Controversial Opinion: NFL should have a minor league ala NBA's G League and college football should be phased out

[Elky]

Please note I'm aware that this will NEVER happen. However, I think it should.

And I know I'm in the extreme minority over this and it's gonna generate a LOT of hate, but I'm simply not a fan of the current draft process and college football in general. These kids spend four maybe five years of balancing school and football, but only the NCAA and the university they attend profit and for most players you are far more likely to not even make it on an NFL practice squad let alone the final 53 man roster. I also don't like how most players drafted in the first round are expected to be productive right out of the gates and teams run out of patience by year two.

So why not copy the NBA's G league and have a developmental league that high schoolers can join and get paid to be groomed for the NFL? That way if the NFL doesn't work out, assuming they're not complete idiots with money, they'll have plenty in the bank they can use for college.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Elky

[Calvert28]

I think its fair to the players. As much as I love college football I am at the point where I want the NCAA gone entirely. Though I would prefer college to still be a mandatory thing but not have young athletes by the collar to do with them what they please. 

[diamondbull424]

3 minutes ago, Elky said:

Please note I'm aware that this will NEVER happen. However, I think it should.

And I know I'm in the extreme minority over this and it's gonna generate a LOT of hate, but I'm simply not a fan of the current draft process and college football in general. These kids spend four maybe five years of balancing school and football, but only the NCAA and the university they attend profit and for most players you are far more likely to not even make it on the practice squad let alone the final 53 man roster. I also don't like how most players drafted in the first round are expected to be productive right out of the gates and teams run out of patience by year two.

So why not copy the NBA's G league and have a developmental league that high schoolers can join and get paid to be groomed for the NFL? That way if the NFL doesn't work out, assuming they're not complete idiots with money, they'll have plenty in the bank they can use for college.

Why not just advocate for college athletes to get paid? Seems much more reasonable then the above solution when considering all the angles.

Development in the classroom can aid in developing the maturity of some of the players that have never been exposed to that type of environment. Or perhaps guys like Myron Rolle have to choose between football and getting their education to be a doctor... as with the former they have to prioritize the football circuit over education.

In the current system colleges are incentivized to assist these athletes in developing their minds for superior grades, so that they ultimately have eligibility. Can some programs game the system with professors? Sure. But the opportunities are still present for the right individual.

In the above system, athletes are still going to be “given up on” after a couple years of not producing. It’s professional sports, in all equivalents, you’re incentivized to either produce or leave. With high level HS recruits at least coaches are again incentivized to work with struggling players to help them fulfill their potential... else enough high profile recruits that don’t develop could mean that coach finds his way out of a job.

So all in all, would it be nice to have an alternative for some HS players to develop in a minor league system, sure. But would it be superior or should replace college football, I think not.

[Duluther]

This would severely cripple universities across the board. I get there is resentment against them because they profit off of things they shouldn’t (at least not before others, who aren’t profiting yet), but I’d rather prioritize higher learning before prioritizing some minor league that no one will care to watch.

 

On a side note, I have no idea how other countries are able to run universities. Most countries don’t care much for their college sports.

[candyman93]

Google how much universities depend on sports to generate revenue.

[vikingsrule]

6 minutes ago, Duluther said:

This would severely cripple universities across the board. I get there is resentment against them because they profit off of things they shouldn’t (at least not before others, who aren’t profiting yet), but I’d rather prioritize higher learning before prioritizing some minor league that no one will care to watch.

 

On a side note, I have no idea how other countries are able to run universities. Most countries don’t care much for their college sports.

I’d imagine most college professors and college administrators and support positions are severely over paid in the US relative to other countries. Especially when the federal government overtook college lending in 2008. There’s no consequence when tuition is drastically increased and you can pay your staff handsomely when the government is willing to fund any degree program to a dumb 18 year old willing to take on six figures of debt without much thought to it.

[DannyB]

52 minutes ago, Elky said:

And I know I'm in the extreme minority over this and it's gonna generate a LOT of hate

I think you're overestimating these, but you want to seem edgy.

I would care like .0005% if they blew up college football and switched to a different structure.

[kingseanjohn]

37 minutes ago, candyman93 said:

Google how much universities depend on sports to generate revenue.

Just curious, but if they didn't spend so much on athletic scholarships, events, stadiums, coaching staff, etc. would their budget be just fine? I feel like many schools just need to revenue to pay for their athletics.

[DontTazeMeBro]

The G League exists and the best players overwhelmingly still opt to go the college route.

You can’t force college football to not exist. And as long as it does, that’s where the better coaching is going to be. Because that’s where the money is.

A developmental league wouldn’t be able to pay that much because football teams are way more expensive than basketball or baseball. More players. The facilities. Insurance. Equipment. And less money because barely anyone would watch it. They definitely wouldn’t make the value of four years of college. And most of their money like most adults would be their housing expense. 
 

And it’s not like basketball where we have a pretty good idea out of high school who the pros are going to be. It’s much less predictable(although much more predictable than baseball.)

College football isn’t perfect but there really isn’t a better option. It would cost the NFL a fortune to develop these players themselves and they wouldn’t be able to develop nearly as many as college football. And if it existed it would be a mistake for most players to go that route.

[LeotheLion]

College football fandom and roots are too deep to have a passable alternative imo. 

 

[DontTazeMeBro]

Also it would make the NFL worse because most innovation comes from the college game. The majority of the NFL are group thinkers set in their ways who want to spend their entire careers doing it exactly the way they learned it.

[EvilenFroggen]

1 hour ago, DannyB said:

I think you're overestimating these, but you want to seem edgy.

I would care like .0005% if they blew up college football and switched to a different structure.

Perhaps on here, but the state of South Carolina, and a lot of the region, would explode. You thought The South Will Rise Again was an empty saying, or something about the 2nd Amendment, but no. It’d be over this.  

[brushmyhair]

Blasphemy. Just pay the players

[DannyB]

1 hour ago, DaveDX said:

Perhaps on here, but the state of South Carolina, and a lot of the region, would explode. You thought The South Will Rise Again was an empty saying, or something about the 2nd Amendment, but no. It’d be over this.  

Meh, just continue to call them the same location/nickname. Nobody there actually cares about the academic connection.

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, brushmyhair said:

Blasphemy. Just pay the players

That's where I am on the thing.  Quit pretending that they're students, we all know they're not and college football is a full time job.  Pay the players, but keep college ball.