SMQ RESPONDS

by Orson on Jan 31, 2007 10:06 AM EST

Sunday Morning Quarterback responds to our Monday piece on recruiting, and of course does so in a cogent, intelligent manner. This of course means we understand none of it. Jos keeeding!

Ees good stuff, Tina Fey. Just look:

Still, athletes aren't bound to go to college, and have the same option as any potential student: enter school, or enter the marketplace. NFL rules - probably wisely, though the sports' inherent physicality ensures the "problem" is not on the same scale as the NBA's - prohibit athletes from coming straight from high school, but there is no general rule prohibiting a player from entering another pro league in the meantime, or, if the exploitation were great enough, for many players to form a three-year developmental league that would serve the same purpose, in terms of the ultimate goal of signing an NFL contract, as college.

A very, very good point, though it may be cruel in the long run to insist on foisting the NFL Europe any longer than is absolutely necessary. (Think of Barcelona and those poor dragons. Those poor, poor dragons.) Athletes are free to enter the market. The Arena League in particular seems positioned to fill this role as a developmental league. Those non-academic qualifiers Michael Lewis and we opine over? Why couldn't they try out for the Tampa Bay Storm or the local padded wall scorefestmeisters of their choice?

The original point of our post still remains though: we're trying to explain why recruiting is creepy, not necessarily fix it. Really poor kids with few financial options are being approached by large financial entities offering them opportunity they aren't prepared to fully exploit. In addition to this, they receive compensation grossly inequal to the work they put in as semi-pros. SMQ's going to have some numbers, which we're waiting with scalpel in hand for--warning, impending math use by liberal arts majors!!!--and we can't wait to see it.

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Would students be able to go back into college in this developmental league? If Noel Devine went to the arena league instead of prep school could he still go to Florida a year later? How would the developmental leagues figure into the draft? or would all those players just be free agent signings?

by Dr KennethNoisewater on Jan 31, 2007 10:18 AM EST reply actions

Its dangerous to a Florida Gator:

http://www.wftv.com/news/10881608/detail.html

by AUAlum on Jan 31, 2007 10:41 AM EST reply actions

Orson, how bout them coonass ditchdiggers?

by NewAZTiger on Jan 31, 2007 11:26 AM EST reply actions

Really poor kids with few financial options won’t ever be able to fully exploit these situations.

How about rock bands? No way in the world Nirvana, the Beatles, Van Halen or any other band could have fully exploited or understood what they were getting into. Ok, they can hire an agent and a college fb prospect can’t but they still get exploited (which is why they all try to start their own label years later).

by Ohiodawg on Jan 31, 2007 11:34 AM EST reply actions

Computer flipped out…

How about associates at major law firms? They work like galley slaves for relatively far less than they generate in billable hours.

Young physicians? Exploited by the residency system.

It goes on in all walks of life.

by Ohiodawg on Jan 31, 2007 11:37 AM EST reply actions

Middle-aged men stalking and fawning over 17-18 year old boys. There’s your creepiness.

by Mosby on Jan 31, 2007 12:22 PM EST reply actions

Hmmm, older men? Young boys? Sounds like someone needs to get NBC Dateline’s Chris Hansen involved.

by BDoc on Jan 31, 2007 12:26 PM EST reply actions

Dammit!

Someone took my Dirty Saban remark!

Haters hate.

by Cool Hand Mike on Jan 31, 2007 12:43 PM EST reply actions

Ohiodawg (especially #5) sums up what I tried to say the other day. Only he’s a little more articulate than I could hope to be.

Damn TV, you ruined my imagination, just like you ruined my ability to… to… oh well.

by J.J. on Jan 31, 2007 12:54 PM EST reply actions

Damn I just lost my coworker’s bet by 26 minutes!!! I bet him lunch that some barner or tigr would “run” to EDSBS by 11am to make sure Coach SABAN’S coonass remarks were enjoyed by everyone. btw how many other sites have you posted “coonass” on? dozens? I thought so

by BamaHamr on Jan 31, 2007 1:56 PM EST reply actions

The exploitation in the music biddness makes worst excesses of the college football world look like the deeds of benovlent saints in comparison.

I wonder if it was intentional that 2 out of the 3 bands mentioned had members die young.

by oc phil on Jan 31, 2007 2:28 PM EST reply actions

I wonder if it was intentional that 2 out of the 3 bands mentioned had members die young

I think it’s safe to say that Diamond Dave died on the inside when he went solo, and Eddie’s internals are long since pickled. So that’s practically 3 for 3.

by DC Trojan on Jan 31, 2007 2:38 PM EST reply actions

We still want the Jack Daniels Bass Michael Anthony sports in the “Panama” video.

by Orson Swindle on Jan 31, 2007 2:41 PM EST reply actions

We still want the Jack Daniels Bass Michael Anthony sports in the "Panama" video.

Very limited wear and tear – only three notes played.

by DC Trojan on Jan 31, 2007 6:33 PM EST reply actions

- just this one. Bammer coaches embaress themselves so often these days that everyone is in on the scoop pretty early.

by NewAZTiger on Jan 31, 2007 7:22 PM EST reply actions

#12, 13, 14

Concur on all of those. There were some pictures of EVH floating around the net about a year ago that showed him looking really scary these days.

Mike Anthony is one of the luckiest guys in rock and roll. I always thought that was the ultimate gig for a player with no ego. But It looks like he got John Paul Jonesed out of the payday for the Van Halen reunion tour (which is about 10 years too late by my reconing).

by oc phil on Jan 31, 2007 7:37 PM EST reply actions