College Football - A Great Deal for Every Player

It has been a slow transition, but one I have definitely noticed over the years. College football is not the same game that I knew growing up as a kid. Maybe I was naive back then, but I think the change has been noticeable enough.

College football used to be more about the fun and the rivalry and the school pride. And while those properties still exist in name, it seems more of the game has become about the coaches, the recruiting process, and of course, the money.

It's more of a business these days. Ticket prices are up, many more games are on TV --- the revenue is piling in and everyone seems to be benefiting more and more... except the players.

And that's the problem with college football - nobody is there to protect the players. There's no union, there's no pro-bono lawyers. These are kids being used and it's starting to get a little out of hand.

For years the argument has been, "Well, these kids are being compensated with scholarships. For them to attend school for free is more than enough compensation for them to play football."

Perhaps this was true years ago. But those days are long gone.

Let's take our old friend Colt McCoy at Texas. If Colt weren't as athletically gifted and still wished to attend UT and live on campus, it would've cost him $22,464-$27,168 according to this site. Do you really think that McCoy was only worth this amount to the Longhorns this year?

There's no real way of knowing how much money the Texas Longhorn Football team brings in. But let's compare big-time college football to the NFL and see if we can generate an estimate.

The salary cap in the NFL this past season was $128 million, a number that is generated based on league revenues. In addition, the NFL has a floor that each team must spend on player salaries. In 2009, that floor was $112.1 million. I don't want to get into too many particulars here, because it gets confusing (and boring). But let's just use the lowest number here - 112.1 million. That amount reflects some portion of each team's revenues.  These revenues also cover expenses such a facilities, coaches' salaries, travel and equipment. I suspect that there is also a generous profit left over for the owners.

Revenues include money made from things like gate receipts, merchandise sales and television contracts - all of which translates to the college game as well. While students at Texas may get a break on ticket prices, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium holds over 100,000 fans. This is more than any NFL Stadium.  More people = more tickets = more revenue.  However, NFL teams play a 16-game schedule (8 home games) plus pre-season and perhaps playoffs, while college teams generally play 12-13 games, maybe 6 or 7 at home.  More games = more revenue.  Net/Net the edge probably goes to the NFL slightly.

Then there are the other revenues that are generated by the football program. Donations. Colleges thrive on alumni donations and football fans love to donate. In fact, many of them are enticed to donate thousands in return for better seats or a parking space close to the stadium for games. There are no fans that donate to their favorite NFL teams, unless you count the hundred bucks I once paid for a Ken O'Brien jersey.

The question becomes... Where does all the money go?

The lowest NFL team must spend $112.1 million on player's salaries. But the Longhorns "pay" their players by giving them a scholarship which is worth around $27,000 at the retail level (not the actual cost to the university). If they have 100 players on the roster, that's less than $3 million.

WHERE DOES ALL THE REST OF THE MONEY GO???

Let's be very generous here and say the program generates $75 million after football-related expenses --- which is a low estimate if you ask me. Since the NFL limits teams to a 40-man roster (not including practice squad players or players on Injured Reserve) and college teams can have over 100 student-athletes, a collegiate athletes' "worth" would be understandably less than his NFL counterpart. $75 million dispersed evenly over 100 players would mean that a college football player is "worth" about $750,000 of revenue to his school. What does he get? Less than $30,000.

But that's not all he gets.

He gets to dedicate himself to 4 years of playing football for his school. If once he gets there he discovers that the coach's aren't the same nice people who recruited him, or that they recruited someone else to start over him, he is certainly free to leave for another school. Only, if he expects to continue to play at the Division-IA level, he's going to have to sit out for an entire year before being eligible to play.

Oh, and you know that nice guy who came to your house and promised your folks that he would take care of you for the next four years? The one who said he would stand by you and give you help academically if you needed it? The one who said he would prepare you for a future in the professional ranks if that was what your future held? He would lead your teams to multiple winning seasons and championships? Maybe he'd keep you out of trouble and help you find a girlfriend?  Well, if his name happens to be Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer, Lane Kiffin, Bobby Petrino, Rich Rodriguez, Nick Saban, or Pete Carroll, that might not exactly be true. As soon as a better opportunity comes up, these noble, upstanding caretakers will bolt faster than you can say, "But Coach, you promised..."

Even better, if your coach happened to be engaged in illegal recruiting activity while he was at your program, you can expect the NCAA to come down with harsh penalties on your school. Perhaps they will limit the number of scholarships available or even suspend your eligibility for bowl games. While you toil away with a competitive disadvantage levied against you due to the failures of your coach to abide by the rules, he is free to leave and coach another, perhaps unrestricted team and might even get a raise in the process.

All the while, you'll have to ensure that your grades are kept up to speed. If you are caught gambling or drinking or taking any kinds of recreational drugs, you will be immediately dismissed. Be careful about that job you're working on the side because if your boss is a booster, it may not be allowed even though you're only making $8/hour. Be prepared for the utmost scrutiny if you don't perform well in games - internet message boards and chat rooms can be quite harsh. Don't ever argue or disagree with the coach or his torturous conditioning methods or he may try to take your scholarship away. And if you're good enough to make the NFL after your Freshman year? Awesome! Only, you are committed to play another two years at the school before you are eligible for the draft.

This sounds like a great deal.

Where do I sign up?

Someone here is making money. Boatloads of money. Maybe there are more libraries and dormitories and science centers going up. Maybe the money is going to the coaches, the professors, or school administrators. One thing is for certain though - it's not going to the players.

I have always bought the ideal that playing football was a privilege. For many of those student-athletes at smaller schools, this remains true. But too many institutions are benefitting too much from the hard work of these kids, while subjecting them to rules and conditions that are simply unfair.

Look, back in the day how often did a coach up and leave for more money? How often were games on television? How many times do you think Red Grange played a football video game starring himself in his college uniform? How many fans donated $5,000 to their alma mater just to keep their low seats and great tailgating spot?

Nowadays, these kids deserve it.

Being a college football student-athlete is a full time job with high demands and high stress. The workers put their body in harm's way on a daily basis creating millions of dollars in revenue for their bosses, yet they are paid the equivalent of something around minimum wage. The hypocrisy and fraud have approached levels that are detrimental to the personal lives of the players in a way that is too obvious for nothing to change. Something needs to be done to remedy this situation.

Yet that won't happen.

Because the people in charge have a lot of money. The people in charge are making tons under the current system. And the people that provide the hard work and sweat do not have the resources to pay the lawyers that would be necessary to take the system to court and try to make it fair.

Would you trust your kid with Lane Kiffin for four years? I certainly wouldn't.

Luckily, I have the solution. I will post it in the upcoming days.