The NCAA, its member institutions, and conferences chose the later. California Governor, Gavin Newsom, unleashed the final gust with a stroke of his pen, singing SB 206 (the full text of which can be found here):

What the Bill Actually Does

Before I really get rolling on this, a couple of things about this bill. First, you aren’t going to see California student-athletes immediately in commercials and raking in the cash. The bill doesn’t take full effect until January 1, 2023, and that’s assuming the NCAA doesn’t make good on their threats and get the bill deem unconstitutional as they’ve previously threatened.

Second, the bill doesn’t really do anything to the NCAA and its bylaws. It’s simply deemed that enforcement of bylaws that forbid student-athletes from making money off their name, image, and likeness or obtaining professional representation (which must be licensed) that would strip them of eligibility or their scholarship would be illegal in California.

Everyone else can still be paid under-the-table as normal.

The Reactions

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some very reasonable reactions that happened after this news broke:

I find it rather hilarious that the NCAA starts of this statement saying they agree that more changes are needed and lamenting that they didn’t get the opportunity to make the changes themselves. If only they had the power to do something about this for years or maybe decades.

However, the NCAA’s reaction to the singing of SB 206 pales in comparison to Barry Alvarez, athletic director of Wisconsin, who boldly proclaimed he won’t schedule teams from California because of the new law. I’m sure this wasn’t a “LOOK AT ME” statement at all. After all, Wisconsin last scheduled a California school back in *checks notes* 2010 against uh *checks notes again* San Jose State back when the WAC still existed.

I’d wonder if they would turn down a future Rose Bowl bid if they were to face a California school, but considering that they failed to put up any kind of offense against Northwestern, that’ll probably take care of itself.

But I’m sure no one else from the Big Ten had really bad thoughts about this.

Scott Frost coaches at a school in group of conferences called the “Power Five” which exists to make sure the competitive imbalance forever exists in football. Frost would know better than anyone because he used to coach at UCF where, despite doing nothing but winning, could never crack the glass ceiling to get into the playoffs because they didn’t belong.

Finally, Frost just got his doors beat off by Ohio State 48-7. You would think that would cement his expertise on competitive imbalance, but I guess this bill is what would actually destroy things. Sure.

But folks from the Big Ten weren’t he only ones chiming in, let’s see what the conference of exposed bag-men has to say:

Greg Sankey realizes that SB Nation piece exists right? Ole Miss is just two years removed from having a laundry list of “abuse by external influences”, but a bill dedicated to moving everything out of the shadows and above-board is somehow bad? Sure. Makes sense.

But perhaps I’m being unfair. After all, these are reactions from the outside looking in. Perhaps they see a new competitive disadvantage and lashing out. Surely the Pac-12 will have a much more level-headed reaction:

Or not.

I’m going to let Brian Floyd of Banner Society sum up how dumb this is:

Friendly reminder about the Pac-12 media network: they want to be the only conference that owns their own networks. They’ve not only dumped millions upon millions into this effort, but were seeking $750 million in private investments to keep their network dreams alive. I’m thinking education investment might not be their primary goal. Just a guess.

It’s About Damned Time

Back in 2014, I also wrote a piece about how the constant neglect of the academic side of college athletics led to this point. I absolutely stand behind every word of that piece. It’s abundantly clear that nothing has really changed in the past five years, continuously devaluing the value of academic scholarships.

Even more infuriating was something that that Jack Swabrick pointed out in 2014. Not only did he come out in favor of student-athletes being allowed to profit of their name, image, and likeness, he noted the absurdity of the higher standard that student-athletes are held to in comparison to the rest of the student body.

For example, a music major could create a YouTube series of their performances and monetize their original compositions. They are allowed to take one of, if not their primary, talent and profit off of it. Should, say a football player create a similar YouTube series, but the focus is on his skills in football, he could find himself ineligible and lose his scholarship.

By the way, the later example actually happened.

Yet despite Swarbrick’s endorsement of the idea, nothing happened at ND or anywhere else. In the meantime, revenues continued to rise, but student-athlete compensation changes remain stagnant.

The arguments against student-athletes not being able to cash in on, well, themselves, simply don’t hold any water. Coaches and fans will lament that any money coming into the equation will ruin what makes college sports special, but the Olympics have proven that amateurism and some level of professionalism can mix just fine, even when the pros win.

If I hear Ian Book singing “Beep, beep, it’s Gurley Leep” tomorrow, it’s not going to kill my pride or enjoyment of Notre Dame football. Quite frankly, I’m not even going to see him as a professional athlete; in fact, I’d say he’s following the tradition of Notre Dame quite well.

The other concern is that boosters will create bidding wars for recruits–you know, a thing that’s totally not happening anywhere at all right now. Not only could this easily be managed with caps at some level, I think we’d all be pleasantly surprised by how well things will work out by bringing all these things above board.

One of my lasting memories at Notre Dame was seeing my 65% scholarship tax statement at the end of my senior year. After calculating the hours that I worked, I discovered, much to my surprise, my part-time webmaster job was infinitely more profitable. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat, but wooooo boy did I have a poor concept of how much I was being compensated in relation to the time I was putting in (and the suffering that my GPA took as a result).

I say that only because far too often opponents of student-athlete compensation fail to acknowledge how much kids can get suckered when it comes to finances. Some booster handing off a few grand in cash looks like the biggest payday ever to a young kid. Bring that same payment above board, and that same kid can now be advised, by either a licensed agent or even potentially a university employee, that the payment is far below their fair market value (or even fair in relative to a NCAA-imposed cap). And, if they find a deal that compensates them fairly, they can receive professional advice on how to properly handle such cash.

