Me and Devin Hester love KO returns. Maybe these changes will significantly reduce injuries so it’s not eliminated completely yet keep a level of excitement. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-undergo-makeover-in-order-to-make-play-safer There will be no running start or pre-kick motion by cover teams and no wedge blocks by return squads. Also, there will be a 15-yard, non-contact zone from the spot of the kick, with the return team required to have a minimum of eight players lined up 15 yards from the ball. The expectation is that this will not only take some of the bigger linemen off the field because there will be a premium on agility and speed to operate in space, but also eliminate some of the violent collisions on the back end of the play. As described, the coverage will resemble what's normally seen on a punt than a "traditional" kickoff. The competition committee still has to finalize writing the changes to the kickoff rule, but it should be accomplished in time for the owners to vote on the proposal during the Spring League Meeting, which will be held in Atlanta on May 21-23.
There was never data to support that more concussions happened on kickoffs, in the first place. I'd be interested to see data on whether or not changes in the past few years made any differences, at all. They did all they could to kill the kickoff before, and they're still trying to now. It's much easier to do this for the PR than it is to actually address the problem of concussions properly. Fuck Goodell. What a piece of shit that guy is.
Only the fucking NFL. They can't even come out against kickoffs correctly. These are just stupid. If you're going to get rid of the damn kickoffs, which IMO--the writing was on the wall when they moved it from the 30 to the 35--cite how many times the kicker sailed it out of the end zone and how frequent it was happening and how irrelevant the play had become. I don't have numbers to support, and I didn't watch much of the NFL outside some bears, but on kickoffs? All the same. Sailed out of the end zone, unless John Fox tried to get cute and the bears inevitably started on their own 10 with all the blown coverages. But no. The NFL keep making everything legal-speak, and its just damaging the game at this point. Like the proposed catch rule that will also be voted on in the same meetings. All they had to do was keep it 2 feet plus possession. But why keep it simple? Its now up to the refs to determine if the player attempted or was in process of "a football move" afterwards. It changed from 2 feet, possession, and a football move to 2 feet, possession, and the referee's interpretation of a football move or interpretation of if the ref believes the receiver is trying to make a football move. Its entirely not going to work, but I'm rooting for the XFL when it comes back. I hope its a better alternative to the NFL, and I hope it breaks the ass-backwards NCAA not paying kids. This is why the NFL is losing viewers. Not players kneeling for the national anthem. And if you think its the national anthem, then you're part of the fucking problem. /rant
Arrrghh... you had me until you said the NCAA should “pay” kids. This drives me insane. First off, they ARE being paid. They get 25k + per year in free education, room, and board. Second, nobody is holding a gun to their heads. If you don’t want to play college football, then don’t. Just go ahead and get a loan for the $120,000 - $150,000 + it’s going to cost to attend a major college for 4-5 years and go that route. And finally, how would you even propose they get paid? Is it fair to give a heisman trophy winner the same as a back offensive lineman? The whole concept of “paying” these kids is asinine. Sorry, but it is. End rant.
I agree with you on actually giving these kids a salary. The free education takes care of that. I do think the kids should have the right to make money for themselves on the side though through autographs signings and appearances.
The money that is made on these kids is disproportionate to the education they're given, as an offset. The ratio is egregious. NFL'ers get millions, these kids get scholarships. Not comparable compensation for a comparable product and revenue. Moreover, most of these kids don't actually have time to take advantage of their educational opportunity, because the demands of the football program constitute more than a full working day. Even further, these kids aren't getting money to do anything else. In most cases, they don't even have the money to go out to a movie for a night, if they wanted to. They can't work because of time and rule restraints, and while their education and room / board is paid for, nothing else is. There's no doubt that rules are broken, and that certain star players get exceptional treatment. But, for the vast majority of college football players, they're spending their day at a football practice facility, rather than learning, and being told that their payment for playing is their opportunity to learn. It's not right, it's not equitable and there's not a reasonable argument that it is. The NCAA is criminal, and it needs to go / be vastly reworked.
Also, just because you have a full-ride/partial ride, doesn’t mean you’ll go pro. What about walk-ons that light it up? Maybe they’ll get a scholarship offer the following year. Maybe they didn’t try until their senior year. Too many variables to cover. Bottom line: CFB is making a shit tonne of money off the players. The student athletes should get something (more) in return. Besides the honor and privilege to attend and play for <fill in ANY major sports school here>.
