Tebow rant against CA bill allowing NCAA athletes to profit off of likeness
This has been making the rounds on the internet today.
My favorite quote from this
When I was at the University of Florida, I think my jersey was one of the top selling jerseys around the world. It was like Kobe, LeBron and I was right behind them and I didn't make a dollar from it. But nor did I want to. I knew going into college what it was all about.
That's a great story, Tim.
What about those college athletes whose parents didn't own a 44-acre farm?
x
September 13th, 2019 at 3:11 PM ^
I mean, I'm outraged by the stupidity and short-sightedness of the content of his opinion, but seems like you don't care about that.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:19 PM ^
"Outraged" being the key word. It takes a little more than an opinion about something like this for me to become outraged. But, it seems not to be the case for you. To each their own.
September 13th, 2019 at 4:34 PM ^
I was simply using the same term used by the OP, which I agree is hyperbolic. Perhaps scare quotes would have made you feel better, someone who definitely doesn't care much about this topic yet posted for only the 2nd and 3rd times in the past 3 months to talk about.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:23 PM ^
I'm outraged that your opinion on his opinion is laced with such ignorance.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:33 PM ^
He makes some good points. His hair looks really weird though.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^
Tebow is a giant meathead in front of a microphone
September 13th, 2019 at 2:40 PM ^
Rather than move to TE or FB and be getting the shit beat out of him every week, he's getting paid to talk about football.
Pretty smart dude.
He did have a pretty good college career, cashed a couple NFL checks and even won a playoff game (Tim Tebow has won more playoff games than the Lions over the last 27 years and has won as many as the Lions have in 50 years)
September 13th, 2019 at 2:46 PM ^
To be fair I've won the same amount of playoff games the Lions have won over the last 27 years. This is not an accomplishment.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:00 PM ^
The accomplishment was winning more.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:43 PM ^
There is currently no other pathway to get to the NFL. College is the only realistic route. Yes, all D1 football players know what they're getting into when they sign the dotted line. But there's no other alternative. It's not like a top 100 recruit can say "Nah, no thanks for that scholarship offer" and capitalize on their own terms while waiting three years to get drafted. Allowing them to reap benefits from their likeness is the least we can do when television networks, major universities, and coaching staffs are reaping Carl Sagan-like millions and millions off this sham notion of amateurism.
To those with excessive nostalgia: 1970's era football will not come back. Remember those days when it was a miracle to see Michigan televised and corporate sponsorship hadn't hijacked the 6 bowls that were played on New Year's Day? Gone. It's a modern era where crazy levels of money are sloshing through the system. Let the players benefit in some minimum way.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:43 PM ^
The perfect foil for mgoblog to pile on. Most mgoblogers disagree with his politics, and so saying something that is disagreeable means open season on insults and sarcasm. Very predictable. And if there is one thing that disappoints about the current batch of mgobloggers - it's that most of them are very predictable.
I happen to disagree with him, but if there was one person who should be allowed to have an opinion one way or the other - it's Tim Tebow. He would have made tens of millions of dollars while in school. And he actually did "play school".
September 13th, 2019 at 2:51 PM ^
I understand your point but at the same time, like OP points out, his family was very well off. He didn't have to worry about his parents not being able to pay bills or feed themselves like some college athletes today. Sometimes athletes go pro ASAP to get some quick cash for their family even if they know they could improve their draft stock by staying in school another year.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:03 PM ^
You are insufferable and a twat
September 13th, 2019 at 3:51 PM ^
Lol. A measured hot take from the cheap seats
September 13th, 2019 at 3:54 PM ^
What in the shit does this even mean?
Being contrarian doesn't make you interesting. You're someone who thinks they have no friends because other people are too dumb to hang with you, aren't you?
September 13th, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
That’s it. You see right through me.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:09 PM ^
I don't think it's about his politics. At least I hope not. Nor is it about his religion (remember when "Tebow is not a good QB" was translated to "people don't like Christians" by some folks lol)
It's more about the hypocrisy of it all. The dude cashed in, which is more than most people do. While in college, he was supported by his privileged family. And this is the guy who TO THIS DAY sells autographed images of himself (and I doubt that his minor league baseball jersey is the big draw lol).
September 13th, 2019 at 3:10 PM ^
Or they disagree with his particular take here and pointing out that "wow, an affluent guy with different priorities and needs than others is using his platform to speak against the interests of athletes without that platform, and that's not great" is reasonable. It's always funny to me that people are deemed "predictable" when they all agree on something that, broadly speaking, feels like the right outcome. I mean, people complaining about how we're all "sheep" actually feels incredibly predictable because it's just contradicting conventional beliefs for attention.
September 13th, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
That's fair about, to some degree, all comments being predictable. Seems you have been around as long as I have, and I have mostly been a lurker. But your comment is exactly the reason you read the comment section. Interesting and reasoned argument.
Have to disagree about it not being about politics to some degree. Do you really think that if Tebow's politics leaned the other way as hard, people would be giving him exactly the same level of crap? Really?
September 14th, 2019 at 12:50 PM ^
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar dude.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
"Look at meeeeeeee"
-DrewForBlue
September 14th, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^
Urban: Remember Aaron, you can’t let Tebow know you’re getting paid.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:46 PM ^
I think it is pretty unconscionable to believe people shouldn’t own and be able to monetize their likeness.
I’m not for schools cutting straight pay checks to players for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to the current benefits of an athletic scholarship, but every individual should be able to own their name and image.
Endorsements, autographs, jersey sales, etc. is such a no-brainer to me. Really it’s a matter of whether you believe in the free market and economic and individual freedom.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:56 PM ^
Agree...but does it set any coaching staff up for any level of anti-trust or anti-free market stuff if they decide to play one guy over another, and that guy benefits while the guy who doesn't play (and of course is told by all of us who are in love with backups that he should be playing LOL) doesn't gain any benefit? Are laws related to likeness/image, etc., solid enough to prevent this type of attempt?