The way things stand today, at best a kid gets to take some booster money and better their/their family’s lives just a little bit. At worst, that payout could cost them everything. The risk to the booster? Nothing beyond being a persona non grata at the school they cheer for. Basically, they’ll be fine.

If the NCAA is really interested in leveling the playing field, let’s treat every student-athlete just as we would any other student. If we continue to keep everything in shadows, the shadows will continue to win.

The post In Their Own Image – SB 206 Signed, First Domino Falls appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

It turns out the fake band has a name, 300 Likes, which I discovered because their fake song, “Summertime Lover” released as a full-blown song last Friday.

I’ve been wanting to write about the most hated/loved commercial of this football season for some time now. However, I don’t want to talk about the band, the song, or the fact that the dude squatting in the lower-right corner doesn’t even bother moving his mouth. No, this Roundup is dedicated to my hero, my spirit animal, the clueless dad:

Clueless dad makes this commercial for me. Every. Damn. Time.

My kids are still incredibly young, but my oldest has already put me in some clueless dad situations. For instance, he will excitedly detail some random show I’ve never heard of, and I will desperately stumble around the conversation trying to remain interested, but more importantly, not called out on my bullshit that I don’t have a damn clue what he’s talking about.

Every parent ends up running into this at some level, which makes clueless dad the damn best. He’s put down his hard-earned American currency so his daughter be front-row for one of her favorite bands. He’s even wearing a freaking button featuring one of the guys to support his kid’s interests. In short, he’s ready to do everything he can to make sure this night ends up a favorite memory for his daughter.

But as soon as the show starts, disaster strikes. The band isn’t dancing, the screams turned into shocked silence, and clueless dad sees his poor daughter’s face flash a look of pure horror. So clueless dad does what any dad tries to do when shit 100% out of our control goes awry: attempts to fix it.

The success rate for all dads attempting to pull of this maneuver is 0.00%, rounded up. Clueless dad is no different. If the guys aren’t dancing, clearly it’s the job of the audience to get down, and by God, he’s going to make sure this party gets going and save the day.

Of course, he’s the only poor sap trying to salvage the disaster he’s walked into. Mere seconds after trying to get the dance party started, he’s greeted with the new horror that he’s made a fool of himself. The only saving grace is that his own kid is still too dumbstruck with disappointment to notice because, honestly, that’s the only opinion he cares about–to hell with everyone else.

The hard-earned American currency might as well have been lit on fire. The concert is an epic disaster. Regardless of what happens from here on out, the night is likely ruined for his kid, which is worse than the hit to the bank account.

But dammit, like fans of a certain football team that keeps breaking our hearts, we can’t help but to keep trying to salvage joy of a terrible situation. In a way, we’re all clueless dad.

You’re my hero, clueless dad. Never give up. Keep dancing.

The Roundup

Note: Some links require a subscription to the Athletic and are marked with ($). For 40% off your first year, please use our referral link.

Here’s an unexpected use of the new four-game redshirt rule. Houston’s star QB, D’Erik King, will sit out the rest of the season, along with senior WR, Keith Corbin. King’s father says it’s the first step of a transfer, but Houston’s official announcement has both King and Corbin stating they will remain in Houston.

NCAA says something dumb: part one million. Mark Emmert has called potential new image & likeness laws, aka allowing the Olympic model into college sports, an “existential threat”–which is a hell of a thing to say considering North Carolina literally tried to undermine the entire academic side of student-athlete and sexual abuse ran rampant at Penn State and Michigan State. But no, this is the bad thing. Got it.

Maybe don’t ask about internet rumors during a conference call. I mean sure, Gundy blew his stack a bit, but this was just a terrible idea.

Kinght’s Watch + Murder Smurfs. Coming in 2021 and 2023. Let’s. Get. Weird.

I think The Athletic owes us some #snacktalk royalties. This week, the CFB section of The Athletic was full of articles about the intersection of college football and food. My two favorites, a top 25 food ranking by Andy Staples ($) as well as a look on how the NCAA deregulation on food budget (hey they do so some good things on occasion!) has had a positive impact on programs and athletes ($).

Time for a daily dose of #sportsmath. The stop rate rankings ($) are back, which can be a fun read if you feel like you are feeling too confident about Notre Dame’s defense.

Look, Skycam wasn’t a failure. NBC wants to make sure you know that it’s sticking around and they will do better. Promise!

With Virginia coming into town, it’s a good time to remember Malik Zaire. After an injury that derailed his CFB career, Zaire is finding his stride over at CBS ($).

Opponent Watch

Remember the sad Virginia fan? Of course you do. Go catch up on what he’s up to.

How do you build a school like Virginia into a competitor? Well, hiring the right athletic director is a good start, especially one that knows her way around schools that know how to compete in football ($).

So Virginia has a bit of a streak going. Four weeks, four players named as ACC Players of the Week.

If you want a good primer on Virginia’s season so far, I would suggest this read. My two cents: sounds like a lot of ND teams that created constant heart attacks in every game, yet somehow put winning records together.

A Special Look at Michigan

It’s not just Notre Dame fans trying to dance on Skunkbear graves. The natives are starting to willingly dig them.

