Read the debate intro and the argument from Loyal Homer that the NFL is right to clamp down on fun players who allow companies to influence their end zone dances.
Hypocrisy, an American tradition. The NFL merchandises EVERYTHING. There is the usual fare like hats, shirts, jackets, and jerseys. It is possible to purchase key chains, imprint a team’s logo on a credit card, and even buy a topper for the car antenna. But, when players attempt to monetize something the NFL simply has not thought of and harnessed yet – like the end zone dance – the NFL squashes it. How dare a player come up with or participate in a great idea they financially benefit from – and the league does not. A travesty! Quick, shut it down, NFL. The No Fun League strikes again.
By now many of us are familiar with the story of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek and his complicit participation in an end zone dance featuring the Captain Morgan signature pose. This is an incredibly smart marketing tactic from Captain Morgan and the brand’s advertising agency… guerilla marketing at its finest. The company correctly identified an entertaining pop culture commercial, targeted the right player to pull off the stunt (one that scores touchdowns and is on board with the idea), and developed a program that was so fun and interesting it was difficult to identify as an actual advertising campaign. Leave it to Buzz Killington, a.k.a. the NFL, to put the kibosh on fun.
The only way to improve this end zone celebration for Captain Morgan is if the team captain was the player striking the pose.
This type of end zone celebration is good for the league, too. Subtlety makes good advertising great. Audiences appreciate ads that demand interpretation. No, not every viewer of an NFL football game will understand the meaning behind the celebration, just like not every consumer grasps the various idiosyncrasies of Apple ads. Viewers appreciate a brand more when they are forced to uncover meaning and feel as though they are in on the inside joke. It is an example of basic targeted marketing, and NFL should embrace it.
As a person with some experience in marketing communications, it pains me to see the NFL treat this idea and execution with such disdain. Talk about a victimless crime! The player and the brand had some fun and gained a few headlines. It is not as if the NFL does not believe in alcoholic beverages being associated with the league (see the 400+ Bud Light and Miller Light ads during each game). Put simply, there is no reason for the NFL to squash this idea – other than the fact that it did not think of it first. Perhaps the NFL will re-launch the idea officially sanctioned by the league, with no money offered for players.
The end zone celebration should be for sale as a fun way for players to earn some notoriety and money in the league. The league can put some rules around what is permissible and what is not. However, the idea behind banning excessive end zone celebrations is because they are disrespectful to the opposing team. The thinking behind the end zone celebrations should change from unsportsmanlike to an occasional advertising model they becomes a must watch part, clever part of the NFL experience.
I encourage players (I am talking to you, Chad Ochocinco) to try and develop campaigns and continue this trend, regardless of what the muckity-mucks in high rises in downtown Manhattan think. Provided campaigns stay guerilla in nature, remain good ideas, and are not over used (e.g. the same overtly paid for dance each time a player scores… during a game where they just so happen to score five touchdowns) players should continue to make a few bucks on the side promoting their favorite products. Or maybe a loosely governed NFL ban may make these end zone dances even better. The breaking of the rules makes the celebrations even more enticing and daring… and legendary.
The Captain Morgan’s end zone dance example is not an example of a slippery slope, either. The celebration had enough of the cool factor to be warmly received by fans. If players start whipping out flags or wearing sandwich boards over their jerseys, then fine away. But, the same league that permits paid advertising patches on training camp jerseys cannot ban branded end zone dances.
If the NFL takes a hard-line stance against this and levies massive fines for each player caught “touchdownvertising,” I have just one thing to say to them: Child, please.
Celebrations are part of the game of football. If your team is on the receiving end of a celebration, you might get highly offended, you might scream and yell at the player doing the celebration, or you might call for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to be thrown. If your team is the one doing the celebrating, however, you get all excited and likely begin to celebrate also. I am all for celebrating, even if it is against my team. It is part of the game, so I deal with it. But this latest ordeal with Captain Morgan is just a little much and it is not something that I approve of.
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek mimicked Captain Morgan pirate pose after a touchdown. Celek caught wind of an undercover advertising ploy by the liquor company in which it said it would donate $10,000 to charity, in this case the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, for every player who struck the pose. I will agree that the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund is a worthy cause. The fund is used to assist retired NFL players with hardships after football such as lack of funds, disability benefits, or those without pension benefits. It is something Mike Ditka has been the face of for years, and I commend the whole organization. But this is not the way to raise money for it.
