OT: University of Louisiana requiring scholarship players to contribute to athletic fund
Per a new policy, the UL athletic department is requiring that scholarship players contribute $50 to the Ragin’ Cajuns Athletic Fund to ensure they appreciate that players are “educated and understand the benefits that come with being a student-athlete”. Coach added that “it’s all about gratitude.”
I guess if you’re looking to truly consummate the modern student-athlete experience, extortion as a matter of policy fits. You would think the extra $4K or so would be immaterial compared to the optics of this garbage.
August 16th, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^
That, put mildly, is fucked.
August 16th, 2019 at 2:17 PM ^
This is the same asshole coach orgeron that blocked Michigan and others universities from having satellite camps ANYWHERE in the state of Louisiana.
Since it was a join camp with other schools, it blocked many Louisiana athletes that were flying under the radar, and couldn't afford to go to faraway camps from being discovered and getting schollies.
Basically Coach Orgeron is a piece of shit
August 16th, 2019 at 2:26 PM ^
wrong school
August 16th, 2019 at 2:42 PM ^
For a minute, I thought coach O got demoted.
August 16th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
Hey, those space-age locker rooms with those cool isolation pods don't pay for themselves, y'know.
I wonder if Coach O gets a percentage of those donations...
*LOL, the negs are certainly deserved. I negged myself, so bring it on.
August 16th, 2019 at 11:58 AM ^
Wrong school.
August 16th, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
Is this like getting University of Michigan, and Michigan State University mixed up?
August 16th, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
No, ULL is much smaller than LSU. It would be like getting Michigan and Western Michigan mixed up.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Swing and a miss
August 16th, 2019 at 1:39 PM ^
August 16th, 2019 at 11:57 AM ^
Is it required or no? Your thread title says "required" but the headline and article say encouraged. But the article also says that it's optional for walk ons.
Can't imagine it's legitimately required. Feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen. I would also hope he asks the same of his coaches and employees under him, otherwise it seems hypocritical. Don't they realize the benefits of being D1 employees?
Personally, I think the best way to expand the athletic fund is to make sure your players know you love and care for them and win some games so that when they move onto their professional careers - whether it's football, business, education or whatever - they're more likely to be involved in the future.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:35 PM ^
I assume you're fine with being paid in 100% non-transferable company scrip then?
August 16th, 2019 at 1:43 PM ^
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone argue that facilities and education are nothing. But those are things that also make the coaches’ jobs easier and I don’t see anyone advocating that they should get paid less and count those as compensation. A lot easier for Harbaugh to recruit, scout, game plan etc etc when he has these great facilities as well.
I also get some perks with my job - computer, internet, software, access to various databases etc etc but I would be pissed (and I’m sure others would)if my employer now said that those count as compensation and now I’ll get paid a few thousand less a year.
I can understand the arguments that it would be difficult to pay the players straight up. I don’t agree, but I can understand it. But at the very least, these players should be able to profit from their likeness. If I had an academic scholarship, I would still be allowed to pursue paid internships and jobs or open up a side business or start a freaking YouTube channel and monetize it. The athletes aren’t. NCAA and coaches can do those things and nobody will stop them. And their positions are only possible because of players past and present.
August 16th, 2019 at 3:13 PM ^
if my employer now said that those count as compensation and now I’ll get paid a few thousand less a year.
Already happening...
...and more to come. Because people (and govt's) have no problems taking but they never give back.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
My apologies if I read it incorrectly. Most outlets are interpreting this as “required” for scholarship athletes but perhaps everyone is jumping the gun. Either way I imagine this policy is walked back by Monday.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:33 PM ^
No worries, the article itself was confusing.
August 16th, 2019 at 4:58 PM ^
It's not "required", but neither are "optional" off-season workouts that absolutely, definitely don't have an impact on your position on the depth chart in the fall.
Their head coach makes north of $750k this year due to bonuses and the like. The fact he thinks asking a bunch of athletes for $50 to show commitment to a school is incredibly tone deaf, and will undoubtedly cause more damage to his school than the couple thousands of dollars this will bring in.
August 16th, 2019 at 11:59 AM ^
so they must contribute 10% of the first 'hand shake' they get from the first LSU booster they meet? gosh, that's harsh....
August 16th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
I'm not sure that University of Louisiana football players are of the caliber to meet with Louisiana State University football boosters. I could be wrong...
August 16th, 2019 at 12:55 PM ^
i think you're right. i just had never heard of 'university of louisiana' before. the other schools were always referred to as UL-Lafayette or other more specific mention.
August 16th, 2019 at 1:22 PM ^
This is a tangent ... but it's actually kind of an interesting story.