Any Michigan loss, brings out a good ‘ol Mike Valenti rant. His opening segment on Monday was art, calling them a regional program. He drove the dagger in even further on Wednesday wondering why in the world Michigan bothers to expect titles when they’ve never won them to begin with.

So who had “Urban Meyer has to address Michigan coaching rumors” on their bingo card? Yes, he actually had to say there is no way he’d come out of retirement to coach Michigan. How did this happen, oh just some beautiful degeneracy:

The post Friday Roundup: The Fake Boy Band Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I’ve had the itch to write something so let’s get to scratching as there are updates to targeting, blind side blocks, and overtime among others.

Targeting

Ah, the most maligned and subjective of all rules that drives fans insane. I’m not sure there is a single fanbase that hasn’t felt horrendously screwed by some kind of targeting ruling; in fact, I’m sure Notre Dame fans could list multiple calls/no-calls right off the top of their head.

So when Irish nemesis, David Shaw, decided that progressive targeting penalties where a good idea, I was…let’s say skeptical:

The committee did indeed approve this idea. Three targeting penalties in a single season and that player will earn a one-game suspension.

Thankfully, the committee added another caveat that is, dare I say, logical!

Beginning in the fall in games using video review, instant replay officials will be directed to examine all aspects of the play and confirm the targeting foul when all elements of targeting are present. If any element of targeting cannot be confirmed, the replay official will overturn the targeting foul. There will not be an option for letting the call on the field “stand” during a targeting review — it must either be confirmed or overturned.

Considering the penalty being applied here (ejection and suspension), I’m glad the rule is getting more specific language that the replay official needs to confirm all elements. And what are those elements? Let’s check out the rule as it exists today:

Targeting and Making Forcible Contact With the Crown of the Helmet (Rule 9-1-3)
No player shall target and make forcible contact against an opponent with the crown of his helmet. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting. When in question, it is a foul.

Targeting and Making Forcible Contact to Head or Neck Area of a Defenseless Player (Rule 9-1-4)
No player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting. When in question, it is a foul.

And the indicators:

Launching, or “leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area”

A crouch and upward thrust to make head or neck contact, even if the hitter still has feet on the ground

Leading with the “helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area”

“Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet”

So, on it’s face, targeting has to both fall under one of the rules and have one of the indicators listed. If that can’t be confirmed, there’s no targeting. Sounds great, but there’s still just one glaring issue that’s listed in both rules:

When in question, it’s a foul.

So, as typical with the NCAA, there’s a step forward, but two steps back. Replay officials are charged with needing to confirm elements of targeting but yet are also told that if there’s doubt, it’s targeting.

Sure, makes sense.

I really want to see if the language changes in the rule, but if the “when in question, it’s a foul” garbage is still present, expect the targeting hand-wringing to continue.

Blind-Side Blocks

Do you love those blocks in which you can literally see a player’s soul leave their body? Well, too bad!

Players will not be allowed to deliver a blind-side block by attacking an opponent with forcible contact. It will be a personal foul with a 15-yard penalty.

And look, in the name of player safety this is wise; however, what’s done here is yet another highly subjective rule. I can easily see hair-splitting over defining a player being blind-sided and what defines forcible contact. Further, this call, based on the news release, isn’t reviewable (targeting can be added on, but only the targeting itself appears to be reviewable, not the blind-side block).

So, brace yourselves for a pick-six or punt return to be wiped off the board because of this.

Also, to the rest of college football, #RememberTheSix is ours. You can’t have it.

Kickoffs

The panel outlawed the two-man wedge and seriously what are even doing here. Just outlaw kickoffs as a whole already and find some alternative option for an onside kick. Or just do what the AAF (RIP) did.

Just shit or get off the pot already.

Overtime

When Texas A&M and LSU had the most bonkers game of the season last year with seven overtimes, a lot was made about the safety of players having to participate in so many additional plays.

Again, it makes sense, but it’s weird how much concern was placed on it considering only five games had seven OTs since overtime was adopted in 1996.

Anyways, the new rule states that, starting with the fifth overtime, teams will alternate two-point conversions instead of starting a new drive on the 25. If you’re curious how many games have crossed that mark, the answer is twelve (with five games being SEC tilts, so I say blame the SEC for this).

So we are definitely talking about a tiny, tiny fraction of games here. We may never see this ever as ND fans, but if we did, and if we are really considered about player safety, let’s have no-contact plays instead. Run the kickers out there just have a field goal shootout, moving back five yards at time, for peak #CollegeKickers.

Is it dumb? Absolutely. Will it be entertaining? Oh hell yes. Especially when both kickers inexplicably miss chip shots back to back.

Finally, there is one other overtime addition and that’s a two minute rest period after the second and fourth overtimes. No real issue (or even jokes) about this one. Makes loads of sense and I get a damn commercial break in OT marathons so I can go to the bathroom or grab a drink.

The post New NCAA Rule Changes Hit Some Targets, Misses Others appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Then came February 13th, 2018.

As many of you know on this day, Notre Dame lost their NCAA appeal and was forced to vacate football wins from the 2012 and 2013 season for academic misconduct by a student-trainer. That means, officially, the Irish finish 0-1 in 2012 and 0-4 in 2013. The wins, apparently, did not happen. So I guess my trip to New York to see the Pinstripe Bowl in 2013 did not happen either. Will the NCAA be refunding my money for tickets and travel? I highly doubt it.

