[SamuelMcF]

I have no problem at all with real endorsement money, or entrepreneurial efforts to make a few bucks hocking videos or the like, but the donor collectives buying players for no real business reasons while supported by far more than a wink from the institutions really feels to me like crossing a line to something distinctly different from what we have seen for 100 years. 

There's a distinct "but the players have always gotten paid" argument being thrown around, but the difference in amount is frankly absurd.

A dozen years ago, Cam Newton's dad asked Mississippi State('s boosters) for $180k to sign his son. And this wasn't straight out of HS either - this was the utterly dominant JuCo player of the year.

Tennessee('s boosters) are paying 5* QB Nico Iamaleava $8M.

Rumors are Texas A&M's #1 2022 signing class cost north of $20M altogether. Nick Saban called them out straight-up at SEC media days a little bit ago.

Any of these boosters have some spare $ to throw my startup instead? Can't be a worse investment since half these recruits will bust anyway.

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Of course if the U takes on a "We're something special, we're Stanford" then Stanford football is doomed (which it may be anyway).

They already are, and we already are.

[SamuelMcF]

I have no problem at all with real endorsement money, or entrepreneurial efforts to make a few bucks hocking videos or the like, but the donor collectives buying players for no real business reasons while supported by far more than a wink from the institutions really feels to me like crossing a line to something distinctly different from what we have seen for 100 years. 

There's a distinct "but the players have always gotten paid" argument being thrown around, but the difference in amount is frankly absurd.

A dozen years ago, Cam Newton's dad asked Mississippi State('s boosters) for $180k to sign his son. And this wasn't straight out of HS either - this was the utterly dominant JuCo player of the year.

Tennessee('s boosters) are paying 5* QB Nico Iamaleava $8M.

Rumors are Texas A&M's #1 2022 signing class cost north of $20M altogether. Nick Saban called them out straight-up at SEC media days a little bit ago.

Any of these boosters have some spare $ to throw my startup instead? Can't be a worse investment since half these recruits will bust anyway.

---

Of course if the U takes on a "We're something special, we're Stanford" then Stanford football is doomed (which it may be anyway).

They already are, and we already are.