I think Madden, when coaching the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a playoff game a few years ago, talking after the game about what would have happened if his player hadn't gotten thrown out stealing second base, said: "you see what the next guy did, didn't you"? Implying that because the guy got a single, the runner on second would have scored.

Won't insult anyone here to explain that one, as you know why it is wrong. But it speaks to what is going through some of these guy's heads.

When the media takes a story that should be over in a one or two week news cycle and drags it out for YEARS.

No media - I don't give **** whether Barry Bonds used steroids or not, stop reporting on it every day for three years straight.

And no - I also don't give a **** whether Tom Brady deflated a football, stop reporting on it every single god damn day for two straight years.

One that never used to end was the endless Brett Farvre retirement talk. Year after year after year. All versions wore me out, one story at a time. Brutal.

They are still talking about TO possibly making a comeback!! Mfkers 43 and got cut 5 years ago. Go away

Yeah, if a person can do it 33% of the time, they are in the HoF and are on the greatest at doing it.

I hit a round softball with a round bat and bat like .850. Am I great? Yes, but not specifically for that reason.

Here's one. When the media, commentators, etc. say that college athletes should get paid. They are generally talking about the players from the power schools....like Duke Basketball players, Alabama football players.....schools that have huge businesses built around their programs. There are many different levels of that.

What is totally wrong about this argument, is that hardly anyone ever mentions that the athletes do, in fact, get paid. How much is a four year free ride at Duke worth? That is at least 200K, especially when counting free room and board. You probably have instances where the total benefit is double that.

Count up the value of the degree, free rent for four years, free food for four years. Then add on the value of taking 100 or so free trips across the country, giving you more life experience....with nothing out of pocket. But it is not mentioned often.

Now, what if athletes at the big schools were paid 70K per year, but they had to pay for their room and board, and also classes? It is the same thing as what goes on now, or at least quite similar. How about free school, and 30K for spending....pay for room and board yourself....still the same thing as now, but it looks better when expressed in this manner.

There is nothing wrong with the system. One of the biggest benefits a young person can have is to get a degree from an elite institution. Throw in not having solid six figures in debt when you get out, and that possibility alone, far outweighs the advantage the schools may get, by maximizing the sports program financially. The real world isn't too fun for many of these athletes. This is a great opportunity to leap frog a large percentage of young people....for free.

damn, you were on such a good run too

yeah the above post is bizarre and 100% wrong

Athlete's degrees are worthless. They don't even go to class most of the time.

No employer will look at a communications degree from a CTE-riddled former RB and say "this guy is def qualified for the management position."

Damn that college athlete take is bad

Hardest thing in sports for avg Joe is kicking a 50 yard FG imo.

The opportunity for free college tuition at an elite university, with free room and board is a tremendous opportunity. For the athletes that supposedly are being taken advantage of, a vast majority (almost all) would be far worse off had they not had the opportunity. How each person takes advantage of the opportunity varies, of course, but that does not mean that the huge value of the opportunity can be discounted.

Take a kid from a poor family who is a great athlete. What are his prospects in life? Lots of dead end choices out there for most. The math is the math. Put them into the mix where they can get exposure to other ideas, without having to worry about paying for any of it, and that sounds like one of the best opportunities you can dream up.

What other opportunity is more valuable for these types of players? Would you suggest that elite athletes from impoverished upbringings would be better off if someone instead simply wired them 50K to 200K upon graduation from high school, to do as they pleased in their often dead end hometown?

The reality is that many of their peers, who are not elite athletes, have very few opportunities to get out of their rut of a situation. That is why they join the armed forces (one example). Sounds like going off to a new place and experiencing things, on the schools dime, while doing what you presumably love, is one of the best deals ever.

I think he was just giving an example

How is receiving a 200K benefit not "getting paid"? It looks like that is a nice sum, and a huge benefit. You guys would have a stronger leg to stand on if the schools bussed the players in to play the games, while not providing housing, food, and an elite education.

Unless you can think of one opportunity on planet earth, where an elite athlete from an impoverished upbringing, can get a better deal, then I'm afraid I will have to take prize here, when I suggest that the athletes are actually getting paid very well (the ones who are allegedly being taken advantage of). I mean, this isn't forced labor. They can go play overseas right out of high school (basketball)....and get paid cash.

Now, you can argue about some of the rules that the NBA, NFL, etc. has, as to determining eligibility, but that is not the point, and nobody has argued that. I am suggesting that the argument that elite college athletes are not getting paid is wrong on almost all levels. They are clearly getting compensated a large amount, it is just that instead of paying the athlete first, and then having the athletes pay for the school, rent, and food, schools are making the athletes payments for them.

Here's one. In the NBA, when a big man like Shaq, who shot 50 percent from the line in a good year, would have his stats talked about by an announcer. They would say, Oneil, shooting 50 percent from the line, and leading the league in field goal percentage at 58 percent. It is such a joke to count dunks and layups as field goal attempts.

This happens with every single bricklayer from the line....usually big men, who struggle to make any shot past a few feet, yet their field goal stats would suggest to a Martian, that they can actually shoot. True percentages for some of these guys has to be like 18 percent for shots away from the basket.

Last week in the PGA, golf's final major, Nick Faldo and Jim Nantz were marveling at Jason Day's make percentage, when putting inside of 10 feet. They said it was 90 percent, and that he led the tour in make percentage. But they offered no context...it is not true that Jason Day makes 90 percent of his puts from 9 to 10 feet, which was the distance of this putt. They count the one footers in that stat. So, of course he makes it, and the announcers go: "of course he made it, he is near automatic". But the truth is that he was about 40 percent to make that specific putt.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/...b0ec9d29d9c12c

Not that it matters, but I am usually on the side of anti-establishment, and anti-silver spoon, and even rich white guy, but this issue is not talked about correctly, and I will stand by that. A discussion about society is not what this is about. When most discuss the topic, it is as if they are suggesting the athletes are bussed in the for the day, and receive no schooling, food, room and board, and tons of other benefits at all. It is a great deal unless you can tell me about other better deals they can get instead.

The argument is generally this...."Should college athletes get paid"? It should be stated, :"Should college athletes get paid "more"?

Poor bgrif flew too close to the sun

Happens to the best of us

He'll bounce back

It might be more accurate to say that many players are not compensated fairly, but I think that’s the implicit subtext behind the notion that players should be paid.

I still believe that the value is not brought up enough, but this will be my last post on the topic, as it has turned into a bad thread derail. Back to the Ted Williams nonsense quote, or something else.

What value does free college tuition have for an athlete that just isn't smart enough for a college degree?

“Mr. Irrelevant”.

It’s extremely patronizing of sports media yahoos to tar/feather an athlete that was actually drafted as if that fact alone is somehow worthy of derision.

Plus, it has become a pick that is not organic, and there is more value for the player being the last pick (publicity, attention), as opposed to the second to last pick. It has taken on a bit of a life of its own, where the pick is not truly an organic last pick, anyways.

But good point. Might as well call the last ten percent of picks irrelevant. Come to think of it, they do indeed speak about it wrong, in more ways than one. I would much rather be that pick than to not get drafted, and non drafted players can do very well.

Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, and how everyone, and almost assuredly, he and his family, pronounce his last name. My answer to that is from an REM song. Can't get there from here. Yes, I cut and pasted his name there. Did not even try......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ5SGq96xaE