I came away from this ruling completely disgusted and essentially feeling perhaps I was done with college sports. A University that shielded and covered up child sexual abuse had their vacated wins restored while a university that self-reported an incident involving cheating among a student-trainer and some football players had wins vacate–are you flipping serious? Oh by the way, another University committed 18 years of academic fraud with essentially fake classes for athletes and received no penalties.

In February of 2018, I was done with the NCAA and maybe college sports for good. I view and still view the NCAA as a bunch of “corrupt, good ol’ boys” profiting off the backs of athletes. No thanks, I’ve had my fill.

But I wasn’t done. I missed Notre Dame.

I saw an injured and depleted men’s basketball team almost fight their way into the NCAA Tournament. I watched a women’s basketball team that had even worse injury luck find their way back into the Final Four and win a national title. Then Cam Morrison happened at 9:23 of overtime in the Big 10 Hockey Championship, giving the Irish a victory over hated Ohio State and a Big 10 Championship in their first year in the conference. Then Jordan Gross happened with 3:36 remaining in the 1st overtime of the NCAA Hockey tournament. The following day, Dylan Malmquist stunned Providence with 27 seconds remaining sending Notre Dame back to the Frozen Four for the second year in a row.

Finally, this past weekend, Notre Dame women’s basketball happened. A team greatly depleted by injury summoned an inner fortitude and toughness that probably only they realized they had and defeated UCONN in overtime on Arike Ogunbowale’s late heroics. As I watched a joyous team dance the Irish Jig with their coach, I went to my computer relive sheer elation of Dylan Malmquist and his hockey teammates from the week before.

Then it hit me all over again those moments are why Notre Dame is great–student-athletes working together for a greater cause.

The NCAA is garbage it is an archaic, poorly run, monstrosity, that I would love to see disbanded. The rest of college fans, administrators, and the media, you can have the NCAA, I’ll have Notre Dame, thank you.

The post Restoring Faith in College Athletics appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

“This year” is, of course, a complicated term, when speaking of a program’s APR. Earlier this month (April) of this year (2016), the NCAA released APR scores for the 2014-2015 (this year) academic year. So, this year’s APR is actually based on last year’s team, but since I am not writing to an SEC-educated audience, I feel that you’ve grasped the concept and I can move on.

To calculate a team’s APR, each scholarship athlete gets a point for being enrolled and one point for being in good standing. The team’s total points are added and then divided by the possible points and then (stay with me, you O’Shag rats) multiplied by one thousand. Then a dividend is issued and you subtract the basis from pi. Or maybe that’s how champagne is made.

APR is not solely a metric for metric’s sake. The NCAA pegs a team’s eligibility to compete in championships to its four-year (Multi-Year) APR and to be eligible in 2015-16 and beyond, a team must have an APR of 930 or better. Penalties, increasing in severity over time, accompany ineligibility.

While Notre Dame football has not risked ineligibility, one presumes that the Irish are top o’ the charts. That’s not true, as the below table shows:

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Notre Dame football’s multi-year APR is 975. It’s 2014-15 APR is 971. That means 97%, give or take, of its scholarship athletes are enrolled and in good standing. Nine women’s teams (basketball, cross-country, fencing, lacrosse, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball) and seven men’s teams (cross-country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field) achieved perfect scores. The average FBS score is 964.

By the way, that’s SIXTEEN teams with perfect APR scores.

In case you are curious, and you are, Alabama’s APRs over the last four years are 979 (973 for 2014-5), 978 (1,000 for 2013-14), 975 (958 for 2012-13), 978 (968 for 2011-12).

So what does APR mean, ultimately? That’s a great question, and I believe you can guess why championship eligibility is pegged to it and not, say, the NCAA’s other academic tracker, Graduation Success Rate (GSR), or the Department of Education’s Federal Graduation Rate (FGR). GSR takes the math behind APR and bastes it in string theory and non-Euclidean geometry for a few hours, to account for a player who transfers in with a degree or who leaves and ultimately graduates. FGR is still the only metric that tells you what percentage of student-athletes are graduating from a particular school in six years.

Notre Dame football’s most recent GSR, based on the 2008 cohort year, is 93, with an FGR of 82. Alabama’s most recent GSR is 86 and the FGR is 64. Alabama’s GSR and FGR for 2013-14, when they had that gaudy 1,000 APR, were 80 and 60.

That’s enough numbers for now. Hopefully tonight, though, we’ll see some of our student-athletes in another top twenty.

The post Analyzing APR (Again): How ND Football Compares appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The most recent rendition of the debate happened on the HBO show “Last Week Tonight” hosted by John Oliver. If you’ve never seen the show, it borrows some of the feel of Oliver’s former employer “The Daily Show” but with a decidedly more acerbic sense of humor. Also, because it’s on HBO, Oliver’s free to drop an F-bomb, and he does…multiple times an episode. I was very tempted to give this piece a more (ahem) colorful title in his honor.

The other major difference from “The Daily Show” is that Oliver eschews guests in order to do long-form narratives on whatever topic strikes him (or his writers) in a given week. The result is a frequently deeper, more thoroughly researched, and sharper take than other shows but still presented with a healthy dose of humor and wit. On Sunday, March 15, 2015, Oliver set his sights on the NCAA. And away we go….[Author’s note: This runs about 21 minutes. It’s a good watch but contains considerable language. If that’s an issue for your work, then slap on a NSFW below].

