Football Minor League Working to Get Off the Ground

[ColoradoHusk]

Well, talking about revenues greatly distorts the discussion.

Look at the link I provided at all the college programs that don't have revenues above expenses.

But the link you provided is all sports programs. The comment that junior4949 made was regarding football scholarship players.

I showed you the statistics for NU for just the football team. You aren't making it an apples to apples comparison.

I also said that in the Finance world, when you say "how much does X make" it generally means revenues, which is what I gave.

 

[Enhance]

Good arguments, but on the other side of it, how many FCS, D-II, D-III, etc. players that know they won't ever be good enough for the NFL can still all the sudden actually make a mini career out of playing football instead of having college be the end all?

I'd love $50,000 a year.

Me too, but that then makes me wonder if this developmental league will be OK with players treating it as a quick way to make money and have a brief, paid career. If they ever want the NFL to endorse or support this thing, the NFL is going to have to be financially compensated in some way. That either means revenue sharing or significant player acquisition. I don't think this league will be sustainable without that support. So, while some players may conceivably take the check for a short career, I can't imagine that kind of behavior will be encouraged or appreciated.

It would also make me very skeptical as a young 18-year-old as one of the first players in this league, personally. I could either choose the NCAA where I know for a fact players make it into the NFL or choose the developmental league where I have no idea what kind of track record they have sending kids like me to the NFL.

 

[hskrpwr13]

Love the idea of getting this off the ground for a single reason. It will finally show those that b!^@h about wanting direct pay for play in college, that there really IS NOT a market for non-school associated, non-pro football.

Where college sports TV money, etc, should go is a different debate.

 

[FLHuskerGBR]

This will be a miserable failure. Any investment is this league would be like lighting money on fire.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

On one hand, I hope this succeeds. On the other hand, I hope this doesn't succeed. When a school is making a million plus per scholly player, some of the riches need to be spread around. However, all athletes need an education to fall back on if/when the NFL doesn't work out.

A school makes a million plus per scholly player?

NU has an athletic budget of over $100M annually, and most of those revenues are generated by the football team, so I think it's fair to say that a player on football scholarship generates $1M of revenue.

That's not what the school "makes" off the program. Subtract the expenses for the program.

LINK

For nearly all collegiate athletics programs, even football, the "net" results are LOSSES and not profits. I very much doubt that there is even ONE football program in the country that nets an 85 million dollar profit per year. Even mighty Texas or Notre Dame would be that lucky although they have literally billions of dollars in endowment money to secure and pay for anything they want. But a profit? Dam few. Nebraska might be one of perhaps a dozen in the entire country I'd guess. Nebraska's football program cash flow margin (call it 'profit' if you will) is most likely less than 10 million a year. This money has to go towards the support of about 20 other sports Nebraska sponsors as well. I believe it is accurate to say that Nebraska athletics is a NONPROFIT enterprise and without massive donations and contributions and endowed revenunes and royalties and licenses and etc, Nebraska would have to CUT its budgets and eliminate costs until it found a way to balance revenue and expenditures.

It seems that ever time a 'minor' league or althernative professional football league is tried, it fails within three or four years or so for lack of money. I would not be surprised to find that the NFL is NOT profitbable fiscally as a group. In reality, the NFL is a billionaire boys club's expensive hobby or friendly on-going wagering society. The egos of super wealthy fat cats who want to 'best' their business world rivals and show off their riches haven enabled the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball to function. I am not really sure why minor league baseball has last so many decades but I guess because there is so little collegiate interest in the sport that the majors out of necessity need a 'farm' club operatiion to find and develop talent for their major league teams.

Injuries shorten pro football careers so perhaps that keeps the turnover rate high enough in the NFL that mnor league teams don't have the talent pool left. I think it would be neat to see Nebraska have a football team to cheer for in the spring for example but have always thought the solution was to go to year around college footba1ll with games every 3 weeks or so ( 17 games a year). Giving players time to heal up and coaches and players more time to prepare and have 'regular' lives away from the game. With a seven day layoff after games, then practice and prep every other day approachng the next one, the participants could do so while having a regular career and life away from football.

 

[HuskersNC949597]

Good arguments, but on the other side of it, how many FCS, D-II, D-III, etc. players that know they won't ever be good enough for the NFL can still all the sudden actually make a mini career out of playing football instead of having college be the end all?

I'd love $50,000 a year.

Happens all the time in baseball. Kids will take a chance to make a little money with an outside shot (for most) to make the league over going to college for free. Not universally true, but definitely a common occurrence.

Baseball players don't get full rides. 11.7 scholarships divided between ~25 players.