No matter what the cause or what product a player is endorsing, it is just an overall bad idea. The NFL calls it “ambush marketing” and a form of guerilla advertising. No matter the wording of the concept, it reeks of undercover sketchiness, even if in Celek’s case, it is a blatant form of subliminal advertising.
According to Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, the league says that players “are specifically prohibited under our policies from wearing, displaying, promoting or otherwise conveying their support of a commercially identified product during a game while they’re on the field. Whether it’s rum or soft drinks or any other commercial product, that type of promotion is prohibited.” In other words, Celek’s promotion of a commercial product like Captain Morgan is prohibited. The NFL has its players under contract and that is the rule. If that is the rule, then guess what? That is the rule!
Plus, any type of celebration endorsement could interfere with exclusive contracts the league has with other commercial products. I think this is a fine line to walk. Would a company like Coors Light, which is heavily involved with the NFL (yes, we have all seen the Coors Light press conference commercials) approve of any type of “guerilla advertising” involving another company that sells alcohol? I highly doubt it. Captain Morgan has gotten a lot of publicity from this stunt, though it did not pay the NFL one penny. The league loses and the league’s sponsorship partners lose. It is a lose-lose situation. It could get to the point where any endorsed celebration dance would overshadow the game. Instead of a three hour football game, viewers would get a three-hour infomercial. It is bad enough that fans have to sit through commercials after almost every change of possession. Why do we need this? The Lambeau Leap enough! Whatever happened to celebrating with teammates?
Yes, it would be a way for the players to make a quick buck, but is it really necessary? I think you take away from the natural experience of a football game. Players run the risk of being too “commercialized” and that is not what the league wants!
Yes, we know that college football is still in season. But somewhat quietly, college basketball has started. There are actually some interesting non-conference matchups going on this week and then of course a bombardment of holiday tournaments. As the season gets going, The Sports Debates is looking at possible major conference sleepers today. For me, I am looking no further than Atlanta, Georgia, which is where we find the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a miserable 12-19 overall season that included a 2-14 mark in ACC play. After the season, head coach Paul Hewitt caught some heat from fans and the media. He knew he needed to make a splash or his job would be in jeopardy. So what did he do? He went out and got a highly ranked recruiting class, headlined by highly rated 6-10 forward Derrick Favors. Favors was ranked by scout.com as the best high school player in the country. Other key players in the class include Glen Rice, Jr. (yes that is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Glen Rice), Mfon Udofia, Brian Oliver, and Kammeon Holsey (who recently got injured).
One fact that is quietly overlooked in many circles, and that tremendously improved the outlook for the 2009-10 Yellow Jackets, was the announcement that Gani Lawal would put off the NBA draft, at least for another year, and return to Tech. He originally entered his name into the draft but withdrew when he realized that he would not be drafted as highly as he wanted. Lawal, who was off the radar nationally last year because he was playing on a bad team, is a strong frontcourt player who averaged 15 points and nine rebounds a game last season in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference. He and Favors will form a strong post presence for Georgia Tech.
This team has a chance to be very good. However, with only two seniors on the roster in D’Andre Bell and Zach Peacock, there is definitely a lot of youth. Bell and Peacock have to provide leadership to this underclassmen-heavy team. The fact that the Jackets are relying so much on freshmen makes it a little surprising that it is ranked in the top 25, especially coming off a season with 19 losses. It is going to be tough in the ACC, as it always is. North Carolina and Duke are “who we think they are” and everyone knows the balance of power in the ACC goes through Tobacco Road, though both of those teams have question marks.
Maybe the youthfulness the Yellow Jackets have is a good thing. Hewitt needed a spark to energize the fan base. It has been quite awhile since that magical 2003-2004 season in which the Yellow Jackets advanced all the way to the championship game. The team has made the Big Dance only twice since then and that is unacceptable, even in the highly competitive ACC. With the talent the Yellow Jackets have on this team, it is a good to make a run and really sneak up on some teams.
As far as college basketball conferences are concerned, the Big East turned out to be the Big Letdown last March. Of the 16 teams in the conference, 12 went on to play in the postseason. The Big East also became the first conference in NCAA history to send FIVE different teams to the Sweet Sixteen in the same season, and claimed three of the four top seeds in the NCAA Championship Tournament (Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Louisville). All told, it was one of the most dominant regular seasons for an entire conference in college basketball history.
