Kenny Bell and NCAA Reform

[BigRedBuster]

According to a Forbes.com report, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are valued at $80 million, making them the nation’s 10th most valuable college football team.

Forbes cites revenue of $56 million for Nebraska, as well as $35 million in profits. The placement is one spot higher than the team’s finish on the 2012 list, when NU was 11th with lower revenue ($55 million) but a higher value ($82 million) and profits ($36 million).

http://sports.omaha....valuable-teams/

So divide that by scholarship players.

I would be interested in a break down of how the classify revenue and expenses.

 

[JJ Husker]

What bothers me about this subject is that players are choosing to play. If they want their money, quit and get a job. They are getting more reimberssment in intagables AND money than the some arbitrarily high percentage of students, scholarship or not. I made it through 4 years of college and 4 years of post grad living on quite a bit less than $1300 a month they get, and residency on next to nothing. I trained to kickbox/fight competitively (about 3-4 hours a day) and still managed to get my 6000+ calories a day in my budget without free food or supplements. Managed to go out to a movie, grab a beer, go out every once and while etc Sorry but I have absolutely no sympathy for it. Some (definitely not all) wouldn't even be in a university otherwise let alone passing. They are getting a degree which they might not have obtained or at least paving their way to a future in sports. Are they making millions for the university? Sure...that's what pays for their food, their jerseys, their brand new cleats, and gear, and sweatshirts etc etc etc. I did research for my university that helped bring in millions of dollars in grants. Paid? Nope. b!^@h about it? Nope, its called putting in your time in your field of choice.

One of the best posts I've seen on this subject. +1.

 

[kchusker_chris]

So divide that by scholarship players.

Apple makes billions in profit. Should it be divided evenly to some group in your socialist world? Would it go to consumers, or shareholders. Maybe the workers. Since in your world no one should profit, where do these profits go? I guarantee you if they have to be given away...they'll be going away in the accounting department just as quickly as the gavel drops.

 

[caveman99]

You have to stop thinking how much it's costing you to attend UNL, but how much money is made off the football player for UNL versus their cost. That's why they would like more and should get more.

No, I don't. How much it costs to attend UNL should be included in the talk because that is part of what they are receiving by playing for the Huskers. And I think what should be mentioned that hasn't been talked about (except maybe once by MOHusker) is the fact that athletes generate revenue not necessarily profit

It's a small but important distinction that needs to be made (and hopefully understood). Universities do not profit from college athletics. Most universities lose money, some break even, some make enough revenue to bring back and improve the university itself.

They absolutely generate profit at Nebraska. According to Forbes, the football team generated $35 million in profit last year. Sure, much of that went to subsidize other sports within the athletic department. However, according to USA Today, even after all expenses, the athletic department has turned a profit every year from 2005-2012.

Numbers in millions

Year...Rev...Exp...Profit

2012 - 81.6-77.0 = $4.6

2011 - 83.7-81.9 = $1.8

2010 - 73.5-71.7 = $1.8

2009 - 74.9-70.5 = $4.4

2008 - 75.5-75.0 = $0.5

2007 - 70.8-65.4 = $5.4

2006 - 63.7-61.7 = $2.0

2005 - 55.9-55.7 = $0.2

Sure, this isn't the case at every school. Far from it. But to say that they don't generate profit is nothing more than a false statement.

This third class still isn't considered profit, as the extra revenue from athletics is used for other things. it isn't profit in the sense you think of. The team profits, but the University itself DOES NOT PROFIT. It uses the extra revenue from athletics.

Nebraska is one of the lucky few that makes more than it spends, and has used that to build amazing facilities for players, fans, and students. Literally everyone wins.

Honestly I think all of this could be avoided if the NBA and NFL would create an MLB like minor system for players to go into if they want to make money instead of going to college. It would provide a route for those who want to be paid, while keeping college sports in the status quo.

I am pretty sure that almost all of the "remaining profit" goes back to the Academic side. I remember a story within the last couple of years where TO mentioned they gave the university just over $3mm for one year. NU is lucky in this regard as they actually run in the black as an athletic dept. most schools do not. I couldn't find more recent numbers, but in 2010 only 22 athletic departments made money. 98 other FBS schools lost money, with the average deficit at $11.6mm.

 

[StPaulHusker]

What bothers me about this subject is that players are choosing to play. If they want their money, quit and get a job. They are getting more reimberssment in intagables AND money than the some arbitrarily high percentage of students, scholarship or not. I made it through 4 years of college and 4 years of post grad living on quite a bit less than $1300 a month they get, and residency on next to nothing. I trained to kickbox/fight competitively (about 3-4 hours a day) and still managed to get my 6000+ calories a day in my budget without free food or supplements. Managed to go out to a movie, grab a beer, go out every once and while etc Sorry but I have absolutely no sympathy for it. Some (definitely not all) wouldn't even be in a university otherwise let alone passing. They are getting a degree which they might not have obtained or at least paving their way to a future in sports. Are they making millions for the university? Sure...that's what pays for their food, their jerseys, their brand new cleats, and gear, and sweatshirts etc etc etc. I did research for my university that helped bring in millions of dollars in grants. Paid? Nope. b!^@h about it? Nope, its called putting in your time in your field of choice.

This is a very good observation.

My question to you would be this: If some of your colleagues that were in a similar state you were in but had a problem with it. And they figured out that they may have a case to get more for the work they did, would you discourage them and tell them to get by with what is given to them or would you stand in line to get more and make your life that much more comfortable?

We can argue until we are all blue in the face about whether these players deserve anything more than what they are getting. We can roll our eyes at hearing about them starving while they have bodies full of tattoos. But the fact remains that the NCAA and universities knowingly and willingly profited off of these kids likenesses and performances to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars all the while claiming the players were not entitled to anything more. I for one believe this was an inherent lack of accountability of these institutions and now they are trying to figure out how to deal with this. They made the mess and these players smell blood in the water.

