They really **are** socialists.

Check out one of the NCAA’s final arguments in Alston.

AM RT: In written close in Alston case, NCAA tries to directly take on one of plaintiffs' main arguments for ruling that would prevent NCAA schools from having association-wide rules limiting compensation for athletes (witness cited is plaintiffs' economic expert Daniel Rascher): pic.twitter.com/hGh9eMrpIf

— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) November 10, 2018

They are literally arguing there that conference competition would be bad for college sports.

Funny how that doesn’t seem to apply to broadcast contract negotiations…

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“And you don’t get a dime from that. Is that fair?”

Hey, amateurism romantics — you know, those of you who deny exploitation exists in college sports.

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

Your brand is so important, but the way the NCAA deals with it—and doesn’t allow you to use it—it takes a lot of potential earning away from players. There are so many great things student-athletes could do, but the process limits us. I’m not just talking money. It’s learning how to market yourself, your brand. Learning life skills.

College football paternalism is the best paternalism.

“No question it’s helping,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “A lot of people see these guys on Saturday and think they’re gladiators, but they’re still young people. We’re talking about 18 to 22 year olds and they got a lot of things going on, so to have a little bit of extra cash to send some money home to your little brother or little sister, help your mama out. It just eases some of the pressure they’ve got on them and allows them to focus on being 18, enjoying college life and not have to be caught up in adult problems.”

“Adult problems”?  Are those like when coaches get paid millions of dollars after failing miserably at their jobs?

Boy, kids these days don’t know how good they’ve got it.  Those lucky ducks.

The way I like it is the way it is; I got mine ‘n’ don’t worry ’bout his.

Give credit to Jim Boeheim for saying out loud what amateurism really is all about.

Boeheim today: "I don't think we should ever compensate players…They can keep their meal money… "Everybody says, 'The coach makes this and the players (0).' The player is 17 years old. I've been working my whole life. There's a lot of 17-year-old kids that don't make money.”

— Jake Smith (@iKicked_) October 24, 2018

There’s something inspiring about assholes keeping it real.

Seepage

You know the expression “water seeks its own level”?  That’s kind of the principle in play in big time college athletics, where there’s all this money rolling in, and no way allowed to spend a significant amount of it on the hired help… but it’s still gonna get spent somewhere.

“I wish more than anything that I could be out there with my brothers tomorrow.”

This is something I brushed upon a few years ago when Johnny Football mentioned it, but here’s a question for you:  wouldn’t college football be better off if star players like Nick Bosa had a real financial incentive to remain?

Game changer!

Shot.

In a move that could challenge the NCAA’s monopoly on elite talent, the NBA’s G League is creating a new venture as an alternative to the one-and-done route for the best American basketball prospects, league president Malcolm Turner told ESPN.

As part of a newly formed “professional path” starting in the summer of 2019, the G League will offer “Select Contracts” worth $125,000 to elite prospects who are at least 18 years old but not yet eligible for the NBA draft. It will target recent or would-be high school graduates who otherwise would have likely spent just one season playing college basketball, enticing them not only with a six-figure salary but also the opportunity to benefit from NBA infrastructure, as well as a bevy of off-court development programs “geared towards facilitating and accelerating their transition to the pro game,” Turner said.

Without the restrictions of the NCAA’s amateurism rules, players will also be free to hire agents, profit off their likeness and pursue marketing deals from sneaker companies and the like, which could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in endorsement opportunities to top prospects.

Chaser.

I have doubts about how many top players will go this route. Some, yes. But G-League is full of early connecting flights, long bus rides, small gyms. It isn't glamorous. Big-time NCAA ball still has the trappings of exposure, packed houses, private jets. You'll get paid there too

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2018

Love that closing line snark.