September 13th, 2019 at 3:38 PM ^
While I am a lawyer, I’m not an anti-trust lawyer, so I can’t answer with any specifics. However, I’d be surprised if that is what caused an anti-trust case in college athletics after all this time. Also, every coach has a ton of discretion in determining who to play - that’s such a subjective decision that I can’t imagine being able to demonstrate that coaches were intentionally suppressing certain players’ value by not playing them.
If that were possible there would have been a similar case with professional backups by now. That just doesn’t seem to have any substance.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
Have you ever heard of professional sports?
September 13th, 2019 at 3:01 PM ^
College bag men and boosters will just pay for the endorsements, buy the autographs and merchandise. This is a terrible idea and it'll be the beginning of the end of college football.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:07 PM ^
How would something that's going on in the shadows as we speak be the beginning of the end if it occurred in the light?
September 13th, 2019 at 3:15 PM ^
Because it really isn't going on in the shadows. I'm not saying that some universities aren't breaking the rules, but to suggest that college boosters are paying the local Ford dealer a million dollars to endorse the number one player in a class. THAT is what this would turn into, it is the path to real corruption.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:18 PM ^
It is going on in the shadows, there is no need to involve Ford college boosters are just paying the players. Probably including at Michigan.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:25 PM ^
I don't buy that. If that were true, Michigan could compete with OSU and Alabama in recruiting.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:38 PM ^
You not buying is not based on any evidence but your feels so who cares. I mean it couldn't possibly be that they want to play for a winner that runs a functional offense.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:43 PM ^
Wait...you really think that Michigan is paying players and the best that they can do recruiting is hover between 10 and 20 in recruiting. Just wow.
September 13th, 2019 at 4:04 PM ^
Its surprising to you that I require evidence before I form beliefs?
September 13th, 2019 at 4:15 PM ^
You've revealed many "beliefs" that don't seem to have been formed by evidence.
September 13th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
Such as?
September 13th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
What is your evidence that paying players is rampant? I'm looking for more than a photo of a guy in front of a car, or someone's uncle who knows Georgia boosters.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:56 PM ^
What? You've been here since 2011. This blog posted a major expose on bagmen after your join date. I'll have to dig it up, but it was a huge thing here for a while.
September 13th, 2019 at 5:04 PM ^
What can I say? To be honest, I'm pretty ignorant of this subject--I tend not to read about it and I don't have a stance--but it always seems like a lot of hearsay. I don't doubt that some elite athletes at a few universities receive money, but I do doubt that it's rampant. Maybe I'm wrong.
September 13th, 2019 at 6:06 PM ^
If Michigan competed with OSU and Alabama on the field they’d compete with them in recruiting. Wake up people if it’s happening at Duke it’s happening at Michigan.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
I live in Georgia and have friends who are major UGA boosters. Anyone who matters on the Georgia football team has a car paid for by bagmen, most of them from Kirby’s dealership.
This stuff already happens, man. Bring it out into the open (because it’s the right thing to do) and let Michigan compete a little bit.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:19 PM ^
A car...okay. "This stuff" wouldn't be a car, it would be hundreds of thousands of dollars, run through fake sponsorships. Create a jersey, order ten thousand for the local DJ Sports and have a booster buy them. This would be cash funneling like nothing the NCAA has ever seen and EVERY university would have to do it...if they wanted to compete.
September 13th, 2019 at 7:45 PM ^
I’m not sure we have any idea of what it would look like to be honest.
A free market would self-regulate to a certain extent and boosters still would want to see some return on their donations in terms of performance.
Schools would likely vary in the amount of oversight / control exercises over the student athletes’ extracurricular activities, especially any that get in the way of studying and game prep. I imagine the NCAA or other governing body might be more incentivized to enact certain academic standards and audit programs to ensure adherence.
I imagine that the emphasis on academics and study could still be enforced by the NCAA and be used as a tool to keep the system from spinning out of control, as long as they increased their oversight.
We just don’t have a clear picture of what it would look like. What I’m saying is there’s likely a way that we could have highly compensated athletes (over the table) that also take college and getting a degree seriously and aren’t just “playing school”.
I am of the opinion that the NCAA should knock themselves out by ensuring that student athletes are actually studying, attending real college level classes and working toward degrees, etc. They should work to ensure a level playing ground in that way (making sure a place like UNC isn’t making up classes and grades for their athletes) because that would constitute an unfair competitive advantage.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:18 PM ^
Only if you foolishly cling to the old ideal of “amateurism.” Give it up. It doesn’t apply here anymore.
September 13th, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
The naivety and pearl clutching found in statements like this about college athletes who generate billions of dollars getting a little piece of it is always jarring. We live in a world where multiples teams played in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl and yet THIS act will be the end of college football according to people who, as far as I know, believe all bootstraps just need to be calibrated about 12 inches higher.
September 14th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
This is my position as well. The good thing about this is it's a completely free market for who would get paid. For example, in Connecticut, the women's basketball team would be one of the most popular people in that area.
And if anyone says it's not fair, my argument is it's already not fair. Alabama and Vanderbilt are recruiting different level of football players, and they're in the same conference.
September 13th, 2019 at 2:48 PM ^
I get his point, and there's nothing wrong with it .... but it just seems to come across as "I couldn't make money off of this so no one else should either."
September 13th, 2019 at 2:55 PM ^
Isn’t that how it normally works Jaws? I feel like it is a lot of if I didn't get it you shouldn't either.
September 13th, 2019 at 3:10 PM ^
It IS pretty normal. But that's also saying "we should never improve the system."
September 13th, 2019 at 9:53 PM ^
100% this