OT - Pacific Pro Football Aims to Give an Alternative to College for Aspiring NFL Players

This is great. Changing anything (almost anything) is an improvement on the exploitative system we have now.

All for this. If it is done well, it'll be a great thing. Hope they do some education (not formal) about the value of that CC degree and finances (making sure the kids know that this league isn't forever and they need to start planning for the future). 

Well, let's be honest about one thing: Yes, this is intended to be a money-maker.  One does not start a league costing $8-10 million in personnel costs yearly just to be revenue-neutral, out of the goodness of their heart.

Details are still sparse right now, but it looks like a summer-only league. It doesn't look like there is year-round training or access to facilities you would get in college. Maybe some kids will choose this route over straight Junior College, but once you get paid, you lose your college eligibility.

I think this option right now is for players who were never going to college in the first place. Maybe it could grow to more if it were successful though.

......for Marijuana use and a league like this could do some damage.

The league will either fail or remain so small it will be totally irrelevant. 

This would basically replace the JUCO route for highly talented players that have trouble with some discipline issue or grades that prevents them from getting a scholarship in FBS but are otherwise big, fast and strong enough for that level. 

It feels more like an extended "camp" to me, where the pay is more of a stipend. I don't know where the money would come from beyond very small ticket sales. If the NFL financed it for player-development purposes, then you need to question how the draft comes into play and how players' "rights" being owned by a team are determined. 

Football and basketball are just different. So is soccer I suppose (but not as familiar with the way they work). Baseball and hockey players can be drafted out of high school and then a team owns their rights if they go to college. Teams take the risk of owning the rights to a HS player who they might not be able to use for a few years, but they're going to develop in college or in the minors anyway. Football and basketball could theoretically do this as well, and in the cae of basketball many players like Lebron and Kobe would "skip" the minors. Many baseball and hockey players spend minimal time in the minors as well. 

The difference is that the football- and basketball-playing atmosphere is so much better at the college level, even at much of the Group of Five or basketball mid-majors. Minor league baseball and college baseball are about the same experience as far as fans and atmosphere, with baseball being a bit better. Same with hockey, whether it's the Canadian youth leagues or the AHL. But go straight to playing for the Grand Rapids Drive at the Delta Plex instead of Crisler or Breslin? Or play in an empty MLS stadium in LA vs. the Coliseum or Big House? And oh by the way you are always on ESPN. I think most players would trade the first 1-3 years of pay or stipend for the college scholarship and that game-day experience and exposure. 

$50/K per year is way more than the cost of JUCO tuition.  You get $200K and the wear and tear on your body is less than what you get during a regular college FB season.

Actually, if you're a middling prospect who has aspirations for an advanced degree, why not do this in the summer and go to a 4-year school during the school year.  I don't see any details on the offseason training schedule.  After four years, you'll have a decent chunk of change saved up for grad school or a house if you go straight into the workforce.

1. Do they serve beer at the games?
2. How hot will the cheerleaders be?

Ed McCaffrey - Christian McCaffrey's dad - is behind this, so I'm assuming that all the players will be encouraged to sit out any and all bowl games in this league.

I understand that Ed has another son named Dylan who is hopefully not the type to want to sit out bowl games.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but it's "A four-team league based in Southern California"

While I've never lived in California, so I'm going off perceived notions here, that the West Coast is a terrible idea.  People have too many other things to do.  I mean, they can't even fill their 60k seat stadiums for most college teams due to lack of interest.

Giving a kid $50K out of high school could make them worse off than if they had no money going to college. especially when none of them know how to use money. Now then can at least 'afford the payments'. Bad idea.

So they're making an AAU league for football now? Interesting.

Who are you going to get to coach? Development depends on coaching as well. You're not going to get anyone good to take a massive paycut and do this. Quality of coaching advantage is strongly with the traditional college route.

Who is going to pay to see this? If you don't pay the bills, it all falls down just like the last 500 leagues to try.

Honestly, I have nothing against it, but unless you're a kid that just cannot qualify, or you have character problems so troubling that not even FCS programs will take you, I can't see anyone doing this.

This seems a bit dodgy.  Everyone gets $50K?  Everyone gets playing time?  Not intended to be a money-maker?   

Not sure how realistic this is.  

 

 

When you add in housing and food 50 k ain't shit

FINALLY -- someone is bringing market economics to football!

It starts w/ $50K/player.  But if this works, over time, really great players are going to be offered more -- the 5*'s will get throw more than that, etc.  And that's fine, everyone should get their market value.  ANY TRUE AMERICAN WOULD SUPPORT THIS.  This is capitalism at its best -- get paid for your value.  It's what our country is founded on.  Players in other sports do it (baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf, etc.) -- so why should football be different?

