[BostonCard]

The correct question, as BC posits, is whether $30 million in player payments is a worthy use of money.

In this you are IMO exactly correct. That is the question we are addressing. Of course, it isn't exactly that simple. There are all kinds of different policies that could be adopted. "Do this but not that" is in many cases an option. This makes the problem more difficult.

I think the economics term here is "revealed preference".  We can all talk about spending other people's money, but at the end of the day someone has to put up the money, and, while some people certainly have, no one has stepped up with ~$30 million a year.  And while the institution is certainly wealthy enough to do it, as far as I can tell the rules still prohibit schools from directly paying athletes (at least until fall 2025 when the settlement comes into effect).  I guess we will see at that point whether the school (or, more likely, donors, via the AD) pony up the ~$20 million that we will be able to "share" with athletes.  It's an awful system, but much less bad than what currently exists.

BC

[BostonCard]

The correct question, as BC posits, is whether $30 million in player payments is a worthy use of money.

In this you are IMO exactly correct. That is the question we are addressing. Of course, it isn't exactly that simple. There are all kinds of different policies that could be adopted. "Do this but not that" is in many cases an option. This makes the problem more difficult.

I think the economics term here is "revealed preference".  We can all talk about spending other people's money, but at the end of the day someone has to put up the money, and, while some people certainly have, no one has stepped up with ~$30 million a year.  And while the institution is certainly wealthy enough to do it, as far as I can tell the rules still prohibit schools from directly paying athletes (at least until fall 2025 when the settlement comes into effect).  I guess we will see at that point whether the school (or, more likely, donors, via the AD) pony up the ~$20 million that we will be able to "share" with athletes.  It's an awful system, but much less bad than what currently exists.

BC