[Genuine Realist]

A Chronicle letter to editor today by the great Gary Cavalli. He backs the SB and says that the NCAA will never ban Cali schools. Since it won’t take effect until 2023 the NCAA has time to weasel out a compromise allowing some payments.

It's a start. It doesn't go nearly far enough. The field should be entirely open. The problems will disappear almost overnight - and some kids who should stay in school and learn a little more, will be able to do so, while still cashing out in a way that can benefit their family.

Depending on how you do it, this is a somewhat underrated article for allowing for compensation of athletes.  However, the devil is always in the details, and how you structure the incentives matters.  Would a sponsor pressure athletes to go pro earlier rather than provide money that gives them the freedom to stay in college longer.

BC

BC

In the world I'd like to see, where third party payments would be completely permissible, most good athletes would already be under option contracts to pro franchises. They'd go to college, or to development leagues, or - in the rarest case - straight to the franchise, depending on how they rated. There'd be no distinction between pro and amateur.

Most would head to college, because it's a good deal in terms of keeping life options open. They have to meet NCAA standards of eligibility and academic progress. But, like a computer or music major, they might leave school if the opportunity beckons, i.e., if there's a place for them on the big league squad. There's a theoretical issue that the pros are going to interfere with college squads, but in practice that'll disappear. As noted, coaches at both levels are going to have pretty much the same evaluation of a kid, where he rates and what he has to do to progress. Although the NCAA and (say) the NBA are too separate entities in this scenario, it's a near certainty that the coaching associations  would work out a protocol. It's madness to disrupt a college squad in mid season, and there are next to no players who justify the ill will. So you'd work out a protocol where an NBA GM alerts the school that it has a place for a given player, and he likely will not be in school in the following term. That's a helluva lot more notice than coaches get now.

Toss the notion of barrier out completely and imagine. In my world, a kid might complete the college season, and finals, and then be assigned by the team that holds his option to the major franchise for the balance of the season. then he might spend the summer playing in an NBA league. And in the fall? He returns to school and plays. The only thing that matters is academic eligibility.

And if he leaves school, and it doesn't work out? Then he returns a year later, assuming the school still wants him, and rejoins the squad. Why not?

Anything is possible. Forget about any penalty or ineligibility for being involved with a pro team or an agent not affiliated with the school. It all works beautifully. 

I'll post my link again. 

https://grealistink.typepad.com/wordplay...cruit.html

[Genuine Realist]

A Chronicle letter to editor today by the great Gary Cavalli. He backs the SB and says that the NCAA will never ban Cali schools. Since it won’t take effect until 2023 the NCAA has time to weasel out a compromise allowing some payments.

It's a start. It doesn't go nearly far enough. The field should be entirely open. The problems will disappear almost overnight - and some kids who should stay in school and learn a little more, will be able to do so, while still cashing out in a way that can benefit their family.

Depending on how you do it, this is a somewhat underrated article for allowing for compensation of athletes.  However, the devil is always in the details, and how you structure the incentives matters.  Would a sponsor pressure athletes to go pro earlier rather than provide money that gives them the freedom to stay in college longer.

BC

BC

In the world I'd like to see, where third party payments would be completely permissible, most good athletes would already be under option contracts to pro franchises. They'd go to college, or to development leagues, or - in the rarest case - straight to the franchise, depending on how they rated. There'd be no distinction between pro and amateur.

Most would head to college, because it's a good deal in terms of keeping life options open. They have to meet NCAA standards of eligibility and academic progress. But, like a computer or music major, they might leave school if the opportunity beckons, i.e., if there's a place for them on the big league squad. There's a theoretical issue that the pros are going to interfere with college squads, but in practice that'll disappear. As noted, coaches at both levels are going to have pretty much the same evaluation of a kid, where he rates and what he has to do to progress. Although the NCAA and (say) the NBA are too separate entities in this scenario, it's a near certainty that the coaching associations  would work out a protocol. It's madness to disrupt a college squad in mid season, and there are next to no players who justify the ill will. So you'd work out a protocol where an NBA GM alerts the school that it has a place for a given player, and he likely will not be in school in the following term. That's a helluva lot more notice than coaches get now.

Toss the notion of barrier out completely and imagine. In my world, a kid might complete the college season, and finals, and then be assigned by the team that holds his option to the major franchise for the balance of the season. then he might spend the summer playing in an NBA league. And in the fall? He returns to school and plays. The only thing that matters is academic eligibility.

And if he leaves school, and it doesn't work out? Then he returns a year later, assuming the school still wants him, and rejoins the squad. Why not?

Anything is possible. Forget about any penalty or ineligibility for being involved with a pro team or an agent not affiliated with the school. It all works beautifully. 

I'll post my link again. 

https://grealistink.typepad.com/wordplay...cruit.html