Great interview. I hope Campbell, Otz, Fennelly, and Dresser give us teams to be proud of over the next couple years. Whatever happens, I’ll always be a Cyclone fan.
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Pollard sounds off on NIL, changing landscape of college athletics in interview on Murphy & Andy
- Thread starter JStanz51
- Start date
I don’t fully understand this ‘Semi-Pro’ argument. Isn’t it just a crappier version of Pro Sports? There’s never been a real reason for athletes to go to class, but isn’t that the only difference between the Toledo Mud Hens and the Buckeyes? The Ohio States and Texas of world ‘breaking off’ doesn’t compute to me. Who is the target audience? Why would people pay to watch the Austin Longhorns instead of the Dallas Cowboys? If not for the tie to the university, isn’t basically the G-League? Or AAA baseball?
I’m probably in the minority, but the reason I don’t watch Pro sports is I don’t have a connection to the team. The nearest NFL or MLB team is 200 miles away, the nearest NBA team is 250 miles away. But ISU? ISU is where I met my wife, where my parents met. It has deep personal ties to me. I know a die-hard Bears fan that has been to Chicago like 5 times in his life. Where does the fierce loyalty come from? Just because the Bears were good when you were 10 years old? I know there are a lot of causal college fans too, but I feel like the two products are getting really close to being the same thing.
Exactly.
Winning used to be the exclusive branding. Now it’s being a member of the premier league. How many struggling NFL franchises would willingly join a lower league?
The value becomes nearly all in the league membership. I’m not sure why the blue bloods want to give up the near monopoly status they enjoy, but 5-30 benefit.
With pay to play and some level of cap, the competitive balance improves while the importance of having elite records diminishes. Does anyone think less of super bowl champs that were six seeds with 6 losses?
Nick, I'm glad you asked.
The reason that there will be a split is because we've been headed for it for 30 years. Once Americans (the target audience of which you speak) decided that they couldn't possibly live with a *GASP* shared national title the search for "one true champion" was on...three decades later the Orange and Rose Bowls are just another bowl and the Bag Man League...errrrr SEC churns out champion after champion. Americans will follow a 30-32 team CFB because it will be major college football. What ISU ends up in will be perceived the same way D1AA is now.
I won't be watching...but they're not going to miss me. Enough people follow the teams of NFL Lite that the new CFB will be fine.
I'm not sure why. He basically said don't worry, the world won't end. North Dakota State's fans are sure excited when they win national titles. Well, IF ISU becomes a dynasty in whatever league, all 17,000 packed into the Jack and 50,000 watching on FS2 will really enjoy the wins.
Here's the key line I took away from that article.
"The player handed over exclusive rights to use his NIL."
Didn't we start NIL because college kids were" being exploited"? Not sure we fixed anything. NCAA is like most governing bodies and governments. They can EFF up any good idea.
I’ve said I’d rather pay more for the so called second tier than throw money at a losing proposition in the highest level.
I do think pricing would need to be redone to reflect the new reality but it isn’t really different than the previous scenario so I’m not sure pricing really decreases. It probably just stops growing like it has.
Perhaps semi pro is the wrong term, but it’s the schools who have enough money to buy the best players. Pollard alluded to it, and I think it will happen. Best for us in the long run, although attendance and donations will drop. My opinion was that there will be more than 30 teams with enough $ to go that route.
Target audience - good question. Although some viewership might be lost, I think the majority of the teams will be in high population states, many of which are growing. They probably do not care if you and I do not watch. Most of the SEC and B10 footprint will probably opt in. Southern California, and select ACC.
I am not into conspiracy theories, but I think this was in the back of Texas and Oklahoma
minds.
The schools with the most money have always generally secured the best players. The step change is the transfer rule changes as much as NIL.
JP is foolishly optimistic. It will be more than 30. At least 40 to 48,
but initially perhaps up to 56.
Unfortunately Iowa St is one of the few that will be moving down to what is now known as the G5. And it sounds like after 16 years JP is ready to have us be the first. This will go splendidly with the loss of AAU and general decline of ISU’s profile with respect to other institutions.
Who replaces us in the Big 12 or best of the rest conference at the top level? USF?
I’d have to disagree here.
You shouldn’t have to pay a $7500 donation for lower lever MBB basketball tickets for a 2nd tier division…
The AD should lower the donations level. It’s absurd to think differently.
Agree. That’s ridiculous. Particularly in basketball.
A $100 million dollar AD being fatalistic because now they need to spend $103 million to have basketball stay at the highest level, can’t justify asking for more when they foolishly went down a level and now only have $50 million…And likely still need to pay player if NCAA vs Johnson rules athletes are employees.
Just ask for more now to stay at the top level, being honest that the alternative is disastrous as we’re one of the first few to be cut. And then when we’re still too cheap, borrow.
The question JP should be hammering fans with us whether we want to donate $x million more and stay in top level, which will ultimately have rules and regulations. Or do we want to donate a lot more than that to still pay players but also the AD, and hope whatever conference we’re in gets multiple bids to the postseason.
This is something you do borrow against the future on. If it doesn’t work and we’re in a lower level joined by a handful of others, the extra debt is moot.
We must be all-in on the Big 12 being the base of the “best of the rest conference” so the P2 can avoid legal challenges. It won’t be equitable in revenue, but still preferable.
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The part you are missing is it isn’t a lower level it is the big schools breaking off and doing their own thing. If we drop down and joined the MVC or something then yeah stuff drops but the idea would be the SEC and some other schools breaking off for semi pro sports and we would be one of the big schools in college athletics.
Let me help you out. One example involves a kid getting paid, while the other doesn't. Those are not even close to comparable.
But those big schools aren't breaking away in a vacuum! They will be taking a lot with them...exposure, attention and MONEY!!! A lot of money! Therefore, there will be less money to go around for the leftovers. So we might stay "at the same level" in name...we won't have as much money maintain that level.
I mean, he's being paid to be that. You cant be the guy being paid a million a year to say "yep, we're ******". Even if we are, indeed, completely ****** by the combination of unrestricted pay for play, realignment, and the transfer portal.
Because it’s wrong to restrict someone from making money because they accept a scholarship in basketball or football while musical/academic scholarships don’t have the same restrictions.
Except that’s exactly what he is saying. He’s pushing fatalism, but selling it as it’s okay because 35 other schools will be right behind us.
That latter part is dangerously optimistic.
JP has been paid for 16 years to put ISU in a better position than just saying, “yeah we’re top-3 in line in terms of being ******, and our only plan is to jump first, then wait at the bottom, crippled, hoping the other 35 schools jump too”.
I am sure that has already happened with IMG Academy and others.NIL is now reaching back into HS basketball players. One of the top HS sophomores recently agreed to join Overtime Elite. He will not be paid a salary to maintain his NCAA eligibility in a couple years. But he will have an NIL deal
It's just a matter of time before we see Prep School players sign NIL deals. It's a crazy, crazy amateur sport world.
That’s often the best scenario with JP.
