Dabo’s policy for ACC Media Days being what it is — no underclassmen — Trevor Lawrence won’t be in attendance. David Hale notes what a disappointment that must be for at least one party.
That new ACC Network isn’t gonna sell itself, you know.
Which brings me to today’s question: Lawrence clearly has promotional (i.e., commercial) value to a third party that doesn’t contribute a single thing to his academic experience. For the sake of argument, let’s say Dabo gets overruled, relents and directs Lawrence to appear (gratis, of course). Isn’t that an obvious case of exploitation?
Get The Picture 
Only if you view it that way.
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What’s in it for Lawrence?
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For the recruitniks, did we ever have a chance with Lawrence? I would guess no because of Eason and, eventually, Fromm.
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No, because of Mark Richt. Somehow.
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It’s not exploitation because Lawrence could tell his coach I’m not going because of your policy. He can’t be forced to appear like it’s jury duty. It would demonstrate Lawrence’s name, likeness & image has economic value that he should be able to trade on.
I have a feeling the ACC Network is going to be a fall flop other than in greater Greenville, SC. Winter is a completely different question with hoops.
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If you look at it like that then paying two bums $5 to fight isn’t exploitation because they could just say no. Even if the video goes viral and nets ad revenue.
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If the 2 bums agree to fight for $5 from someone who wants to video it and post it to YouTube and they agree to accept payment, it’s free economic exchange between consenting individuals. It may be immoral, but it’s not exploitation.
If the rules of bums fighting limited the compensation to $5 per fight when the market would suggest those two bums should be getting $10 and there’s no other bum fighting organization that would allow them to make $10, that would be exploitation.
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https://www.smudailycampus.com/news/bums-sue-bumfight-producers-on-various-counts
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I hope those guys extract everything they can from that film’s producers based on the law. If they were promised certain payments and didn’t receive them, sue the living hell out of them.
Jeffrey Kessler is doing the same thing to the NCAA.
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Right, so… pretty similar.
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This example is a perfect justification for punitive damages beyond the actual damage caused.
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#exploitation
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I would call it breach of contract.
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Correct. Of all the ways one party can exploit another, breach of contract is definitely one of them.
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Clemson has a free pass on NCAA and ACC enforcement for the at least the next several years until the ACC Network recovers its startup costs and becomes profitable.
Some individual student athletes may take a fall, but the athletic program itself will be untouchable. There are no other ACC football programs drawing the number of eyes needed to sustain the network through it’s most profitable season. They won’t kill the orange goose.
Biggest obstacle for Clemson is gaining arrogance to the level of Texas and damaging the entire conference. You will know it when people stop falling for Dabo’s po’ lil’ ol’ us act.
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I think you are woefully misunderestimating the level of arrogance in Austin.
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I view it from another angle. What is in the best interest of TL? If I were the top college QB with those long flowing locks, then I would want to be out in front of cameras as much as possible to build my brand for my future NFL contract.
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Right, because if Lawrence, who’s already penciled in as a sure fire number one pick in the NFL draft whenever he comes out, needs one thing right now, it’s building his brand.
That must be why the ACC would want to push him front and center for its Media Days.
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You build your brand every day. The real crime is he is forced to play 2 more years in college while being a sure fire #1 pick.
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LMAO. He’s a student-athlete, remember? He’s supposed to be focused on the educational experience of college.
It’s amazing to watch the way some of you rationalize this stuff.
You’re only partially right about the “real crime”. The real crime is that he doesn’t have the same control over his life choices that you and I do. And that’s not just the fault of the NFL.
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Calm down. I am pretty sure I heard that from a motivational speaker or a poster at work. I don’t care if he goes to media day or not, some players find it an honor and some don’t. I doubt the ACC will influence Dabo’s decision.
I had the choice to go to college or start working. TL does not. What other life choice do you need?
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The choice to be paid what the market will bear for my services. But I’m funny like that.
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Agreed. He should become a professional.
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Or be allowed to let Clemson match an NFL offer.
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I disagree. I don’t think college should become a professional league. We will probably have to agree to disagree. I still think your focus (though its not really in the scope of this blog) should be to go after the NFL. They are the real culprit in my opinion.
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Respectfully disagree.
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Why would he take a pay cut? LOL
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Does that mean the NCAA should be able to take advantage of the NFL’s labor contract and anti-trust exemption to engage in cartel behavior themselves to fix the price of labor?
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Can you rephrase that question in a language I understand?
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You seem to excuse the NCAA for the NFL’s rules … why should the NCAA be able to act like a cartel? Simple enough for you?
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You should not have to play college football before you make money playing professional football. NCAA’s rules are their rules, if you don’t like them go somewhere else. The problem is there is nowhere for the players to go because the NFL has locked them out of the professional market.
To make it worse. The NFL has rookie contracts guaranteed for 5 years plus 2 additional years of team options. A player could potential be forced to play 3 years in college and 7 years in the NFL before they find out what their services are on the open market. I definitely think the NCAA should change but the NFL is the one screwing football players.
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One cartel’s actions (who happens to have an exemption from antitrust law) doesn’t make another’s right.
The NCAA could literally make this question disappear overnight by adopting the Olympic model, but they don’t. Why not?
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I don’t know what the Olympic model is. Perhaps you could explain it for the layperson.
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Connelly explains it quite well right here on SBNation.
https://www.sbnation.com/a/college-football-commissioner/olympic-model
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It sounds pretty simple. Not much changes except players can get paid by third parties. It doesn’t turn it into a professional league but does allow players to get paid. I can think of all kinds of problems but no system is perfect. Are you going to complain when a star recruit from Georgia goes to Oregon and gets paid a million dollars by Nike?
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Not a bit. I’m not complaining now about the black market for basketball players, so I don’t see why I’d feel differently if it were above board.
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Your cool with Pitino funneling 100k to recruits (and the whores) while Georgia sucks at basketball doing it the ‘right way’?
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And yet it’s the NFL that acts within the law and the NCAA that violates it.
I think you need to reassess your problem.
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The law is not always fair or right. I thought you were a lawyer?
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It’s not fair for players to control their NLIs like you or I do?
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Sorry for the slow reply. Work was calling. I am not in a position where I am under contract like an NLI so I can’t speak to it. I guess players are forced to sign it no matter the terms. Ideally the contract could be negotiated but I get a lot of contracts in which I have no leverage to negotiate (cell phone contracts, Internet providers, non compete employment contracts,…) and I hate it. If I had a better job offer on the table my negotiating leverage would increase. If the players could go pro I am sure those contracts would change. I guess they could form a union to force change too but I prefer having options as leverage.
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NLI = name, likeness and image
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I was thinking national letter of intent. I’m tired to keep commenting so we can drop it.
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And you are an expert in marketing and brand building I guess.
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When Lawrence stays his full four years like last year’s defense, you will know the congregation is pulling in some serious coin.
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That’s a lot of scratch. That dudes going #1 with a bullet. Teams are going to be tanking in 2020 to get him.
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