bear2be2 said:
jikespingleton said:
Here is a combination of my own thoughts, as well as expressing what others have said on here..
I think it is absurd to continue to appeal to fans to pay players with revenue sharing knocking on the door.
The fans are the reason the game is popular and why the TV contracts have ballooned over the past 20 years. No fans = no TV revenue.
We take time out of our schedules, go to games, set up tailgates, buy food and drinks and often make a weekend out of it to see friends and family. We also buy hats, shirts and other gear of our favorite teams.
Apparently that is enough and isn't appreciated?
****. OFF.
These universities are going to kill the golden goose.
And the worst part is they're going to blame a lack of fan support when the consumers finally decide enough is enough. It's textbook gaslighting honestly.
I think we can look at the pro sports model to see where this is going.
TV contracts have flooded pro sports with money. Fans are told to "stay competitive" the teams will need new stadiums, higher ticket prices and charge $20 for **** beer and $15 for a hot dog. It's an absurd business model, but people put up with it because sports is a singularly unique business. I would add, I don't go to nfl or nba games because I refuse to pay those prices, or 'compromise' by sitting in nosebleed seats.
I think college goes the same way. Ticket prices, parking, concessions will all go continue to go up and outpace just about all costs in the real world in the name of "being competitive". With the added insult of fans being asked to donate money. The key difference between the pro sports and the college game is there isn't revenue sharing and parity checks in place
across conferences in the college game. It's always been a bunch of 'leagues' playing independently.
No amount of donating is going to bridge the gap for teams not in the b10 and sec. We then have to ask ourselves as fans and alumni - what's important to us? Where do we want to put our dollars? If we step back and really think about all of this - the NIL thing, paying players and the facilities arms race is all based on pride and bragging rights. Nothing more.