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Subject: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: An Observer [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 12:08:00 06/03/25 Tue In reply to: An Observer 's message, "Xaivian Lee Will Make "More Than $6 Million" at Florida" on 12:37:00 05/31/25 Sat The debate immediately above in this thread and over many other threads is the philosophical underpinning behind the critical question of, "How should Ivy League athletic departments navigate in the new world order of the transfer portal and especially NIL compensation, now at >$6 million for Xaivian Lee and at least $28 million for Cooper Flagg?" Can the Ivies keep up in this world? Do we even want to keep up? I don't have the final answer or even a partial answer, but I'd like to ask our posters here the following: Why do we love Ivy and college sports? Why do **YOU** love college sports? I love Ivy and college sports because they bring me back to my own undergraduate years, which were very happy. Rooting for my alma mater helps me feel emotionally connected to my school, which I like. Also, I enjoy sports in general. Last but not at all least, winning championships and beating a rival is fun because all of us fans, but especially those of us who are men, like to achieve. And achieving vicariously is a form of achieving. Sports fans root for their teams because, when the teams win, the fans -- especially the men, who are hard-wired to be competitve -- feel that they, too, have won something. When my alma mater wins a championship or defeats one of our rivals, I stand a little taller and walk a little prouder. Why? I think XY chromosomes have a lot to do with it (and that includes winning in women's sports, which provoke the same feelings). I think these motivations are universal on this board and across all college sports. Professional sports, too, for that matter. Well, how would you feel if you read the following lede story after a competitive season next year in your favorite sport? "After a season with great games and incredible endings, the basketball/football/lacrosse team of [your alma mater] narrowily edged out Harvard/Princeton for the Ivy League championship. The $10 million roster that [your alma mater] assembled through its well-organized and well-funded NIL collective was too much for the $3 million roster Harvard put together and the $5 million roster Princeton fielded. "Coach ______ of the [your alma mater] basketball/football/lacrosse team said after the championship game, 'I want to thank the players and assistant coaches, but especially our generous donors who made this Ivy title happen." I don't know about you, but that doesn't do anything for me. I don't want to win that way. I would feel no sense of happiness or vicarious achievement because my school's rich boosters out-donated my rivals' rich boosters. What's the fun of that? So. . . . Why enter the rat race when you can't envision feeling happiness from winning the rat race? [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> Subject: Re: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: Quaker62 [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 17:40:25 06/03/25 Tue I think I might have said this here before but in the words of Pete Carril, “If you are in the rat race, you are, by definition, a rat.” I think that the ruination of college sports, as most of the readers in this forum might agree is the Ed Obannion NIL case which opened Pandora’s box as far as payments to college athletes is concerned thanks to Sonny Vaccaro. I would like to think that the brethren here believe that college sports are supposed th be played by actual college students. Therefore a few things should apply. First, enforcer the 22 hour per week rule which limits the time the athletes can devote to team activities. Second, make scholarships 5 years, non-revocable. Thus coaches can’t “run off” their recruiting mistakes. Make all athletes take 80% of a full academic load each semester. This recognizes the time spent on the 22 hour commitment to their sport. Third, reinstitute the one year “sit out” rule for transfers. The argument that coaches can move from place to place without penalty is moot because there is a penalty for that. It’s called a buy out. Coaches do in fact pay a penalty. Fourth, I think the argument can be made for the schools to get a piece of the NIL action paid to players because if it weren’t for the investment made by the schools in sponsoring college sports, there would be no NIL for the athletes take advantage of. Shouldn’t the investor be compensated for their investment? The counter-argument for this is that this has all been decided in the courts. The judicial system might just be wrong in it's assessment. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: Quaker62 [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 20:24:14 06/03/25 Tue Also, eliminate scholarships summer school. Athletes are already getting 5 years to complete 4 years of schooling. If they are unable to successfully navigate that schedule, then just perhaps they are not collage student material. Additionally, scholarship summer school is just another way for the coaches to work out their players with the idea of developing the talent. I would contend that that further separates the “student-athlete (don’t you just hate that term?) from the student-students. Unless we continue to delude ourselves that the athletes’ education is to prepare them for the “next level” (another despicable term) then that simply reinforces the idea that college sports are a training ground for the pros…for that small percentage off athletes who play professionally. Why should our institutions be a minor league for the pros. If the pros want to “developed” players, let them do the job on their own. This applies especially to pro football. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: observer [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 21:29:51 06/04/25 Wed To borrow from Mario Puzo and Francis Coppola, we're all part of the same hypocrisy, Senator. Do you really think that Princeton's and Harvard's advantage in winning championships has nothing to do with the power of their donor network? Who funds Princeton's continual facility upgrades? The tooth fairy? Who makes Harvard tuition very affordable for middle class families already making $250k, Donald Trump? Now, who's being naive, Kay? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Indeed! And don't forget... Author: Go Green [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 05:03:34 06/05/25 Thu ... that Michael Corleone went to Dartmouth. :) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: Bengal [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 16:15:10 06/06/25 Fri But never think it involves my family. You left out tgat next sentence, lol. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: Why Do We Love College Sports? Why Do **YOU** Love College Sports? Author: observer [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 08:29:55 06/13/25 Fri Never forget that Michael was the best at lying with a straight face. It was an abortion, Michael. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]