid regardless.

 

[DDMatUK=NBA]

Contracts are really just agreements put in writing and for the most part, are legally enforceable. I see no reason it can't be done.

 

[MrHotDice]

I think they need to set limits on how often a player can transfer. No player should be playing for a different team every year. Thats the equivalent of a free agent signing a 1 year contract year after year.

It is free agency, there is no equivalent to it. As long as you can transfer for lack of playing time or coaching changes it becomes a joke.

I think the problem is nothing but the NBA lack of self control. Reed is a perfect example. In no way is he ready for a 80 game season. College has become the NBA rookie league and getting a education is not part of the equation.

 

[Cal-4-Three]

Contracts are really just agreements put in writing and for the most part, are legally enforceable. I see no reason it can't be done.

They are not employees. That's why the schools can't do that. The people who give them the NIL can make them sign something but if someone else at another school isn't requiring a signature then who do you think they will go to. It's the free market until they become employees and/or unionize which both are on the horizon.

 

[CaptnMorgan]

I fully admit I am very ignorant on this NIL subject, up until the coaching change I was out of the loop and had to Google the acronym when I saw it for the first time on here after coming back.

I want to ask a question or two for people who know much more than me. This NIL is a payment to a player to profit from themselves through sales of merchandise or whatever the case may be? If they end up laying an egg and don't play well, get legal trouble or removed from the team for other issues, do the university's have any way of collecting that money back or have any recourse?

If I do perform on what I say I will do at my employer or break the law or steal. I'm not going to have a job, probably arrested and sued. Just curious about this stuff because just the things I read makes it seem like a wild, wild west crap show right now.

 

[RipThru]

Until the college players unionize and collectively bargain you can't implement a salary cap or sign a contract

 

[truebluewildcat]

Contracts, pay scales, more organized professional type model is coming. I would expect some sort of collective bargaining coming as well.

It makes zero sense for colleges to just willy nilly give kids money without expectations of getting something in return. It makes zero sense for the turnover to be what it is. It's just people moving around for no other reason than they can. A lot aren't getting paid what they think they will, and they're not even getting the playing time/role they think they're signing up for.

Right now, everything is kind of new so there is no standard practice. That will change with time as kinks naturally get worked out. An organized market, free agency, pay scale, rules, transparency, etc is coming.

It's in the best interest of the programs and conferences. Maybe even pros, especially basketball.

NBA has declined in ratings, a large part of that is they don't have an incubator of stars. Which college could, should be and was for the longest time until the age rule/OAD. NBA screwed themselves and college game with that.

CBB hasn't had a star or stars in years. There are no good rivalries anymore. Kids just aren't sticking around long enough to cultivate those things. The elite talent is bouncing after a year, and there's too much turnover with everyone else who isn't going pro.

I think the big execs and decision makers are starting to realize this. When conferences realign and finish evolving into whatever they're going to be, and all the media/tv/money rights are figured out folks are going to see that it's in the best interest of all that some order and stability be maintained.

 

[mrschwump]

Scholarships are one year contracts, have been for decades. Guess you could attach a rider to that to say about anything you want to say.

 

[rabbitTown]

A college wouldn't lock players to a contract because they aren't paying players directly.
However, whoever is providing the NIL could have such stipulations in their contract.

 

[Catfanlou]

This is why it needs to go ahead and progress to the universities paying the players and not collectives. Make them employees. This comes with potential salary/NIL caps to pay players but maintain some level Of equal playing field.

Now GM roles matter bc roster management of deciding if you want to drop 5m on a single star or go get 5 1m type guys etc comes into play. It also opens the door to universities signing bigger deals for multi year deals tiered monthly payments that increase the deeper into the contract you get….with buyout clauses if a player transfers where said player or receiving university would have to pay 10% of remaining contract etc.

Those simple changes deters serial multi transfers for a single player and also deters tampering. Gives a chance for some roster continuity as well as preventing the richest schools from dominating and killing any real competition that isn’t just open highest bidder. Also make it a violation if the money comes from outside the university or businesses… and the business can’t be owned by an established booster; if so, they just have to donate to the university channels (I.e. Nike can’t use Oregon players tk give multi million deal. Tysons chicken can’t write obscene salary commercial spots as a loophole. If you allow it then it would have to be approved by a third party that sets “average market value for this type of work nationally” and you can’t pay more than that….like appraisals in other fields)

We are a professional sport now. Time to admit it and implement business rules like every other pro sport has. Current the college landscape is the only anarchy Wild West Pro Sport. All the others have structure. We need to build the structure. Kids can have agents now…this is what agents are there for.

It isn’t a complex problem to solve….we have endless examples all around to base it on

OOORRRRRR…… the schools and leagues come together and say we need to revert. Decide that all college athletes get paid from a percentage of the conference TV money and postseason money. (Say 20%). Athletes get paid from the 20% pot of what their sport brings in…or even a flat rate for all athletes that play in televised games. (Sorry rifle team). So all football players in the SEC get 100k a year (random amount..just an example)….. they are getting paid and arent the martyrs they were being made to be that started this movement. 6figure jobs puts them in the top 20% of salaries w college degrees. The reality is, we can go back to no boosters, no sponsors, maintain non college conference stipend amateurism…..if they complain and want tk sit out or go overseas or to the nonexistent GLeague…who cares. College sports has the following bc of the loyal fan bases and people will continue to watch like they always have even if you miss out if the top 10% of talent And truth be told, the athletes need the stage of college athletics just as much as the colleges need them. Even if NFL/NBA made full blown minor league systems there will still be plenty of ppl that attend colleges that are good if not great athletes for college sports to continue and be entertaining (again, the college fanbase watch out if state and school pride, not to be entertained by the worlds best pros)…baseball has had the option for players to skip college all together for years and the CWS has survived and thrower even as the least watched major sport.

I personally prefer option 2….(although option 1 is more realistic what can/will happen). Option 1 is simpler and more true to COLLEGE athletics while the athletes are still getting a cut of what they are earning for the university. Guess what…harsh reality, employees of multimillion dollar businesses don’t make millions typically your lead engineer at Lockheed makes 100-200k, same at Apple etc….when you’re a Pro, go get your mega million endorsements

Why can’t we use the basketball/ football tv windfall for this ? It should b 60 to 80 million . It’s from sports so why not plow it back into sports .i know it would take a rule change but so did NIL and the portal.