SB 206 Law

[armyhockeyfan]

I'm sure you guys have heard of the new law in California that will allow athletes in that state to benefit off of their likeness. While colleges and the ncaa cannot pay student athletes directly, this could allow colleges to pay athletes through a third party. Does anybody else see how laws like this could hurt schools like Army?

With this new law taking effect in 2023, schools in California will not be members of the ncaa anymore. But that does not matter because more elite players will now go to Cal schools because they can make money there.

If New York ends up signing a law like this, will it benefit or hurt Army?

[gabn92]

The NCAAs "threat" that California schools won't be able to remain in the NCAA is ridiculous...this isn't going to stop with California. I don't remember the number, but heard just the other day that there are already several other states with similar legislation being developed/considered.

There's no way other elite schools allow California to have this benefit that attracts players and not offer the same thing. A state like Alabama, with no professional teams...lives and breathes Alabama and Auburn football. They'll pass what they need to in order to keep their schools competitive...and the rest of the SEC would follow, as would other conferences of course.

If (when) California passes this legislation, the proverbial genie will be out of the bottle and the rest of college football will follow...IMHO.

I don't think it impacts Army. In scenario #1, California is the only state to pass the law and thus draws more interest from more elite athletes to its schools because of the money. There are still a fixed number of scholarships and fixed number of D-1 schools. Army will still "get theirs". In scenario #2, this is a run away train and either the NCAA changes its rules or all states follow California with similar laws...it becomes a non-factor because it's the same benefit for everyone.

The only way I see this hurting Army is if there's a third scenario, where there's a group of states that pass this legislation, but the NCAA and other states don't budge. In that case, the landscape of college football changes greatly with a group of states/teams that breaks away from the NCAA and other states that decide to go for the status quo. I don't think this is a very likely scenario as it would mean the end of college football as we know it, creating in effect 2 x D-1 "tiers": the paid and the unpaid.

Interested in what others think?

[wpgrad]

I think when things like this happen people always think "football" but forget that there are a whole lotta sports in NCAA besides football. And, its important to keep in mind that most Division 1 athletic departments LOSE money each year, overall, and about 1/3rd of D1 football teams lose money.

My thought is that this is the extreme proposal and, over the next 3 years, a happy medium will be reached. I do see some type of thing occurring where (a) schools will have the option to pay their players but it will be on a school by school basis (b) individual players will have the right to make money off of their name, example, Baker Mayfield can do a TV commerical at Oklahoma or whatever.

[ArmyFan1995]

Pennsylvania just jumped on board with their own proposal. Many will follow.

I am more curious about how it would impact Army from a cadet stand point -- assume for a moment that NY State passes the same law, would cadets who already receive a monthly stipend and are considered federal employees be eligible for additional compensation?

[PrideandDream]

So there is no doubt it's about to get super interesting. There are so many angles and you all have hit on many of them. Do schools pay direct? A 3rd party? A lot of this is about likeness and endorsements. So if your school sells a jersey who owns the number? Can they sell jersey number 21 without your name? But pay you if it has your name? Can you license your name on your own? Can Chik Fil A sponsor you to put an ad on your jersey? What about Nike? Will they contract in the future with the school or the player? Can you imagine kids coming in with their own shoe and apparel contracts counter to the schools? I mean to some extent I suppose the model is already there in the NFL but the NFL is a Unionized labor v management structure. No schools and NCAA to worry about. No Title IX to worry about. No non revenue sports to worry about. No FCS, DIV II DIV III schools to worry about which by the way are the bulk of voting members right? How about all these transfers and eligibility rules? They've got to be impacted in some way I would think. Recruiting has to be impacted to maintain some essence of a level playing field. Conference alignments and TV revenues? I mean good lord it's an endless black hole of issues for certain.

But none the less, the NCAA has created and allowed for this monster and the schools have willingly facilitated it. So be it. Players must be paid because at the end of it all they it is not true ametuerism. When the NCAA and Universities have bent over backwards to change admissions standards, fabricate classes (I'm looking at you UNC), not enforce graduation before draft eligibility, not provide some basic level of healthcare for injured athletes that allows then to fully recover and continue their studies until graduation, allowed massive TV deals for schools and conferences, etc etc etc and yet they still hide behind the guise that football and basketball are still amatuer sports then they deserve what is coming.

Truth be told I'm really conflicted. Their is real money involved and the benefit of that money should go directly to those generating it, the Athletes. Specifically football and basketball. Whether you like that or not that is the reality. People line up and spend great sums to watch those two sports. Football in particular due to the relatively high injury rate. There is no reason that FBS football players aren't realizing as much benefit from the revenue produced from their play as possible. However, it should be equally divided amongst individual teams. They prepare and practice as a team. They play as a team. They win and lose as a team. The reward should come as a team.

However, I also am sad because I fully recognize that this has the true potential to destroy both college football and basketball as we know it. It could move it to a totally junior professional model. It could totally separate the haves from the have nots and it could be detrimental to all other college sports which thrive in the shadow of the two main revenue producers. And that would be an equal travesty for many of the other student athletes that really do love their sports their teams and their universities.

I usually have an answer for most things on this board but the more I read and listen and think about this one the more I'm certain I have no idea currently how to solve it without causing severe damage to Army Football and many other great institutions.

PD

[RABBLE]

If all this transpires, it will mean the end of college sports as we know it. We might as well drop collegiate football and basketball and let the pro leagues form their own junior leagues run by themselves as farm talent for the majors.