Another Saturday has passed, and college football fans are sad or disappointed depending on the outcome of the their favorite team's game. Some teams had capacity crowds flooding into town sometimes backing up traffic while others may only have a modest amount in attendance. All of this to watch young athletic men compete in a physical game for potato chips simply because they love playing football.
I contend that this is not only utter bullshit but a cop out to allow the viewers to feel better about following the money hungry college version of the sport. Many that have similar views to mine would liken the system to slavery. While I can see their motivation in that reasoning, I say that it's more along the lines of the sharecropper systems that were prevalent in post-slavery times. The student-athlete are granted a certain level of financial support but not enough to sustain compared to other college students. In comparison to those that are capitalizing off these events, the amount of support given to the players is very minuscule and insulting.
It is amazing the profits that can be generated from one season of football at a big time program; it was estimated that Penn State racks in $60M a year. I'm not sure what all is included in that number, but I'll discuss a few areas where money plays a big part. The institution, private groups, businesses, and others all can have their palms greased through many means. A few of those means are parking, pre-game festivities, and television.
Parking
Space being a premium, schools may have to limit the amount of access to the campus in the event they have an on-campus stadium. Land grant institutions and such may have more space to offer where in-city schools may have less to offer without flooding into the surrounding city or town. Anyone that has attended a game can confess that free parking versus paid parking is given choice. Free parking may be easy on the pockets but not so easy on the legs as it usually requires plenty of walking.
Paid parking almost always exists in ideal locations. Be it the church located only a few yards from the tailgate spot or the student dorm lot right next to the stadium, you can bet that the closer you park, the more greenbacks you will be giving up. Your money can contribute a number of causes depending on the lot's owner, but you can bet your shiny BMW that very little, if any, will go to the players on the field. Compare that to the NFL where all revenue generated is used to pay expenses which include player contracts.
The need for parking bleeds over into the on-campus life in the case of stadium located on the grounds of the school. Some institutions of higher learning require students to park their personal cars in distant lots in order to allow the incoming crowds room to get near the action. Others may block off student parking lots and post guards to only allow residents to enter; this option can be so corrupt though because guards can be bribed to allow big money fans into the lot. Driving across campus is out of the question.
Now that you've paid $10 to the restaurant owner that opposes universal health care because he doesn't see the need to provide his employees with coverage unless he can raise his menu prices to cover that expense, you can make your way to the campus to fellowship with your friends, family, and fake-ass buddies.
Pre-Game Festivities
The favorite pastime before the game is tailgating. It has become tradition in many sports realms. There are a few ways to do it depending on your interest. The traditional tailgate consists of a grill and an assortment of foods that make the stomach jump for joy. Others may skip the grilling step and have food catered. Along with the food is usually some sort of entertainment; music, games, or even television keep the crowd engaged when conversation is not enough.
Retailers and grocers scramble to make food and merchandise available during game weekends. Some restaurants have adapted to the lull in sales and ventured into catering services. Staffing is increased to meet the expected demand. Employees are encouraged, if not forced, to wear school colors to show "spirit". In some cases, prices are inflated but the profits are very seldom passed on to workers. As a matter of fact, business owners and managers may make game weekends a mandatory work weekend but never overtime.
Even though you may not be present to see the game, your game party can offer the finest of tailgate or catered foods your pocket can afford. The pre-game shows are ending; kickoff is near; and you flip your 72" HDTV to ESPN92 and put on your lucky beer hat.
Television
The belief is that big name conferences and school are the main offenders in the shuck and jive known as collegiate sports; although they are the main benefactors, nearly all of these schools and conferences have their hands in money pie. For example, I was surfing for something to watch this weekend and noticed the Yale/Cornell game on some channel and
Furman/Presbyterian match up on another.
While it is true that the top programs and leagues do get the majority of the television time, a fan can easily purchase a pass that allows access nearly every televised game each week. Top match ups, regional teams, and star players can determine what is aired. Add in the fact that game times are dictated by television and eyes available, not many games go untelevised throughout a season.
These televised games always feature recruiting ads for both teams and the conferences involved as well. Other commercials bring in revenue to fund the cost of airing the games and line the pockets of the programs. Once again, players receive no bonus for the money the generated. Each year television companies seek to sign long term deals with conferences, and don't think for one second that this is because they love the game of college football.
The game is over; your team has won another game. The player of the game decides that he's going out to celebrate at the sports bar. He is showered free food and even given some cash from a random alum. The news of this goes global. You lose your shit because his pending suspension will probably cost the team the shot at a bowl game. You log in to message boards and facebook to trash this young man because he "lacks morals". Look at you and your hypocritical ass.
You and people like you want to make it seem that these players are playing because they love the game; one day, they will have the opportunity to earn "millions" in the NFL. Making decisions such as the above hypothetical example may cost them that opportunity.
Here are facts:
- There are a less than 2000 total active positions in the NFL AND CFL. All of them are taken as of now.
- Not counting kickers and punters, there are over 2500 starters in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
- Injury will cost a player his career long before a personal decision that you tend to demonize.
- The average salary of an NFL player is less than $2M with an average career length of 3 - 6 years (depending on who you ask).
If that star player won the lottery to make it to the NFL, he may only get to earn about $6M for a lifetime of throwing his body around with little regard. That compares very well with $60M a year in football revenue right?