Here’s our piece on the NCAA from last night #soybeanwind https://t.co/1Fd7IjG06g

— John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) March 16, 2015

While I wouldn’t call any of Oliver’s takes ground breaking, he did manage to hit most of the sound bite points surrounding the payment and treatment of college athletes. Among those points:

1. A lot of people make a lot money on college sports.
2. That doesn’t include the athletes.
3. Athletes face rigorous schedules and are subjected to abuse and grind that gets under reported.
4. The NCAA has crazy rules and punishments for unintentional violations.
5. Schools will toss kids aside the moment they’re not useful to the team.
6. Many businesses exploit a player’s name, likeness, or number to sell merchandise.
7. The athlete sees none of this money either.
8. Coaches are paid like kings in a disproportionate way.
9. The notion that college sports have amateur integrity is a lie.
10. Bill Simmons is a stooge….Okay, this last point wasn’t actually made, but they did show him in a video clip with Jalen Rose where he nodded along to whatever Jalen said like the bro Simmons loves to be.

The problem with the pay the players debate is that both sides have turned the discussion into a cartoon. Too much of the time one side is chasing the other around with three sticks of dynamite that say “Acme” and a faulty fuse that results in the whole thing blowing up in their face. Rather than attempt to reasonably discuss the situation of current student-athletes (I am not making a value judgment here by use of that term), each side would prefer to bludgeon the other with an over-sized mallet.

I know what you’re thinking: <sarcasm font> “Whoa, Moons! People acting irrationally about a debate. Imagine that.” </end sarcasm font> And yeah, I understand that when people speak passionately, they tend to get more extreme. However, if you want to have an intelligent discussion about paying student-athletes, here are 4 recommendations from me to you:

1. STOP BEING ECONOMIC TRUTHERS

This is by far my greatest pet peeve with this entire debate, and both sides are guilty.

To the “pay the players” crowd: Stop saying that the players don’t receive any compensation. It’s a bad, terrible argument. Oliver used it in passing and then buttressed it to the “college degrees have no value” argument, and it’s just a terrible way to go. Did I mention yet that this is both bad and terrible? A college tuition absolutely is a form of compensation. In fact, for all you pay the players folks out there who were pretty excited about the ruling which would permit Northwestern athletes to potentially unionize: The court’s ruling explicitly relies upon a finding that college tuition is real, tangible form of compensation to reach its decision. Whether you like it or not, in America, you can only be deemed an employee if you’re compensated for your work. Tuition was legally found to be a form of compensation. Any of the tens of millions of people who make student loan payments monthly will also talk to you about the real monetary value that an athletic scholarship has in terms of  future dollars.

You want to talk about whether it’s fair compensation, okay….but don’t deny that the student-athlete receives compensation in the form of a scholarship. It makes you sound dumb and obstinate. Oddly, it’s a favored argument of too many members of the public forum intelligentsia who think if they say it enough, some people just might buy it. If the NCAA’s stupid for thinking that using the words “student-athlete” makes it impossible for them to be employees, then the “pay the players” intelligentsia are equally dumb for thinking if they just keep denying that a scholarship is a form of economic compensation that will be true.

To the “they’re amateurs, don’t pay the players” crowd: Stop arguing that a college scholarship is asbolutely the same thing as real money. It can be assuming that a person’s choices would not change, but it’s not a 1:1 analogy. Stop pretending that a free college education is always a reward in and of itself. Recognize that at least some of these individuals, through legal gerrymandering and collusion between the NCAA and professional sports leagues, have had an artificial barrier to entry erected in their economic craft forcing them to accept a scholarship to college or nothing at all. Appreciate, whether you like it or not, that they have a highly marketable, rare skill whose value is being suppressed. Finally, while it is the exception more than the rule, acknowledge that there are players whose play adds far more economic value to their school than the cost of attendance. It’s not always a fair trade off, and the system is extremely stacked against the unique individual making exploitation all the easier.

2. BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE ANALOGIES

Again, both sides have this issue. Heck, most of us have this issue. Analogies are a favored way in debate to make a rhetorical point, but they are dangerous. It’d probably be best to use them sparsely if at all because this NCAA debate is a unique beast forged through decades of weird and shifting alliances. However, just a few reminders if you’re someone who must try to analogize:

• Yes, there are other professions with barriers to entry even if a person seems qualified. In most states, you can’t practice law, be a doctor, or serve as a CPA without going to, completing, and passing not only educational requirements but also licensing requirements. There are many, may regulated professions. Any analogy that starts off with “In no other realm can a (person) be forced to do _______________ “ is likely false. Avoid it at all costs. No, don’t try to tell me why your analogy here works. Just let it go. Your point might otherwise be alright, but it’s not by suggesting no other person has ever been confronted with a barrier to entry.
• Re-read point 1. Your wage/compensation analogies are probably too extreme. Student-athletes are not slaves. They do not live in third world conditions. These are not appropriate to say.
• Yes, people daily must do things that are unpleasant or not what they’d like to do. Contracts, implied and explicit exist in many facets of our lives. Student-athletes work very hard. I tend to agree with the point Oliver made through the words of Richard Sherman that many “normal” students would find the rigors of a student-athlete’s schedule difficult. However, let’s keep that within the realm of reasonableness. Banking too heavily on this line of reasoning to justify compensation doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are plenty of people who work far harder than student-athletes and just weren’t genetically gifted enough to have the opportunity to go to college for free. Seriously, leave the hardworking analogies at the door. Don’t’ be so quick to create just two clumps of people who attend college, and definitely don’t be too quick to proclaim the ones attending for free to be the hardest working of all.

3. BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

There’s a funny thing almost everyone involved in this debate implicitly does without realizing it: They talk about the money that’s brought in and the exploitation, and the glory, and the barriers to entry, without acknowledging we’re really just talking about college football and men’s college basketball. Seriously, there’s a reason no one was suing over EA Sports’ NCAA Field Hockey or Swim and Dive game…they don’t’ exist. It’s just these two sports that bring in all the money and glory that get the “pay the players” people going. Yes, there are exceptions. Occasionally, other programs in other sports turn a profit as well, but this debate exists do to the money made from the television and advertising contracts tied to football and men’s college basketball. To the sides, I say this:

To the “pay the players” crowd: I get that in a pinch you’re willing to concede this point. That, heck, you’d even be on board with for now just paying the football and men’s basketball players. At least it would be a start….But it’s not that simple. There are many laws, both at the state and federal level, that make such a system a virtual impossibility. The concession you’re making is hollow. Public universities would be subject to all sorts of scrutiny for turning students into employees and monetary compensation is the tip of the iceberg of the impact it would have. Also, admit that most sports make no money at all. Admit that when you’re talking about all the money School X or Y is making you really just mean their football and men’s basketball program. Admit that you don’t know jack about the profit/loss statements for any other sport program. To the extent you do happen to know that School Z’s baseball team made a profit in 2013, admit that’s an anecdote and you don’t have any evidence to support the conclusion all baseball teams also turn a profit.

To the “they’re amateurs, don’t pay the players” crowd: Your “they’re amateurs” argument takes a substantial blow when we are talking about football and men’s basketball. Yes, I’ll concede not all programs are created equal. There are some schools where basketball or football aren’t as big, but that’s not really the point and you know it. Stop being obtuse and pretending that college football and men’s basketball are just about the purity of the game. John Oliver got this point right. These sports programs do not sustain themselves just for the love of the game. If every sport always lost money the NCAA would eventually dissolve. There’s a lot of money in play, and it’s okay to admit that.

4. THE NCAA’S A TERRIBLY FLAWED ORGANIZATION, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE

It’s easy to take a swing at the manure filled piñata that is the NCAA. They do and say a lot of dumb things all the time. John Oliver’s piece tangentially raises a lot of those problems. The number of rules that coaches, staffs, and universities are expected to follow and be aware of at all times is nearly laughable. And that’s for people who concern themselves with the rules full time. Now, imagine the disconnect and task that comes with trying to educate players on these rules. The NCAA’s often Draconian enforcement of the rules makes it all the worse. Oliver brings up several examples including Rick Majerus buying a lunch for a student-athlete just before the student flies home for a family funeral or the player who received a discount on a ballroom for his 21^st birthday as having received “impermissible benefits.” There was Shabazz Napier’s comments last year about being hungry. The “is a bagel a meal” debate. The sympathetic story of Silas Nacita and how accepting a place to say while homeless deemed him ineligible.  There’s no shortage of reasons to dislike the NCAA or the people who run it.

While the NCAA has earned much of the distrust many in the public have for its practices and reasoning, the decision on whether to permit payment to players is not an area that the organization has fundamentally screwed up…so far. The history of academic dishonesty and professional players disguised as students was a major reason the NCAA became a full-time professional gig in the 1950’s. It’s a remarkably difficult task the NCAA has. There are 1,281 institutions that belong to the NCAA and nearly a half-million student athletes it develops the rules to oversee. Given that the organization has for so long battled the influence that money has on the integrity to the sports it regulates, it’s no great surprise that they consider the issue of permitting payments with a wary eye. I’m not here to defend the NCAA. If you want to laugh at the notion of the NCAA and use of the word “integrity,” you won’t see me raise a major fuss. However, treating the issue of player payment cautiously is well justified by the history of athletics.

Additionally, Oliver raises some of the middle-tier steps that NCAA should be proactively taking. Guaranteed 4 year scholarships is a major step for the schools in the right direction. Want to prove you’re not holding a 20-year old ransom? How about making sure if he comes to school with good intentions and works hard he won’t find himself abandoned prior to getting that ever valuable college degree? Insuring and assisting players who are injured while participating in college athletics is another important step. However, these issues are distinct from the issue of paying players. Oliver and many may be correct in lumping them together as part and parcel of the same corrupt process, but it need not automatically be so. More importantly, don’t use the ad hominem argument that because the NCAA’s screwed up things like protection for injuries that they’ve also screwed up the issue of player payment.

We will inevitably have to continue discussing this issue as it’s not going away anytime soon. The rules above can help guide a more reasonable and nuanced discussion of what we’re talking about. Avoid hyperbole. It’s totally the worst thing to ever occur in the history of the World to anyone. Give thinking a try, you just might like it. But make that vow to try thinking effective 12:01 AM on March 18. For now, how bout we order a couple of pints and leave this dirty NCAA business to the side?

– Moons

The post Guide to Reasonably Discussing Paying Players appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

He trotted in front of his South Bend squad before which another practice would be held in the friendly confines of the Culver Academies as a handful of Fighting Irish Digital Media employees peered through their camera lenses and over their Twitter devices at the bewildering sight prancing on the synthetic field before them.

The mare cannot be confined. It may be stabled, but some time it must be let out to keep on going. When this animal canters out from the equestrian center, where the whistles of the practice field fill the air, it is time for another practice to begin.