Unfortunately, things did not finish as well as they began for the conference. Despite the fact that the Big East claimed 75% of the top seeds, 31% of the Sweet Sixteen, and 50% of the Final Four, the conference was unable to place a single team in the final game of EITHER the NCAA National Championship OR the NIT tournament. It was a lackluster finish to what could have been a historic season.
Championship disappointments aside, the Big East is home to some of the most dominant programs in college basketball. Although the ACC is generally considered the cream of the college basketball crop in most seasons, the Big East has proven that its programs can be just as dominant as Duke and North Carolina. With legendary coaches like Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, and Jim Boeheim, the Big East has a great deal of recruiting power within the conference.
There is another coach in the Big East, however, that has not received the same accolades as his colleagues – West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins.
Sure, Huggins has put together winning teams, including a very impressive run at Cincinnati where his Bearcats managed to reach the NCAA Tournament in 14 consecutive years. Unlike his legendary counterparts, though, Huggins’ career has been defined by his failures, not his successes. Off the court, Huggins has had to deal with criticism stemming from rules violations, player arrests, and a DUI conviction in 2004. On the court, Huggins has developed a reputation for being a choke artist. For example, several of his Cincinnati teams had come into the NCAA tournament with Final Four (or even national championship) expectations. Huggins only managed to actually REACH the Final Four once.
This season should be very different for Huggins and the Mountaineers.
Following the success of Big East teams last season, many players from the conference decided it was time to move on to the NBA, including Earl Clark and Terrence Williams of Louisville, Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price of UConn, and Sam Young and DeJuan Blair from Pittsbrugh. With all due respect to those programs, it is unrealistic to expect the same performance from those schools again in 2009.
West Virginia, on the other hand, is returning a great deal of talent to the court, primarily in senior forward Da’Sean Butler. Butler, who was the team’s leading scorer last season, is expected to provide points for the Mountaineers, especially with the loss of guard Alex Ruoff (who averaged nearly 16 points per game), and the oft-injured or suspended Joe Mazzulla.
Butler will not be alone on the court, either. Despite rumors that he would be entering the NBA early, forward Devin Ebanks (a likely first-round draft choice in the NBA) made the decision to return to West Virginia for his sophomore season after leading the Mountaineers in rebounding during his freshman season. Guard Casey Mitchell, a JUCO transfer from Chipola College, also brings a 20 points per game average onto the court. Mitchell, who broke a 40-year old JUCO record by sinking 25 consecutive free throws last year, was named the NJCAA Player of the Year and first team All-American last season.
Unlike previous seasons where Bob Huggins and his team have begun with lofty expectations only to stumble down the stretch, this time around could be different for the Mountaineers. Although the team may be lacking in history, pedigree, or reputation, West Virginia certainly has an abundance of talent and experience in a season where many of the usual Big East contenders will be without both!
Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer about which NCAA men’s basketball teams they believe are sleepers in conference.
In anticipation of this weekend’s Ohio State-Michigan matchup on the gridiron (and potentially Wolverine coach Rich Rodriguez’s final game as the head coach in Ann Arbor), and the recent kick off of the college basketball season, it is the right time to address a fact the entire college basketball world will soon understand – Ohio State can hoop it up with the best of them.
Currently ranked 16th in the nation, the Buckeyes are facing the sixth ranked North Carolina Tar Heels this Thursday night. The importance of a seemingly pointless “preseason” tournament game is not overhyped by pointing out the importance of this early season matchup, especially for the improved and resurgent Ohio State Buckeyes.
Two seasons ago head coach Thad Matta welcomed several new recruits to the hardwood in Columbus. Injuries, high expectations, and underperformance has plagued the core of the class that remains in scarlet and gray – guard Jon Diebler, swing man David Lighty, and forward Evan Turner.
Diebler was expected to be a tremendous three point threat, but has not shot the ball with enough consistency to warrant special focus from opposing defenses. David Lighty suffered a foot injury last December that effectively ended his season and stunted his growth as a contributor this season. Evan Turner has been an outstanding player, but lacked the consistency necessary from his teammates to explore his full potential.