I'm all about paying them. Highest bidder. Don't care if you want to cap it or not at a max amount, but let it happen. The NCAA is criminal. They make billions, and universities make tens, some hundreds of millions in revenue on these kids. Their likeness, their jerseys, their everything. And sorry, "a free education" is the short end of the stick. These schools don't give a shit about these kids studying. They care about the money. Stanford didn't recruit and play Christian McCaffery because they want him to be tomorrow's leading doctor, or engineer, or whatever else Stanford is known for. They wanted him because he made them money. Same with basketball. You think some of these kids are going to learn? Fuck no. Why kid ourselves here? These kids are seeing none of the shares. Derrick Rose didn't want to play in Europe for a year, so he had someone else take his SATs and went to Memphis. Let teams pay them. It would still be the same. Alabama would still be on top. Big college schools would benefit more as they'd have more money, but that isn't exactly going to change the landscape. They're semi professional athletes, not student athletes. If that involves the kids paying their own way or most of their own way, fine.
Again. Nobody is putting a gun to their heads. If you don’t want to be a student athlete - don’t. It’s that simple. Nobody is going to convince me that 4-5 years of free college, room, and board - that 95% of the population could never afford - isn’t enough compensation. Sorry. No tears from me for the college athlete.
You're comparing a kid who gets a degree in a substantial major and the chance to finish among the top in their class with a kid who spends 8+ hours a day involved with the football program. Let's be real - save for the rare minority, most of these kids aren't graduating with the ability to qualify for a decent grad school program. They're graduating with a degree that consists of easy to pass classes that they barely had the time to take. You're saying that, just because a kid is getting a place to stay and the chance to hang a hospitality degree on their wall means they shouldn't benefit any further from the billions of dollars they generate, usually at the expense of their long-term health and well-being? That's some asinine shit, and I think if you were honest with yourself, rather than just being short-sightedly bitter, you'd agree.
Aren't tuitions high enough as it is? Who do you think is going to pay the players salaries? That's right, whatever necessary % tuition increases for the rest of the students. Or maybe certain academic scholarships get cut to make up for it. Or maybe the colleges can stop building so many new buildings that are unnecessary? In the end the real problem is the NFL is coluding with the NCAA forcing high school graduates to commit to 3 years of college ball. If they want to get paid there should be a minor league for the NFL. At least half of the college players shouldn't be in college anyways unless you consider swimming pool management a legitimate major
I am just curious but are you basing any of your argument on actual fact? Are you insinuating that it is rare for an athletic scholarship athlete to earn a degree in a substantial major? The numbers go against you here even in division 1 football. When you compare DIV 1 football players to regular students the graduation rate is lower and I am sure if you weed out BS degrees it is even lower but to say it is rare is just fake news pal. What you are doing is taking the responsibility completely off of the student athlete themselves. Is it harder for a student athlete to earn a good degree? Sure but that’s the trade off. And even though it is a challenge to stay on track academically it is also a great opportunity that just wouldn’t exist without the scholarship. Less than 2% of college athletes go pro. The problem is a much much larger % think they will go pro and not need the education available to them. I am sorry but that’s on them not the school. It might not be fare that the schools make so much and give so little but that can be improved without turning college sports into semi pro sports. And like it was said taking that scholarship is a CHOICE. If you don’t like the conditions of the deal don’t take it.
As far as the first part, you’re just talking out of your ass as far as “hospitality” degrees go, so that’s complete bullshit. There are MANY very successful people I know personally that played college sports. Not only that, my wife recruits “C” level talent across the country and I’ll tell you that many companies actually seek out former college athletes for their personality traits. But regardless, a degree is still a degree and the monetary value of it is more than the vast majority of people could afford. It’s well into the six figures. And as far as the “billions” the school generates (again more bullshit- Alabama had a $47M profit last year), where do you think that money goes? Back into the school. There isn’t a group of ten trillionaries smoking cigars on top of a pile of money laughing. The money is re-invested. Big time football programs are big time expensive to run - coaching staff, training staff, equipment, travel costs, facility maintenance, etc... And again, 2% of college athletes go pro, and what percentage of those have lengthy careers? College is about getting a degree, it’s not a farm system or a pit stop before the pros. If playing sports facilitates getting a degree to prepare for real life, then that’s a good thing. But - again - if you don’t want to do it, then don’t. Very, very simple. What you’ve said is some asinine shit, and I think if you were honest with yourself instead of being just plain short-sighted, you’d agree.
