The Wit and Wisdom of Annie Apple

[MaliBuckeye]

If you really want to get pissed off, take a google at the bowl "cost" for most universities. There are only about 10 schools that will break even or make a profit from going to a bowl; by the time the school pays for lodging (required), travel (required), meals (required) and other things for everyone that travels (players, coaches, sports med staff, band, administration to manage all of these), the bowl payout they get is pretty much gone or they're in the red.

Given that most of the D1 schools' athletic departments are subsidized by student fees and tuition dollars (read- tax revenue), the fact of the matter is that students, parents, and taxpayers are paying these tax free bowl foundations for the "educational endeavor" of making them boatloads of cash.

It may be that Mich1gAAn is, ironically, better off not going to a bowl this year, as they'll get the B1G payout for Ohio State and others and have zero expenses (other than what it will cost to move Les Miles to Ann Arbor).

So the suits get to sit back and rake in $25M right off the bat for their main sponsor. That's just the start. Why again can they not front $200-300K (ya know, 1%) to help the families out? Lord knows there's countless other people that get comped tickets, but not the players' families.

But, I guess if a player REALLY wanted to help get his parents to the game they could take that $600 swag bag that's sitting in their $300/night hotel room when they arrive and take it down to the local pawn shop to sell for extra cash...oh wait.

 

[Telekinesis]

Annie and I had a fun back-and-forth over a drunken tweet I posted the other day. She's a good sport. Funny lady.

 

[matcar]

Why the hell not? Because not every school could afford it. So it's unbalanced. Unless any school could offer it, it wouldn't be appropriate.

 

[Dawn Elliott]

I have seen a couple of comments on this thread about the football players getting a "FREE" education. As a former collegiate athlete, and the parent of a current collegiate athlete, let me tell you that their education is NOT "FREE". Perhaps this is not the thread for this, but there is not a collegiate athlete at any school getting a "FREE" education. Please believe that they are working extremely hard for every penny of that SCHOLARSHIP!

 

[BUCKYLE]

Why the hell not? Because not every school could afford it. So it's unbalanced. Unless any school could offer it, it wouldn't be appropriate.

The illusion of every school being equal and eeverything being fair is a crock of shit. It's already unbalanced and will always be. Shit, half the power five can't add restrooms and wheelchair ramps to outdated stadiums without acquiring massive debt. How many schools can show recruits a waterfall inside the practice facility? How many can give the HC a private jet to recruit?

 

[matcar]

I have seen a couple of comments on this thread about the football players getting a "FREE" education. As a former collegiate athlete, and the parent of a current collegiate athlete, let me tell you that their education is NOT "FREE". Perhaps this is not the thread for this, but there is not a collegiate athlete at any school getting a "FREE" education. Please believe that they are working extremely hard for every penny of that SCHOLARSHIP!

I had a scholarship too. Academic. I had to work for very hard for my scholarship too. It was an incredible thing to be offered and I worked very hard to maintain it. But I get what the poster means when he says free, it comes with the commitment to excel. It was extremely valuable to me, as I would assume it would be to someone with an athletic scholarship.

 

[matcar]

The illusion of every school being equal and eeverything being fair is a crock of [Mark May]. It's already unbalanced and will always be. [Mark May], half the power five can't add restrooms and wheelchair ramps to outdated stadiums without acquiring massive debt. How many schools can show recruits a waterfall inside the practice facility? How many can give the HC a private jet to recruit?

Agreed, it is unbalanced and I don't think a lot of people want to make it worse. But I agree entirely that the playing field is very unfairley skewed towards the Ohio States and Alabamas of the world already.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Well, not to make light of your academic scholarship in any way, because that's damn impressive, but athletes are required to get good grades along with working 50 or more hrs a week, while being prevented from working a real, money paying job. Ask Devier Posey. Getting "overpaid" by five bucks cost him millions.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Agreed, it is unbalanced and I don't think a lot of people want to make it worse. But I agree entirely that the playing field is very unfairley skewed towards the Ohio States and Alabamas of the world already.

I think it's plenty fair. The Alabama's and tOSU's invested in athletics when the money wasn't all but guaranteed. The fact that we abide a system that wants us to split a pie that we made with schools that aren't interested in investing in ingredients until they stick their greedy fat thumbs in our pie is bullshit.

 

[matcar]

I think it's plenty fair. The Alabama's and tOSU's invested in athletics when the money wasn't all but guaranteed. The fact that we abide a system that wants us to split a pie that we made with schools that aren't interested in investing in ingredients until they stick their greedy fat thumbs in our pie is bull[Mark May].

Ok no don't agree but I don't care to argue that point any further.

 

[Zander42]

That's a great idea, and one I agree with. However, these are the same bowls that charge schools for the bands' tickets, require schools to purchase tickets at face value even when the game won't be a sell out, and do so for the revenue creation of their tourism partners (hotels, restaurants, etc.).

This is also a good place to mention that "bowl foundations" are tax-exempt "educational endeavors".

The money in the playoff bowls/ New Years Six, or whatever you want to call them, are always going to be sell outs. The money is there for those bowls. So if it's not there for other bowls that's fine. They don't have to offer it. I don't think the issue is trying to COMPEL anyone to pay for families travel, it's more of telling the NCAA to get out of the way and start ALLOWING bowls that have the money to pay for the travel.

If the money is there -> Travel expenses for families.
If the money is not there -> no travel expenses

There are no losers there. Only winners. Bowls (and boosters) would be happy to do it if they were allowed.

 

[scarletmike]

Why the hell not? Because not every school could afford it. So it's unbalanced. Unless any school could offer it, it wouldn't be appropriate.

Again, I don't think many (any?) are suggesting the schools should, just that if they wanted to, allow it. The ideal situation, however, would be having the bowls provide travel compensation, or allowing other groups to do so. But that would require changing the rules as well.

 

[Buckeye86]

I think it's plenty fair. The Alabama's and tOSU's invested in athletics when the money wasn't all but guaranteed. The fact that we abide a system that wants us to split a pie that we made with schools that aren't interested in investing in ingredients until they stick their greedy fat thumbs in our pie is bull[Mark May].

I recently looked this up in another thread so it's on the top of my head, but a good example is stadiums.

Ohio State spent $1.3 million to build a 66,210 seat stadium in 1922.

Ohio University spent $185k to build a 12,000 seat stadium in 1929.

Ohio State took a huge risk on the initial investment and is now reaping the dividends.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Yes, because watching your child get a free education and playing at Ohio State is equivalent to working in the mines.

I will officially start the movement for parents to get free travel to all games, room and board, food, rental car, travel insurance, clothing (come on now, do we really think Torrance Gibson's mama has a winter coat that will suffice Indy in December?!), camera to take lasting memories (this is dropped if anyone has an Obamaphone already), and a pet sitter for Spot back at home since we can't ignore what they are leaving behind. And unlimited Happy Meal's.

Sorry. I figured if I made an argument like you did it would be more meaningful. Guess not.

 

[bigdog3300]

Sorry. I figured if I made an argument like you did it would be more meaningful. Guess not.

Your argument for players getting to let their family travel for free was based on, "these kids do all the work while the higher up's get rich off of it". I made the same comparison in another field to show how ridiculous of a thought that is. I apologize in advance if I find the idea of family getting free travel for CCG's and bowl/playoff games as an over the top benefit. I'm old fashioned in the sense that I think if you want to travel to see that, you use your own money.

In the end this will likely never be allowed for a variety of reasons, and yes, the most obvious is cost. I will let you carry on raging on how unfair it is and that I am a cold hearted fascist!