Should Colleges Be Allowed To Pay For Parents To Come to Games?

[hskrpwr13]

But the NCAA would never allow such a thing, it's not even a realistic proposition.

I don't know. Assuming college football continues to be a cash cow, and players aren't directly paid, I could see it a possibility even if currently improbable.

I voted for merely air and hotel fares. I'd also prefer a dollar cap to help eliminate any extra benefit.

 

[NM11046]

No option in the survey for my answer: NO

 

[BIG ERN]

If you're a top 100 player I'm sure we 'take care of you'

 

[NM11046]

How do you think that goes over with other members of the team?

 

[BigRedBuster]

But the NCAA would never allow such a thing, it's not even a realistic proposition.

I don't know. Assuming college football continues to be a cash cow, and players aren't directly paid, I could see it a possibility even if currently improbable.

I voted for merely air and hotel fares. I'd also prefer a dollar cap to help eliminate any extra benefit.

Why do people constantly forget that football is not a cash cow for many programs?

 

[Enhance]

I can't really vote for this because my answer would be no - I don't think this is something that should be allowed.

The thing to keep in perspective is that it's a benefit for schools other than Nebraska, too. We increase our ability to court prospective players at the same rate as dozens of other universities. So, while it may help us get one recruit we may not have gotten in the past, it could also end up losing us a recruit.

I admit, that's a bit of an intangible, but my bigger issue with it is cost in association with enforcement. The NCAA already does a fairly underwhelming job enforcing their rules and this would add another substantial variable to exploit. I also don't want to pay for Joe Smith AND his parents to basically take a mini vacation on my dime. That's multiplying the overall cost by at least three times.

 

[dtbugeater]

Should my parents have been flown in to watch my band concert? I was on scholarship.

Of course not, right?

Well, why is football different.

 

[TGHusker]

Should my parents have been flown in to watch my band concert? I was on scholarship.

Of course not, right?

Well, why is football different.

Maybe because football paid for the building the concert was in

Ok, I'm just strumming your fiddle a bit - However, I see your point.

I think the school could designate the top players in each sport and be given a limit of # of free trips. The school shouldn't be paying for freshman bench warmers (or even senior bench warmers) but only for Jrs & Seniors who will have the opportunity to play. No free rides just to watch a game your son or daughter won't be playing in. Even if the athlete started as a freshman - wait to their Jr or Senior year to award their commitment wt a trip for up to 2 family members.

 

[Mierin]

Should my parents have been flown in to watch my band concert? I was on scholarship.

Of course not, right?

Well, why is football different.

You serious?

Maybe because football players make the school money?

 

[dtbugeater]

No. I'm not really being serious. But where do you draw the line. Basketball makes money. At Nebraska so does girls volleyball. So are those ok and others not? What if you were raised by grandma and grandpa? What if you were part of a divorced family and have 4 parents. There are so many variables.

Just to do it for some and not others doesn't see right.

Should my parents have been flown in to watch my band concert? I was on scholarship.

Of course not, right?

Well, why is football different.

You serious?
Maybe because football players make the school money?

 

[ColoradoHusk]

There are just too many different circumstances to have this make sense. The answer is no.

 

[Landlord]

People are trying really hard to come up with unique scenarios and loopholes to show how it would never work, and those are well taken, but it wouldn't ever work only if the policy had no infrastructure.

Yeah, it wouldn't be fair to schools that aren't raking in the dough. But there's a ton of stuff that is already not fair to them, otherwise they'd be making as much money as we are. It's not like the P5 conferences aren't going to break off into their own division someday anyways. College football will always be haves and have nots, and if we're going to be concerned about fair then there should be caps on coaching salaries, recruiting budgets, donor contributions, stadium upgrades, etc.

 

[Elf]

There's no reason for them not to, at least at a place like Nebraska. Big time programs like ours practically print money we're so profitable, and that's a properly respectable gesture imo. Now, I think if that's just a carte blanche policy that has the potential to be a little absurd and to have families try to game the system, so I wouldn't be opposed to some kind of selection process similar to how financial aid works for prospective college students, but kids that come from disadvantaged upbringings should be served by the university by having the opportunity for their parents to see them play.

Some athletic departments really rake in the coin, like NU for example. However, most actually lose money and need funds from the University itself to keep going. How are those institutions going to pay for this? And there are FAR more of them than their are programs such as ours.

I'm not opposed to this suggestion if we can figure out how everyone can participate on a more or less equal level.

 

[NM11046]

Keep in mind this wouldn't be an offer the NCAA would allow for FB only, so plan in your budget to cover travel for wrestling families, soccer, women's basketball etc.

It's silly and it differentiates nothing if every school is allowed to do it. I like the fact that the committed are truly coming because they see value, academically and in their chosen support. People prioritize what's important differently - if they or their family sees more value in a school closer to their home in order to be able to physically be at every game so be it.

 

[Branno]

Keep in mind this wouldn't be an offer the NCAA would allow for FB only, so plan in your budget to cover travel for wrestling families, soccer, women's basketball etc.

It's silly and it differentiates nothing if every school is allowed to do it. I like the fact that the committed are truly coming because they see value, academically and in their chosen support. People prioritize what's important differently - if they or their family sees more value in a school closer to their home in order to be able to physically be at every game so be it.

This unfairly benefits schools that happen to be in geographic areas that have high densities of high school talent.

If a school wants to provide a means for parents to make it to games it should be able to. Even the smallest of D1 programs could figure out how to buy some plane tickets.