FYI .. you can see Mike Florio on Football Night in America on the Pregame NFL Sunday Night Game on NBC and Florio is also a Lawyer … From PFT:


In a recent item from USA Today regarding a pending antitrust lawsuit that could add more than $900 million to the current bill, the total potential liability is estimated to be $5.1 billion.

The latest potential item of recovery comes from a class-action lawsuit seeking academic achievement payments to athletes back to the 2019-20 school year. Led by former Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, the damages when trebled (as required by federal antitrust law) could reach $939 million.

This is just part of the chaos that the college system deserves for years of plain-sight antitrust violations. They’ve used the umbrella of the NCAA to grossly restrict the benefits available to “students” who help make billions as “athletes.” And it comes at a time when the current custodians of the lingering clustermess are hoping that Congress will give them a silver bullet that re-turns the tables.

The truth is that the system was already broken. It’s been broken. It was broken to the benefit of the stewards of sport. Now that the breakage is breaking in favor of the players, it’s a five-alarm fire for the Power 5 conferences.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootbal...-5-billion

That’s all well and good but the money has also gone to subsidize non revenue sports that otherwise will disappear if/when this reckoning occurs. That, particularly the loss of women’s sports, will eventually get congressional attention.

(03-31-2024 03:16 PM)Just Joe Wrote:  That’s all well and good but the money has also gone to subsidize non revenue sports that otherwise will disappear if/when this reckoning occurs. That, particularly the loss of women’s sports, will eventually get congressional attention.

women's sports protected by Title 9.

(03-31-2024 03:21 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-31-2024 03:16 PM)Just Joe Wrote:  That’s all well and good but the money has also gone to subsidize non revenue sports that otherwise will disappear if/when this reckoning occurs. That, particularly the loss of women’s sports, will eventually get congressional attention.

women's sports protected by Title 9.

Which just means men’s and women’s sports will be cut equally.

(03-31-2024 03:21 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(03-31-2024 03:16 PM)Just Joe Wrote:  That’s all well and good but the money has also gone to subsidize non revenue sports that otherwise will disappear if/when this reckoning occurs. That, particularly the loss of women’s sports, will eventually get congressional attention.

women's sports protected by Title 9.

But some of them will go along with men's sports. That's what Just Joe is saying - the loss of those women's sports when non-revenue sports are cut will grab congressional attention.

If you’re depending on the United States Congress in this current environment … good luck .. the NCAA did it to themselves and now they will pay the piper IMO ….

(03-31-2024 03:24 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  But some of them will go along with men's sports. That's what Just Joe is saying - the loss of those women's sports when non-revenue sports are cut will grab congressional attention.

Nothing grabs congressional attention these days. And to be fair, cutting non-rev sports won't address this.

Florio is also advocating for Caleb Williams to force his way out of potentially being drafted by Bears to go to a team of his choosing. Among his many takes over the years, he consistently remains anti-organization and pro-athlete.

It doesn't matter if one or two players opt out of the union. The agreement with the union will be the rules for the school/conference. And the union will have leverage, most likely in the form of insurance coverage and other necessary benefits.

This will be a performance Union, more like the actors guild or other performing arts, providing a minimum but not setting upper limits on earnings. Neither the top players nor the schools who want those top player will agree to any such limit, much the same as movie studios would not agree to limit actor pay because they want to hire whomever they want at whatever price they can afford.

You guys tend to think of unions as if for postal, manufacturing or construction workers, who are a dime a dozen and replaceable, where both parties are looking for fixed price security. This is the entertainment industry and the unions would look like others in the field, maybe bending a bit toward what one sees in the NBA and NFL.

The schools need a union to have governing rules for competition and to have for some budgeting clarity. This is why the schools will endorse the unions, outside of a handful of ideologically driven opponents. Unions will happen, because the alternative is probably no sports at all.