lulu's solution to Div. I NCAA sports

[_lulu]

1. All Division I NCAA sports be spun off as private, for profit businesses. If a college or university that is not currently Div. I decides it is in its best interest to start a for profit expansion team by using its endowment or other funds it could do so.

2. This will be enforced by the federal government prohibiting sports scholarships at any school that receives any kind of federal money whether research grants right on down to Pell grants or federally insured educational loans.

3. Colleges and universities can spin off the programs in any way they choose, sell them out right for cash, spend the cash, save it, buy stocks for their endowments, create for profit corporations for the new "franchises" and hold the stock in their endowments, sell their logos and such or merely license them, sell their stadiums and arenas or rent them, restrict team relocation. Free market capitalism rules, the colleges and universities make their best choices and live with the consquences.

4. If such spun off teams see value in associating with a for profit "NCAA" (similar to MLB, the former Continental Basketball Assoc., the NBA and the like) to co-ordinate, regulate and organize their games and play offs, they are able to do so and negotiate fees as would any private business with any private business association.

5. Players sell their talents to the highest bidder or are free to factor in such other circumstances as they choose, such as playing for the team logo where they might be attending college, playing close to home, associating with a team name and logo that is meaningful to them, playing where they think they will get to most exposure to move up to the probably more highly paid NBA ranks.

7. Players may use their salaries however they want, including, of course, paying tuition at a college or university of their choice, buying books for courses, etc.

8. A non-profit "NCAA" will become a strictly non-scholarship co-ordinating organization. In other words it would be limited to what are now Division III schools. Colleges and universities who are members would be prohibited from offering athletic scholarships in #2 above.

9. Universities and colleges will no longer be distracted from the principle purposes by the problems and money of NCAA Division I sports programs.

Other than players getting paid their full market value, how is the result of the above that different from what is happening now in NCAA Division I sports?

[_bcspace]

Since the sports programs (particularly football and basketball) are money making programs for many schools, where do you think that money is going? Does any get used for educational purposes such as building classrooms and housing, or supplying labs and hiring teachers etc.?

The high school in Dallas I went to won the state championship in football in 1981. With that came lots of money to build a huge football (and soccer) stadium; probably from donors and alumni. But they also got a new top of the line weight room which benefited all sports and even those just taking a gym class. They also got a gym dedicated to the new gymnastics team. I wonder if there where other non sporting benefits but I can't remember that far back.

[_Harold Lee]

I'm not familiar with the beauracracy involved in college sports, but certainly don't like the idea of a university being able to buy Division I status.

A. Tuition rates will skyrocket across the board more than they already are, because teams are interested in investing money in Division I status in order to make more money. That's not what college should be about.
B. The athletes that SVU or BYU or whatever college with wealthy sponsors could muster up would be destroyed. The first athletes to die on the field in college football would be recorded and increase every year.
C. Crappy universities getting Division I status would completely ruin the joy of college football. What if Alabama or Flordia gets a schedule full of crappy teams that bought their way to the prime-time? You'd have some teams possibly winning championships just playing teams that are jokes like Mormon owned schools simply because they paid they way there. What's the meaning of a championship now when it's just a lottery about strenght of schedule?

I like what happened with A&M. Twenty years ago they were an asterisk. Their football program has worked, scouted, and recruited their way into the SEC, and into the top ranks of the best conference in college football. Boise State is probably an even better example. Hard work pays off, and they deserve to be there. When they no longer deserve to be playing at the level they're in, they'll be downgraded.