The maturity that appeared to be lacking in Columbus in the last two seasons is now evolving. While the sample size is small, Dielber is off to a blistering start this season shooting nearly 60 percent from long range and over 14 points per game. Lighty is contributing all over the court with 11 points and two steals per game. Turner is off to the most impressive start of perhaps any individual player in the country having recorded a triple double in the first game of the season against Alcorn State. Turner is averaging 19 points per game, 17 rebounds (including nearly 13 a game just on the defensive end), seven assists, two blocks, and a steal. Once young and needing to learn and grow, Ohio State now has some NCAA tournament experience and a couple of years of “the grind” complete. In short, Ohio State has a rarity among college basketball programs in the modern age – mature players who are coming into their own.
Ohio State has another enviable trait – balance. Sure center B.J. Mullens departed to the NBA draft after just one season, but Ohio State has replaced the big men in the rotation with a more mature Dallas Lauderdale and seven-footer Zisis Sarikopoulos. The attention a seven footer receives in college basketball is a big help to improved shooting sniper Diebler who may have to rely less on creating his own space to hit a jumper and simply catching and shooting or knocking down open threes off of double teams in the post… or double teams that result from an extra emphasis on Turner. The complementary skills and styles of Ohio State present matchup problems for opposing defenses – even an improved Michigan State and the famous Tom Izzo enforced toughness.
Let’s face facts – to win big in college basketball a team must be able to shoot the three point shot well. After shooting the ball fairly well from beyond the three point line last season, the Buckeyes showed tremendous capacity for growth. Diebler knocked in nearly 42 percent of his long distance attempts while Evan Turner was at 44 percent in the 2008-2009 season. The Buckeyes only had two other players on last season’s roster record enough three point attempts to qualify for a comparative statistic. In short, Ohio State has a great ability to spread the floor this season and knock down open threes.
Teams that begin a season sleeping in a conference require a signature win to gain national notoriety. Ohio State plays #6 North Carolina Thursday, and a win guarantees no Big Ten team will lack preparation before facing the Buckeyes. While second ranked Michigan State is widely believed to be the class of the conference, the Buckeyes are currently enjoying relative conference anonymity with Michigan ranked a spot ahead at 15 and Purdue loftily placed at number seven. Ohio State has the opportunity to apply growing maturity, improved balance, and above average three point shooting to lull conference opponents to sleep before making a late run at the conference title.
What do you call it when the first and second place teams face off in a game to determine who the champion of their conference will be? I call it a championship game, and that is precisely the setting for Saturday’s matchup between the #15 Iowa Hawkeyes and the #10 Ohio State Buckeyes!
The Big Ten often takes some heat for not having a formalized “championship” game (even by many of the writers on this site). Hopefully, this de facto championship matchup will help to quiet some of those naysayers, because the word “championship” does not have to be present in the title of a game for it to have a championship feel (and outcome). Simply put, this will by far be the BEST game to watch this weekend, because it will decide a BCS invitation.
Ohio State and Iowa both sit atop the Big Ten standings with conference records of 5-1. That means that the winner of Saturday’s game in Columbus will be in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with only one more game remaining on the season. That GUARANTEES the winner at least a share of the Big Ten Conference crown for the 2009 season. Since both Ohio State and Iowa close the season against relatively weak opponents (Michigan and Minnesota, respectively), though, the likelihood is that the winner of this matchup will finish the season as sole champions of the conference. In addition to guaranteeing at least a share of the Big Ten title, though, the winner also gets to punch their ticket to the BCS. Thanks to the elaborate tiebreaker system in place in the Big Ten, the winner of this game will be guaranteed an invitation to “The Granddaddy of Them All”, the 2010 Rose Bowl game.
When you consider the paths taken for each team to reach this point in the season, you find two VERY different stories.
Ohio State was expected to be in contention for the Big Ten Championship, although the preseason projections were that they would be competing with Penn State for the title, as opposed to Iowa. While the Buckeye offense may have been the subject of much scrutiny and criticism this season, Ohio State’s defense has played quite impressively this year. Even in their losses to Purdue and USC, the defense for Ohio State has played remarkably well. Three of their eight victories this season have been by shutout, and they have won their last three games by a combined score of 107-14.