So sound the cannon:

Sheldon Day & Nick Martin got to wake up their teammates in @CulverAcademies tradition this morning…with a cannon! https://t.co/BdRobdoTbQ

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 8, 2014

And marvel at the Lone Horseman:

(If you don’t recognize the muse, I pity you)

The Roundup

One advantage to doing the Roundup so late, is being able to include some gigantic news like the NCAA losing the O’Bannon case. Much more to come on this soon at HLS.

And another NCAA topic that we will have much more coverage on is the new “Power 5 Autonomy” structure that the NCAA passed this week.

As people start cheering about the victory over the NCAA exploitation of student athletes, I’m going to think of the story of Patrick Amara at Pitt.

I understand though the student-athlete life isn’t for everyone. After all, sometimes you just gotta chase that rap dream.

I’m so glad we are no longer at the mercy of Adidas. Enjoy being the featured program, Michigan. That’s working out great isn’t it?

Oregon made scratch and sniff tickets. Seriously. The best part of that though was Stanford’s response.

And now your moment of Nix… Alabama fans really want Saban’s autograph. But thanks to the internet, we can splice it with their worst memory from last season:

The Booze

I don’t care how hot it is, this week has been super terrible and I need that sweet, sweet bourbon in my life right now.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Horseman” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

For those that aren’t aware what the case is about, here is the quick version: Former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon has brought an antitrust class action lawsuit against the NCAA saying they are profiting off images and likeness of former student athletes and those athletes have no right to compensation.

As with anything that challenges the NCAA, this has quickly turned into a “death to the NCAA” event. Facts be damned, logical thought about the real issues facing the NCAA be tossed aside, let’s have fun with jokes and call the NCAA a cartel.

Remember when I said the NCAA was making a mess of things though? Here’s exhibit A:

NCAA attorney Greg Curtner after court: by definition NCAA is "a cartel that does good things, as opposed to a cartel that does bad things."

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 26, 2014

It’s almost like the NCAA is trying to lose or, more likely, they are beyond blind to their own problems within their own organization and college athletics in general. And make no mistake, as much as I’m against college athletes turning into a pay-for-play enterprise, I realize the NCAA needs some kind of reform.

But, no, the NCAA looks content to walk right into their own execution laughing, dancing, and asking to pull the trigger themselves.

The Chewbacca defense would be more effective than what the NCAA is doing. Trying to paint a picture of the NCAA as a benevolent cartel, even if it’s outside the courtroom, is a level beyond dumb that I can’t even put into words.

Just to recap, this is an antitrust lawsuit the definition of which is:

Of or relating to legislation preventing or controlling trusts or other monopolies, with the intention of promoting competition in business.

And a cartel:

An association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.

Good job, good effort. That law school education is really paying off.

Please stop being so stupid, NCAA. If you still want to be in existence in the future, you might want to start wising up just a touch.

The Roundup

Speaking of NCAA hilarity, they apparently can’t use a calculator. It looks as if UNLV’s postseason ban will be lifted. The reason? The NCAA recalculated their APR score and they are apparently fine now.

Happy trails to Stewart Mandel. He will be leaving SI, but thankfully not college football reporting.

Looks like I might need to head to a SMU game sometime. Live college football and beer sales? YES!

Liftin’ in da club. This is so Miami.

Light up Grace Hall! Notre Dame has won the men’s Capital One Cup.

And now your moment of Nix… I’m not sure if Chuck is trying to fire some shots or is really this oblivious to what good attendance looks like these days…

https://twitter.com/CoachWeisKansas/status/481868062157590529

The Booze

Recommending Texas beers two weeks in a row has landed the USA into the World Cup knockout round. And since the NCAA legal team would likely agree correlation equates to causation, let’s keep this going.

This week, I’m going with Revolver’s Blood & Honey, a golden ale for our boy’s quest for a golden trophy.

Go Yanks! Beat Waffles!

The post Friday Roundup: The “NCAA, We Need to Talk” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I’m sure the police asked why he decided just sitting around with pilfered seafood was a good idea. Well, Molly and I put our heads together and figured that it went something like this…

Via @RussellSauve

The crab legs is always sweeter
When it’s something you just take.
You dream about paying up here
But that is a big mistake.
Just look at the crab around you
Right inside Publix’s door.
No on is looking at you
Just swipe ’em and run out the store!

Down here free crawfish, so happy
With ’em out the door I roll.
Paying for crawfish ain’t happy.
Why pay when I won the bowl?
Auburn in the bowl ain’t lucky.
They in for a worser fate.
One day when they all get hungry,
They gotta pay for their plate!

See Duke is a fluke,
And Wake? They are cake,
The ‘Pack got ’em back,
Ain’t no worries there.
The Heels? No big deal,
VaTech? They’re a wreck,
And Clemson is Clemsoning.
The ‘Canes ain’t no thing,
And Pitt should just quit,
The Cards will be charred,
Oh ‘Cuse gonna lose,
The Hoos and the Bees,
They’ll fall to their knees.
An’ of course BC blows!

In the ACC!
In the ACC!
When the seafood
Becomes the free food
Get in my belly!
What do they got? A price to pay?
We got a grand theft getaway!
Each little clam here
Don’t cost a damn here
In the ACC!
Each little shrimp here
Cash you can skimp here
In the ACC!
Each little fish here
It don’t cost ish here
In the ACC!
Paper or plastic
Nah, we don’t bag it
We got the bag man
On the speed dial, man
In the ACC!