It was all fine and good to just get a free education while playing football when colleges literally not making any money. But now, more and more colleges make a ton of it and everyone wants a bigger slice of the pie.

Will it ruin college athletics? Perhaps. But the blame is not on the players. It's on the institutions putting TV contracts and jersey sales above everything else.

 

[StPaulHusker]

So divide that by scholarship players.

Apple makes billions in profit. Should it be divided evenly to some group in your socialist world? Would it go to consumers, or shareholders. Maybe the workers. Since in your world no one should profit, where do these profits go? I guarantee you if they have to be given away...they'll be going away in the accounting department just as quickly as the gavel drops.

I could be wrong but aren't universities are non profit institutions. I am not sure how a for profit business like Apple compares in the same model you are describing.

 

[Ulty]

What bothers me about this subject is that players are choosing to play. If they want their money, quit and get a job. They are getting more reimberssment in intagables AND money than the some arbitrarily high percentage of students, scholarship or not. I made it through 4 years of college and 4 years of post grad living on quite a bit less than $1300 a month they get, and residency on next to nothing. I trained to kickbox/fight competitively (about 3-4 hours a day) and still managed to get my 6000+ calories a day in my budget without free food or supplements. Managed to go out to a movie, grab a beer, go out every once and while etc Sorry but I have absolutely no sympathy for it. Some (definitely not all) wouldn't even be in a university otherwise let alone passing. They are getting a degree which they might not have obtained or at least paving their way to a future in sports. Are they making millions for the university? Sure...that's what pays for their food, their jerseys, their brand new cleats, and gear, and sweatshirts etc etc etc. I did research for my university that helped bring in millions of dollars in grants. Paid? Nope. b!^@h about it? Nope, its called putting in your time in your field of choice.

This is a very good observation.

My question to you would be this: If some of your colleagues that were in a similar state you were in but had a problem with it. And they figured out that they may have a case to get more for the work they did, would you discourage them and tell them to get by with what is given to them or would you stand in line to get more and make your life that much more comfortable?

We can argue until we are all blue in the face about whether these players deserve anything more than what they are getting. We can roll our eyes at hearing about them starving while they have bodies full of tattoos. But the fact remains that the NCAA and universities knowingly and willingly profited off of these kids likenesses and performances to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars all the while claiming the players were not entitled to anything more. I for one believe this was an inherent lack of accountability of these institutions and now they are trying to figure out how to deal with this. They made the mess and these players smell blood in the water.

It was all fine and good to just get a free education while playing football when colleges literally not making any money. But now, more and more colleges make a ton of it and everyone wants a bigger slice of the pie.

Will it ruin college athletics? Perhaps. But the blame is not on the players. It's on the institutions putting TV contracts and jersey sales above everything else.

Those are valid points and an interesting perspective.

So is this push to pay players based on the fact that some schools are making a lot of money? Or is it based on the fact that the players put in so many long hours for their sport and then don't have extra cash to show for it?

If it's the first, as caveman99 pointed out, only a handful of athletic deaprtments actually turn a profit. If pay-for-play is based on revenues and profits, only a few schools will actually be able to afford it. So some programs may fold, or at the very least the disparity between the top programs and the others would be even greater. Either way, there would be no competitive equality.

If it's all about the long hours and the slave labor yadda yadda yadda, well, football players are not the only athletes who put in long hours. Other sports would fight for their piece as well. Title IX would dictate that male athletes do not get more than females.

At the very least, paying players seems like an unfeasible and unsustainable solution that would harm competitive balance. At the worst, college athletics as we know it would be FUBAR.

 

[zoogs]

Non profit doesn't mean any profit is obligated to be distributed evenly to employees. Actually it's just the opposite:

http://en.wikipedia....it_organization

... is an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals rather than distributing them as profit or dividends.

Another difference between a football university, public or private, and Apple is that Apple has employees, not students.

St. Paul, I would say it's a push made because they can. Whenever you perceive that you are in a strong enough position to secure more, you try and fight for it; there's nothing wrong with that, and you're right, it's born out of the current environment. People look at all the money involved and think, 'why not'? Even if they do win, though, it doesn't mean it will be good for the institution of college sports and its future as a big money enterprise that offers opportunity to tens of thousands of students. It could even be really bad.

 

[BigRedBuster]

If the University of Nebraska football team is making $35,000,000 why are they still begging for donations?

 

[Count 'Bility]

So what if the university and/or NCAA is making a sh#t ton of their "services". Unless youre Bill Gates or Warrent Buffet, this is ALWAYS going to be the case in the real world. They better just get used to it.

 

[NUpolo8]

So what if the university and/or NCAA is making a sh#t ton of their "services". Unless youre Bill Gates or Warrent Buffet, this is ALWAYS going to be the case in the real world. They better just get used to it.

Warrant Buffett sounds like a killer fusion tribute band.

 

[Abdullah the Butcher]

That profit number is expected to double in 2017 when the university gets a full share of the new tv deal. Are we going to sponsor curling or something with that money?

 

[BigRedBuster]

That profit number is expected to double in 2017 when the university gets a full share of the new tv deal. Are we going to sponsor curling or something with that money?

Maybe they don't need to ask for donations then.

 

[Saunders]

We'll have to dump it all into recruiting to stay in the arms race.

 

[caveman99]

If the University of Nebraska football team is making $35,000,000 why are they still begging for donations?

Take a deeper look at their p&l and you will see that the $35mm actually funds the rest of the athletic department. Take that money away and NU athletics will cease to exist, inuding the football team, because of Title IX requirements to spend equally on men's and women's sports.