The school is officially known as "The University of Louisiana at Lafayette." They changed to that name in 1999. Their former name was "The University of Southwestern Louisiana."
"The University of Northeast Louisiana" also changed names in 1999, to "The University of Louisiana at Monroe."
Well, back 5-10 years ago the athletic department at UL-Lafayette (also referred to as ULL or, by their detractors, as U-La-La) decided to brand their athletic teams as "The University of Louisiana."
Problem is there are 9 schools in the "University of Louisiana" system. As you can imagine, folks from the other schools didn't like that. ULL was perceived as trying to market themselves as the "superior" one. I think it's actually currently in the courts.
August 16th, 2019 at 6:32 PM ^
Back in the early 2000's, I worked with a very pretty girl that graduated from ULL. She was on the track team there, but we always joked that she was a cheerleader at ULALA. She wasn't fond of our wise-cracking, but laughed with us (for the most part). Today, we would get in trouble for such buffoonery...
August 16th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
Here is a free ride to a major university, complete with room & board, tutors, world class athletic training & development, national TV exposure, free travel, getting to be a "big man on campus", and a number of other perks that we won't discuss on record.
Mind giving $50 to go towards a student athlete fund?
That's a rough choice.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:28 PM ^
You have a very interesting definition of “free”
August 16th, 2019 at 12:29 PM ^
University of Louisiana =/= LSU. I doubt anyone is getting "perks" for choosing that school.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:37 PM ^
That's why at my job, I demanded to only be given shared apartment housing, a nice gym, a fancy locker room, and lots of time on TV instead of money. It's just much better.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:41 PM ^
Being a college football player is much more like an apprenticeship than a job. Go see how much money you make following a plumber around.
August 16th, 2019 at 1:17 PM ^
Aah yes, an apprenticeship where 99% of apprentices don't ever get a job related to the apprenticeship. What a deal
August 16th, 2019 at 1:53 PM ^
Except when I pay a journeyman plumber and they bring their apprentice, I'm paying for the actual work the journeyman is doing more or less. When I buy a ticket to a Michigan game, I'm doing so exclusively to see the "apprentice" in this case.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
I'm telling you, the way college athletics is now isn't sustainable. The cost to operate is way too high for 90% of programs, and even at big programs such as ours we're getting gouged for tickets. Someone better think of some solutions, because pretty soon the bubble is gonna burst.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:58 PM ^
If this post had been made in 1999 it would be no different.
August 17th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
Except that we’re closer to the breaking point now. Attendance and the general fan experience are becoming issues.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:27 PM ^
While I appreciate the goal of creating an atmosphere of giving back, I think it would be better to model that behavior for the players and hope that they would see the value in it and do it voluntarily. The article says they are encouraged (not required) but even the act of 'encouraging' seems to be forcing the issue.
The coaches should be creating a positive team atmosphere and that would probably engender a lot more of the participation and appreciation they are desiring.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:40 PM ^
PR nightmare, idiotic / tone deaf as anything I've ever seen in college athletics
August 16th, 2019 at 12:51 PM ^
This kind of reminds me of my time at West Point. We give you a free room, clothes, food, training, education. We also pay you weekly but we deduct expenses. I think I got a couple of checks for like $1.22 or something like that LOL!
All in exchange for your willingness to serve and to die.
August 16th, 2019 at 1:06 PM ^
We all make decisions...
August 16th, 2019 at 3:15 PM ^
Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing.
Sounds like jones went to USMA for the wrong reasons.
August 16th, 2019 at 12:51 PM ^
Hmm... My friend's nephew, Chase Rogers, is starting Tight End for them.
I'll have to ask her how that's going over with the players. $50 isn't a lot, but based on principle alone, I don't know how or why they'd do this. Can't be a good recruiting pitch...
August 16th, 2019 at 2:57 PM ^
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August 16th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
August 16th, 2019 at 4:44 PM ^
I doubt many athletics at UL Lafayette are making money for the school
August 16th, 2019 at 4:53 PM ^
But remember, paying players would mortally wound amateurism.
August 17th, 2019 at 11:50 AM ^
Uh University of Louisiana isnt much smaller than LSU. So its not like Western Michigan/Michigan. Secondly this is a new coach from Arizona State and Napier didnt blocl satellite camps from Harbaugh. Third, the $50 fee for is not required to pay. And Im a Michigan/UL fan... Read the fn article before making stupid assertions. Not a good look to jump the gun before learning the facts.
August 19th, 2019 at 3:02 PM ^
read first and come to conclusions later?
come on man... this is 2019, that's not how it works, that's not how any of it works.