College sports is big business.
...really entertainment more than sports and we should label it as such.

When the audience stops going, the show ends.

Faustus said:

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diamondag said:

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Are there any accountants on here that can explain how getting paid would change their tax status and if getting paid to play would mean paying taxes on not just the stipen but all fringe benefit values

I don't know if work study is a taxable income or considered some kind of scholarship and if this would be considered work study

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I don't know how this is some sort of gotcha. Just have the school withhold taxes from their paychecks in the direct pay scenario.

Moreover virtually all scholarship and grant money is tax free. If they get paid 20-30k in addition to their scholarships the taxes are virtually nothing. For all I know they might get refunds for making that little.

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Tuition, books etc is not taxable. Room and boarding (travel etc) is.

pfo said:

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It's the loyalty/love of the alumni/former students, students and friends of each university that's the rare commodity, not the players. The players change every year but we don't.

If every current BCS player quit tomorrow and were replaced by current students, would you go to the A&M vs LSU this year?I sure as Hell would! Because it's still beating LSU alongside my wife and friends.

If our entire team quit and became the semipro Waco Dragons would you go see them play? I wouldn't.

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This

Let these players walk away - or we walk away from them - and lets get back to basics.

The school has always been more important than the players. I don't care if a bunch of "no stars" line up on Saturday, I'll be in the stands.

Let the NFL go and create a developmental league so these entitled athletes who vastly overestimate their own value can ride buses from Lufkin to Birmingham to play in front of hundreds of fans. Student athletes can play in the sparkling cathedrals and enjoy the nice facilities provided by the donors of the universities.

Quote:

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If every current BCS player quit tomorrow and were replaced by current students, would you go to the A&M vs LSU this year?I sure as Hell would! Because it's still beating LSU alongside my wife and friends.

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You might want to rephrase that last part.

TXK said:

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Literally anti-American and anti-capitalist. You get what you can command in the market. Past time for the players to get what they're worth. Jealousy and paternalism are evil.

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Amateur vs. Pro

learn the difference

RulesForTheNotForMe said:

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The ONLY thing I would entertain would be a school subsidized Insurance Policy for each player. Solely due to no other real avenue to NFL than through 3 years of NCAA.

Requirements:
3rd Party "appraiser" evaluates the athlete and gives them their "current market value price" (think employer sponsored Life insurance)
Evaluations are done yearly (Or at athletes request at their own expense)
Any additional insurance $ that is requested is fully the players responsibility to pay for (think excess Employee paid Life Insurance)
Policy's are only payable due to Career altering injuries (Willis McGahee type injuries, not sprained ankles)

Only 1-2% of all these players will ever play at the next level. That's a reality that they need to start realizing, and many of these players NPV's on those "appraisals" will start at about $10. So their $40-60k/year scholarship might start seeming a bit more attractive.

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A lot of these guys already have policies like this. No need to subsidize it. Let the insurance company set a price and the players decide if it's worth it. They already do.

TXK said:

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Literally anti-American and anti-capitalist. You get what you can command in the market. Past time for the players to get what they're worth. Jealousy and paternalism are evil.

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Here's the deal. There are thousands who are good enough to play that would do it for less. Guys that just miss the cut for that scholarship, and now have someone who doesn't appreciate it in their spot while they struggle their way to pay for college, or worse yet never get to go.

So how is it anti capitalist again? Be careful what you wish for. You may get replaced. do you remember 99% of college football players names from 2004? There are only a few each year that are worth more in entertainment than they get. The vast majority could be replaced and you'd never know the difference

doubledog said:

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Faustus said:

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diamondag said:

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Are there any accountants on here that can explain how getting paid would change their tax status and if getting paid to play would mean paying taxes on not just the stipen but all fringe benefit values

I don't know if work study is a taxable income or considered some kind of scholarship and if this would be considered work study

---

I don't know how this is some sort of gotcha. Just have the school withhold taxes from their paychecks in the direct pay scenario.

Moreover virtually all scholarship and grant money is tax free. If they get paid 20-30k in addition to their scholarships the taxes are virtually nothing. For all I know they might get refunds for making that little.

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Tuition, books etc is not taxable. Room and boarding (travel etc) is.

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If they get paid, they need to get paid an amount that takes away the scholarship. They can pay for school out of the amount they are paid. That means some schools and sports will pay more than others. Go to a big in-state public school and you'll probably get to keep more than if you decide to go across the country to USC or Stanford. They already get access to these world class facilities, but then those facilities would need to be opened up to the rest of the students and a fee determined. You'd have to determine a fee for the medical care and tutoring services. Other students and employees would need to be given access for that same fee. Take the $100k/year of free stuff and make them pay through payroll deductions like that and these kids will find out real quick about taxes. They'll also find out that their new taxable income means they are no longer eligible for some work study and scholarships/grants.

These athletes are dumb. They want to unionize, but they aren't even being treated like employees yet. They haven't thought through the implications of their requests and how bad it would actually be for them.

Eliminate scholarships, all players are walk ons. Problem solved.

Madman said:

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I wish the NFL had a farm system like baseball. It would take a lot of the great HS players away from college but make the college game better in my opinion.

We could get back to actual student athletics.

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Before each high school football game my coach would play a speech from a legendary college coach and confess his love for the college game. The pride the teams and fans had for their schools. Something I loved about A&M even while growing up in Oregon. I love the college game and the student athlete design. Madman has the best answer. The NCAA would fight it though due to the money they make on these athletes. But I think people would still watch. I love college baseball still. It's about the university. It's about the student athletes representing the university with honor.

You would also see revenue maintained to a large extent and even allow possible discounts in season tickets.

This is a good principled way to handle this.

The NFL would hate it because development leagues would fair just like all non NFL leagues requiring them to subsidize it.

Let's use the ole Blackie Sherold model, modified: lets get down to 4 coaches, no one in box, no one with head phones, everyone plays both ways, no sending in plays, QB calls his own plays, make substitutions harder, injury: you sit out rest of game.