[Goose]

More than anything else this thread convinced me we really, really need an NFL sponsored D-League.  

We need an option for talented players who want to play ball but view the rest of college (mandatory classwork, dorm life, school commitments, etc) as a nuisance with limited value.  If you are enduring college for a chance at professional sports then of course you want to be paid - you don't value the quid-pro-quo on offer and the money generated by big time sports is evident all around you.  To that person NCAA sports looks like indentured servitude. 

Of course to others it looks like the opportunity of a lifetime.  

The NFL has floated upon the free player development provided by the NCAA for at least 50 years.  There is no viable argument saying they don't have the money to make a d-league happen.  They've been supported by a free system which births well-known/hyped, well trained, and talented players into their league every year.  On the flip-side colleges are the only apprenticeship available if you want to play in the NFL.  (I'd guess NCAA alumni make up >98% of the NFL roster spots with the exceptions being over-seas kickers.)

We need an NFL sponsored D-League - so do the players.

As long as the universities generate a stream of players, the NFL doesn't need a D-league. There may be many players who don't want to attend college and would prefer a D-league option. The fans of the NFL don't care where the players come from. The fans of college football want the "best" players to be on the field for their school, although they probably would actually settle for much less (name on front of uniform >> name on back of uniform). Given that, I think the only people wanting a D-league are the players and possibly the universities if things get real ugly with the players. Right now, thre isn't enough to make a D-league happen IMHO.

[Goose]

More than anything else this thread convinced me we really, really need an NFL sponsored D-League.  

We need an option for talented players who want to play ball but view the rest of college (mandatory classwork, dorm life, school commitments, etc) as a nuisance with limited value.  If you are enduring college for a chance at professional sports then of course you want to be paid - you don't value the quid-pro-quo on offer and the money generated by big time sports is evident all around you.  To that person NCAA sports looks like indentured servitude. 

Of course to others it looks like the opportunity of a lifetime.  

The NFL has floated upon the free player development provided by the NCAA for at least 50 years.  There is no viable argument saying they don't have the money to make a d-league happen.  They've been supported by a free system which births well-known/hyped, well trained, and talented players into their league every year.  On the flip-side colleges are the only apprenticeship available if you want to play in the NFL.  (I'd guess NCAA alumni make up >98% of the NFL roster spots with the exceptions being over-seas kickers.)

We need an NFL sponsored D-League - so do the players.

As long as the universities generate a stream of players, the NFL doesn't need a D-league. There may be many players who don't want to attend college and would prefer a D-league option. The fans of the NFL don't care where the players come from. The fans of college football want the "best" players to be on the field for their school, although they probably would actually settle for much less (name on front of uniform >> name on back of uniform). Given that, I think the only people wanting a D-league are the players and possibly the universities if things get real ugly with the players. Right now, thre isn't enough to make a D-league happen IMHO.