To anyone worried about harming the college football product:  SHUT UP.  Seriously.  The fact that college kids should lose their rights (by not getting paid, while college make BILLIONS on them) is less important than your enjoyment on Saturday afternoon?  Maybe you'd support Ford or GM workers not having any holidays all year, just so your car is a few bucks cheaper?  Maybe your enjoyment of college sports is based on a fundamental lie -- the pretending that these are students first -- and you need to adjust yourself to 2017, and stop living in 1950.

Besides, there can still be college sports, just without the 4*'s and 5*'s headed to the pros.  Baseball, soccer, hockey -- they are ALL the same.  Do we like UM hockey any less, just b/c IHL exists?  It may even level the playing field, as Alabama and OSU won't be hoarding talent like that.

Just a 4 year university is not for everyone, the path to becoming a professional football player isn't just one path. Granted nearly all of the top players went the traditional route of a 4 year college (at some point, either direct admission or transfer from JUCO), but it is no means certain.

1. It will be interesting to see if the league produces any starters at the high profile position.

2. It is easy to see that someone who is a 4 or 5th DB/LB/WR could catch someone's eye and become a special teamer.

3. Besides helping players who are trying to get a second chance, it might become a place for QBs who need some credible game film to come and get a serious look. For players of some positions it is possible to get a reasonable assessment from watching old college/high school film and seeing them work out - but for QB, it is really hard to know without seeing them make throws in game situation and against credible defenses.This might be a place for the QBs who end up undrafted and who don't get an invite a free agent to a camp. They could go there and get some reps and game time that might get them a second look. 

I think this is a smart idea to form this league.  If it is successful, it could "threaten" traditional college football.

Lets face it: Football players have a very limited shelf life.  They are one play from serious injury constantly.  NFL players live shorter lives than the average person.

I could see this league being successful, and eventually "merging" with traditional college football in some shape or form.  It would be an easy "out" for the NCAA to not have to pay players directly.

* For example, player signs 4 year contact with this play for pay league and the NCAA guarantees them a 4 year educational scholarship to be redeemed within 8 years of signing the contact.  The players can attend the school of their signing while in the pay league, or after if the NFL does not work out.

Thats a win - win in my opinion.

That is where this is all headed: Compensating players.  Better that the independent league do it than the schools will be the NCAA's outlook.

Talking 10-15 years from now.

The world is changing quickly however institutional reform will take some time.

Would love to see something like this take off.  The analog here would be college hockey, which obviously does suffer in terms of quality compared to b-ball & football due to the presence of a serious minor league system.  OTOH, it still is doing great as a sport, and it turns out that lots of elite players still choose the amateur route, even when a minor league professional route is available, so clearly there's something appealing about amateurism.  Also, it means way less in terms of scandal, under the table dealings, etc., because the players who want the money just go to the minors and get paid.

If this became a large-scale phenomenon, yeah, college football would lose some elite players, and might take a bit of a hit in the TV ratings.  The trade-off is more than worth it in my eyes.

The NCAA has brought this on themselves.

Will people pay to go see these games? I don't think I would...between HS Football, college ball and NFL there are some options there. USFL didn't make it and I'm not sure this will either. Great thead topic though.

fund it as MLB does their farm system.  Let the kids decide if they want to go this route, skip academics and the reality that most will never see a pro contract, let them go.  I suspect the bright lights and national exposure will keep most of them on a traditional path.  Or maybe this league explodes if they are as valuable as many seem to think.

What I am proposing is:

1) All NCAA teams become semi-pro.  If you sign at Michigan, you get a 4 year contract with a salary.  You are also given a 4 year scholarship at the school which you can "redeem" within 8 years of signing the contract.

2) All NCAA teams participate in revenue sharing and there is a "salary cap" in place.

3) Paid roster is limited to 52.  Players agents can negotiate salarys up to a pre set limit.

The remaining 33 (to equal the NCAA scholarship cap of 85) are eligible for the 4 year scholarship immediately.  These 33 can revise their contracts to include salary if they play up to the level of pay for play and the schools is open to renegotiating their deal....otherwise they are scholarship only and get training table and health etc.

4) All schools allowed to freely recruit and sign up to the salary cap and roster limit.

5) All roster players and scholarship players receive health insurance.

6) There is No Free Agency.  Players are allowed to transfer to another program and play just 1 time, provided that it is prior to the 2nd season of eligibility without loss of a year.  If player transfers after 2nd season, they lose another year and must sit out. 

7) There are no pensions.

This combines an NFL style comp plan with NCAA educational plans.  If a player plays 4 years and does not use any of his classroom scholarship, and then turns to the NFL..then he loses his claim on any educational scholarship.

If a player plays 2 years, bolts to the NFL...he loses any claim to academic scholarship.

If player plays 2 years and suffers career ending injury, he gets health care and rehab + full 4 year academic scholarship.

Academic scholarships can be redeemed at any time, including right off the bat...up to 8 years after signing.  Any player who goes to the NFL loses all scholarship rights.

CFB for life!

I hope this never works, and we can make that happen the same way the USFL did--Donald Trump should own a team!

No politics, please.