The Buckeyes did need a little help to get themselves into this situation, however. The loss to Purdue back in October had cost Ohio State their lead in the Big Ten, and if not for a very surprising Iowa loss at the hands of Northwestern last week, the Buckeyes would not be playing for the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
As for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the 2009 season has been full of drama and excitement. The Hawkeyes started their season off by needing not one, but TWO blocked field goals at the end of the game just to save the game against Northern Iowa. The close calls didn’t stop there, though. Iowa has trailed at some point in every single game they have played this season. Despite playing from behind, though, they managed to pull off a major upset victory over Penn State, who at the time was ranked as the fifth best team in the country. They also went on to win several other nail-biters, including games against Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. As a result of those wins, Iowa had managed to climb the national rankings all the way up to the number four spot before finally losing to Northwestern last weekend. With that loss to Northwestern, Iowa had lost any hopes of competing for the National Championship game, but they remain in complete control of their Rose Bowl dreams.
During the game against Northwestern, Iowa suffered a second, very damaging loss when junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi injured his ankle. The injury, which was severe enough to require surgery, will prevent Stanzi from playing against Ohio State this weekend. Without Stanzi under center, Iowa will be forced to start redshirt freshman James Vandenberg on Saturday, which means the Hawkeyes will likely have a much more difficult time in scoring points against the vaunted Ohio State defense.
The setback of losing Stanzi is nothing new for the Hawkeyes, though, who have been used to playing under high-pressure and dire circumstances all season long. If anyone is used to playing with their backs against a wall, it is the Iowa Hawkeyes. For their part, Ohio State has shown vulnerability even in games they should have had well in hand, and so nothing should be taken for granted by either team coming into Saturday’s game.
When you consider everything at stake for this game – A guarantee to be at least co-champions in the Big Ten Conference, with the an automatic BCS Rose Bowl invitation for the winner – the formula adds up to a championship game with a championship atmosphere!
Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer about which game they believe is the best of this weekend.
It appears there is an attempt to change the guard in the Mountain West Conference. A conference dominated for so many years by the impressive Utah Utes program, complete with an undefeated run and unfair BCS treatment last season, is now being challenged by fellow strong MWC program TCU.
TCU is not just another non-BCS school spoiling the party. TCU is a legitimately talented team complete with plenty of professional prospects. But, this matchup is the weekends best for many more reasons than the obvious “check out the pro prospects.”
Utah is in the unfamiliar role of the spoiler. What makes this game so compelling, however, is that the teams matchup extremely well on the field.
Utah boasts a balanced offense which is ranked third in the conference. Balance, if not sexy certainly is effective. Effective, in fact, is an excellent word to describe Utah’s team this season. Utah has converted an effective 42 percent on third down. Utah has been effective in controlling the ball, keeping it for nearly 32 minutes per game. Utah’s 411 plus yards per game on offense is excellent – even effective – though it does not lead the conference or factor nationally.
TCU features an exceptional duel threat running attack this season with Joseph Turner and Edward Wesley. Turner has amassed 560 yards on the ground while Wesley accounts for 461 nine games into the 2009 season. The two have 12 touchdowns on the ground between them. The running attack is also balance with outstanding quarterback Anthony Dalton. Dalton has thrown 16 touchdowns in 2009 against just three interceptions while completing nearly 64 percent of his passes. Dalton has also completed passes to 13 different receivers, with eight of those receivers having caught touchdowns.
What is the point of providing a quick offensive breakdown of the Horned Frogs? The Horned Frogs are known as one of the strongest defensive teams in the NCAA year after year. In fact, TCU ranks fifth nationally in points allowed per game and ranks third nationally in yards allowed per game in 2009. This is the first season where it appears as though TCU has put an entire team together, with a balanced and effective offensive attack complementing the always strong defense. TCU is a legitimate BCS contender.
TCU may have a matchup advantage over Utah in the running game. While TCU has the second best rushing attack in the conference (behind the always interesting veer triple option from Air Force), Utah allows opponents 130 yards per game on the ground. It is a good thing games are not played on paper.
A key factor in TCU’s continued climb that few seem to have noticed nationally is that the Clemson Tigers, a team TCU defeated 14-10 in September, has played well since the loss to TCU. The Tigers have played so well that the team now controls its own destiny in the ACC. Win out, and the Tigers are ACC champions. TCU would love nothing more than a scenario where both schools win out. TCU’s strength of schedule continues to get stronger and stronger. Any slip up by the two leading SEC teams, Florida and Alabama, or a slip up from Texas, locks the Horned Frogs into the BCS title game. And, TCU deserves a shot.