—————–

One of our loyal readers, Candice, had a different take:

Yes, this is one of my worst photoshop jobs. You’re welcome.

(Maybe the police are right. Maybe there is something the matter with me.
I just don’t see how a world of such wonderful things could cost money.)

Look at this stuff
Isn’t it neat?
Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the guy,
The guy who has everything?
Look at this NC ring,
Don’t mean a thing-
How many wonders can one dorm room hold?
Looking at my heissman, you’d think-
Sure, he’s got everything.
I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I’ve got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want crabs!

I wanna be where the crab legs are.
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin.’
Walking around on those – what do you call ’em?
Oh – legs!

Spendin’ your money, you don’t get too far.
Cash is required for eating, drinking,
Paying all those – what’s that word again?
Bills!

I won’t just walk, I’m gonna run,
After I’ve practiced all day in the sun.
Who cares if Publix loses a few bucks?
Crabs should be free!

What would I give if I could have free crablegs daily?
What would I pay to dip them in butter? (Nothing)
Bet’cha the bag boys understand.
Bet they don’t reprimand a player.
Bright young athletes sick of payin’
Ready to eat!

I’m ready to go to Publix now.
Ask ’em for crab legs  and get some butter.
What’s a pot and how does it – what’s the word?
Boil?

Why should I pay?
Shouldn’t my play, my skills earn me free nice things?
Out of the sea.
Crabs should be free.
Crabs should be free!

The Roundup

Penn State, why do you do this to yourself. Fresh off an absolutely horrid sexual abuse scandal/cover up, this is the guy you decided to hire?!

Looks like the NCAA is ready to head back to court. They’ve, quite predictably, appealed the O’Bannon case.

Let’s have some happier news, shall we? Like a walk on kicker getting the surprise of his life.

Ever wanted to step into the mind of Lane Kiffin? Someone found his playbook for a UCLA game. He actually put fUCLA in it.

More changes are coming to ND. This time, the Irish Guard is getting the overhaul.

And now your moment of Nix… ND coaches and Jack Swarbrick reading athlete tweets:

[youtube id=”wIMguh6-x7I”]

The Booze

So I decided to actually look up what booze Publix had on sale for poor Jameis. I mean, if you’re stealing food, you are saving money for beer right? I’m hoping he sprung for the Dos Equis at $11.99 for a 12 pack. That’s $1 per beer. I’d feel like I was stealing from Publix too, Jameis.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Stealing, Disney Style” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The attention given to this little announcement, and the debates/angst/celebration that have followed, pale in comparison to what I would consider far bigger announcements made by ND this week. On the football side, a “Football Ambassador” group has been announced. This paid position, open to both Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students, is more or less a response to the area of the recruiting arms-race that has spawned recruiting hostess groups. On the academic side, Notre Dame has bid farewell to the swim test and all other PE requirements for first year students. I actually feel bad for the next incoming class on that one. I got to call Latin dance, working out, and racquetball actual ND course work.

The later two announcements caused minor ripples in comparison to the nuclear response that occurred when Swarbrick announced the fake grass. Even the University’s attention to the field turf announcement is world’s different than the other two. Swarbrick had an on-field interview during Blue/Gold, had a separate interview with Jack Nolan, and ND of course had the usual press release…and that’s really just the start. The other two announcements? Just a simple post on the web.

I find it rather hilarious, personally. How ND approaches the Football Ambassador program I think is a fascinating debate (does ND treat it like another Student Manager program or go full SEC?) and the First Year program changes are a pretty big change from what most of us have known as a rather unique part of the Notre Dame experience. Yet, the focus is on fake grass.

And sure, we’ve played on it here a little bit at HLS. It basically took over the #HLSRecap for Blue/Gold and I even used the news to have a little fun with a sponsored post. Despite that though, the changes that we’ve placed focus on this past week have been things that have occurred on the field rather than the field itself.

Change itself is a part of natural progression of anything. If you don’t change, you will fall behind. The trick though is to pick the battles of what’s worrying about and what isn’t. ND could play on gold field turf for all I care. I might not be a huge fan of the change, but I won’t be burning my diploma or withholding donations because the playing surface simply isn’t that important. Now, say ND’s new Football Ambassador program strives to be a pure hostess program, I might have a bit more of an issue. That would be an actual departure from the way ND usually operates and what they proclaim their mission to be.

But fake grass? Hardly worth the internet ink.

The Roundup

Looks like Florida State and the Tallahassee PD could use some changes of their own. Like, probably actually trying to investigate rape accusations instead of doing next to nothing.

The NCAA made some changes of their own. One was a rule change that brings us one step closer to not being able to hit a QB and allowing schools to provide unlimited food to their athletes. Time for the food recruiting arms-race to begin.

Only Nick Saban would want to blow it all up after two losses. I mean, I get striving for perfection, but I think he’s inching ever closer to insanity.

And now your moment of Nix… Brought to you by Bo Pelini…let’s get a little bit of background first. There exists a Twitter account, @FauxPelini, which might just have the best avatar of all time. Well, the real Pelini is well aware of this and has even interacted with the account in the past. However, Bo decided to escalate the joke to amazing levels during Nebraska’s spring game by leading his team out with his cat and going full @FauxPelini:

Well. Freakin’. Done.

The Booze

In honor of the last few times that anyone will be able to mow the lawn in the House That Rock Build, I give you Fancy Lawnmower by St. Arnold Brewing Company.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Changes” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.