Having been encouraged by the civility displayed on another thread in this forum, I thought I would take a flyer on a purely hypothetical idea for college football.

What if the NCAA permitted schools to join a National Collegiate Professional Football League while still being allowed to participate fully in all other aspects of the NCAA including DI basketball?

That league would be able to make its own rules (consistent, of course with applicable tax laws). However, in order to remain in the NCAA, schools would have to agree that once an athlete signs a contract with that league, he can never participate in any NCAA sports in the future. They would also have to agree that, once an athlete enrolls in any NCAA school, he can never be signed by the professional league.

The league members would also have to agree to play all their games, including playoffs, in their own stadiums, and complete their playoffs no later than December 27 in order to clear the stage for major bowl games.

The NCAA could give its members a two year window in which to explore the feasibility of such a league, consult with other schools regarding their interest in it, and decide whether they want to be a part of it. Once a school joins, their membership in whatever conference they currently belong to would be deemed to be cancelled. Those conferences would be free to re-invite those schools, but would have no obligation to do so.

In this purely hypothetical construct, how many schools do you think would opt to play football only in the professional league and all other sports in the NCAA?

Remember, let's keep this civil.

Quote:They would also have to agree that, once an athlete enrolls in any NCAA school, he can never be signed by the professional league.

I'm not sure about this part. Currently a kid in school, playing sports or not, could go to minor league baseball, D-league or a EU league. Why punish the football player? Wouldn't the player be eligible for reduced/free tuition the same way other staff members are? Why shouldn't he be able to take advantage of that?

I have thought about what would happen if you separated football. Financial feasibility is a big issue. Donations would take a huge dive. I don't see how ticket prices could make up the difference.

I also think this would move all the improprieties to basketball.

(02-12-2018 09:56 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  

Quote:They would also have to agree that, once an athlete enrolls in any NCAA school, he can never be signed by the professional league.

I'm not sure about this part. Currently a kid in school, playing sports or not, could go to minor league baseball, D-league or a EU league. Why punish the football player? Wouldn't the player be eligible for reduced/free tuition the same way other staff members are? Why shouldn't he be able to take advantage of that?

I have thought about what would happen if you separated football. Financial feasibility is a big issue. Donations would take a huge dive. I don't see how ticket prices could make up the difference.

I also think this would move all the improprieties to basketball.

The idea behind this is to prevent the professional league from essentially using colleges as "tryout camps" for players they aren't sure of coming out of high school. Basically, it forces both the players and the pro league to make a decision they will only have to live with for three years. I didn't see it as punishing players.

As for donations, I suspect that for the schools who might decide on the pro option, the bulk of their booster club donations are to secure football tickets and better seating. That's not all that different than NFL teams selling PSL's (permanent seat licences). Those whose boosters are more interested in basketball, like Duke and North Carolina for example, aren't likely to make the jump. Their donations should be pretty stable.

As for improprieties shifting to basketball, don't we already see improprieties there? The difference is that basketball players only have to wait one year to try to make it in the NBA, compared with three years in the NFL. And, there are a lot fewer basketball players to monitor than football players.