If TCU wins on Saturday, a changing of the guard is complete and TCU will deservedly take its perch atop the conference, and gains deserved notice across the nation. Utah has the opportunity to fight off the challenger and, though the program’s one blemish (a non-conference, seven point loss to Oregon) will prevent a BCS appearance, at least reclaim the MWC crown. Both programs need this win not just for their own good, but for the good of the conference. Two teams with balance on offense and toughness on defense, plus plenty of conference and national title implications, will meet in the best game of THIS weekend.
Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek about which games they believe are the best of THIS weekend.
We are over halfway through the NFL regular season, and we are, sadly, closing in on the end of the college football season, too. We just kicked off the season the other day, right? Wow, it always flies by! Nevertheless, we enter this weekend with some interesting NFL matchups. After looking at the schedule, we all know what the best game of the weekend is and I was not about to skip it. The undefeated Indianapolis Colts welcome the New England Patriots to town. Is it just me, or does this game always seem to pop up on the schedule? This is the 14th time these two teams have met (including three times in the playoffs). The Patriots have won eight of 13, but the Colts have four out of the past five. It is without a doubt the best NFL rivalry of this decade.
As always, it is a big game. The Colts come into the game undefeated at 8-0, though they have been tested the past two weeks against the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans. Peyton Manning, once again, is having an MVP caliber season. Through eight games, he has thrown for 2,545 yards and 16 touchdowns. I thought he might have somewhat of a down season, for his standards anyway since he no longer has Marvin Harrison to throw to. Add in the fact that the other starting receiver, Anthony Gonzalez, has not played since week one, and there is a recipe for inconsistency at the wide receiver position. But guys like rookie Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have picked up the slack, combining for 55 catches and six touchdowns. Head coach Jim Caldwell has done a magnificent job of picking up right where Tony Dungy left off.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are who we thought they were. The Patriots come into this matchup with a 6-2 overall record. New England has had its share of close games, too. Tom Brady, after a slow start, has picked up the pace and thrown for nearly 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. The usual suspects are still there at wide receivers with Randy Moss and Wes Welker having solid seasons. Remember when Moss was considered a bad seed? That seems like such a long time ago now! The offense as a whole is third in the league and the defense quietly is the second ranked defense right now.
New England needs this game to send a message to the Colts that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. It will also keep the Patriots alive in the battle for home field advantage in the AFC, which is very important in January… especially if these two teams are to get together again. Indianapolis needs this game to distance itself overall by three games over the Patriots. The Colts most definitely do not want to go to Foxboro in January, having been there and done that and knowing they do not want to do it again! It is quite a bit warmer at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Overall, I am definitely looking forward to this game. It is a Sunday night NBC matchup so we will all be able to watch it. It should be another classic in a long line of great games in this rivalry.
For a VERY small percentage of the population, college education exists as a means to explore the boundless potential of human intellect. For that group of people, the pursuit of higher learning is motivation enough to continue education for its own sake. For EVERYONE ELSE who goes to college, they do so for one reason – to get a better job!
I went to college to get a degree. However, if I was approached during my junior year and told that the hiring representatives from a particular organization had already seen everything they wanted to see, and were willing to offer me a job which paid significant sums of money, I would have left school and taken the job in an instant. The fact is that attending college can help people accomplish their goals without actually finishing college.
Earning a degree in college matters for many reasons. If you wish to be a surgeon, a teacher, or work in some other professional discipline, a degree becomes a necessity. If you wish to play professional football or basketball, on the other hand, a degree is not a prerequisite.
Don’t get me wrong, the decision to stay in college or go pro is a very personal one. If a student has a strong desire to return for their remaining years of school, then by all means, they should. For many people, athlete or not, there is a certain status they feel can be achieved by becoming a college graduate. For others it may be a pursuit for college glory. As Loyal Homer points out, a professional career in the NFL is very short on average. As such, many college athletes will not reach the ranks of the uber-wealthy superstars of professional sports. So, staying in college and getting a degree could serve as an insurance policy for the long-term.
Taking all of those things into consideration, however, I am still awarding the debate to Sports Geek.
As Sports Geek points out, MOST college athletes with professional potential are using their time in college as a platform to launch a potential professional career. If they are able to achieve that in a shorter length of time than is required to finish their college education, they have accomplished their goal. They have earned an opportunity to compete in the professional ranks with a chance for fame and fortune – who cares if it does not work out? MANY people in the world change careers, some do so multiple times, and often changes take them into a career which they are not fully educated for. It is impossible to fully prepare for every possible curveball in life, and so the best thing that a student of any discipline can do is take advantage of the few opportunities that are presented to them.
While I do believe that some athletes are driven by values that exceed simply earning a big paycheck for playing football on Sunday afternoons, I disagree with Loyal Homer’s argument that enjoying a senior year of college brings so many benefits with it that it outweighs the benefits of being a professional athlete. NFL and NBA athletes are just as likely to “get the girl,” and who cares about having drinks bought for you when you have millions of dollars at your disposal?
Loyal Homer’s sentiment may be idealistic, but it is not practical. If a college athlete’s goal is to play in the pros, why unnecessarily delay that opportunity in order to earn a certification that holds no relevant bearing on playing professional sports? When opportunity knocks, OPEN THE DOOR!
Matthew Stafford, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford were all viewed as marquis college quarterbacks from the 2008 football season. Each was eligible for early entry into the NFL Draft, and each was projected to be a high-draft selection. With millions of dollars at stake, the temptation to go pro early could be very strong!
Matthew Stafford chose the NFL. As a reward for his decision, he received a contract with $41.7M in GUARANTEED money. On the down-side, he has to play quarterback for the Detroit Lions, a job that has already been tried and failed by the likes of Daunte Culpepper, Jon Kitna, Joey Harrington, Jeff Garcia, Charlie Batch, Gus Frerotte, Rodney Peete, Frank Reich, Ty Detmer, Stoney Case (who?!), Scott Mitchell, well… you get the point. Stafford’s job will not be an easy one, to say the least!
On the other hand, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford decided to return to their respective college teams for one more season, foregoing the immediate prospect of millions in salary to chase a different prize – a national championship (and the Heisman Trophy). The decision has not been a bad one for McCoy so far, whose Texas Longhorns are undefeated and sit third in the current BCS rankings. But, things have not worked out as well for his Oklahoma Sooners counterpart, Bradford. Bradford’s decision to stay in college may have been more costly, as he has only played in one full game all season due to shoulder injuries. It is true that he looked very impressive in the few instances where he played, but the lack of any substantial playing time may impact his long-term professional value. Likewise, his injury has cost his team several games, and subsequently cost them the opportunity to play for the BCS National Championship this season, a key reason Bradford returned in the first place.
It is a question that every NFL and NBA prospect especially must face during their time in college. For some, the decision to stay in the NCAA or go pro is simply a matter of trying to maximize their professional value. Staying in college is only worthwhile to them if it means the prospect of even more favorable ratings and reviews in the next NFL Draft, rather than the current one. For others, it is about not wanting to leave college behind without a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Former Ohio State safety Mike Doss was a standout football player at every level of the game. He won championships in his Pop Warner leagues and as a high school star at Ohio’s Canton McKinley (one of the schools in the GREATEST area for high school football in the country!!!). He was again part of a championship team as his high school Bulldogs won both the state and national titles. In 2002, Doss came back for his fifth year of eligibility at Ohio State so he could try one more time for a National Championship at the collegiate level. His decision paid off, as his Buckeyes went on to defeat the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl.
That same decision did not work out so well for several members of the 2007 Michigan Wolverines. After a very exciting season in 2006 where the Wolverines nearly reached the National Championship Game (if not for a loss to Ohio State in the final game of the season), running back Mike Hart, offensive lineman Jake Long, and quarterback Chad Henne all decided to return for one more season at Michigan in the hopes of winning the National Championship (or any bowl game for that matter) and to get a win over Ohio State. Instead of realizing the dream, the Wolverines lost the season opener to Appalachian State in one of the greatest upsets in college football history, as well as three other games that season (including another loss at the hands of the Buckeyes). There were no championship celebrations in Michigan that season, which left Long, Hart, and Henne frustrated and very disappointed.
There are risks and rewards to both options, but which is the better option to choose? If given the opportunity, should talented college players leave college early, as soon as they are eligible?
To tackle this issue, Sports Geek will argue that the better choice is to go pro early, while Loyal Homer will argue that players should return to college and finish their career before going to the next level.
And we're back... Should college coaches look into criminal and juvenile records when recruiting? The verdict says YES! http://bit.ly/dZ5LF310 months ago
Posted by Sports Geek 
