What Does This Mean for Big East and Marquette

[Gato78]

The problem is the elimination of the student-athlete model in favor of money making. College football and basketball should not be a prep level for pro sports. It should be about education and graduation. The SEC makes no apologies, the BIG EAST seems to be headed in the right direction. Most college presidents and people who are involved with, and supporting the minor league sports model, should just call it like it is and make their schools minor league programs. The college presidents can then be the pro sports owners they want to be. The changes in college athletics in the past 10 years have been ridiculous, although profitable. America has its head in the sand on this issue because football Saturdays are just too much fun. It is a joke.

[Phantom Warrior]

Sultan,

I'll be curious to read your views a few years down the road when coaches from the five conferences are recruiting basketball players and telling them, "Yeah, and your family and your FRIENDS can go to the NCAA Tournament games on our dime. And we can give you an extra $500.00 a month for expenses beyond tuitions, books, etc., and so on and so on and so on...." while MU and other Big East, AAC, and A-10 schools can not match such perks.

Do you really think that the likes of DePaul, Seton Hall, Providence, Butler are going to spend the kind of bucks to support their athletes that schools in the P-5 conferences will?

Here's what I hope - that the P-5 schools lose their financial pants by spending a whole lot more money than they take in. But it probably won't happen. They have already bought college football. This allows them to buy college basketball as well. The writing, as they say, is on the proverbial wall.

Basketball at schools in the other conferences will end up kind of like the family-owned corner grocery store or the individually-owned small pharmacy very few and far between.

[ziggysfryboy]

I guess I don't know exactly what you and Phantom want them to do. Not accept the television money? Not to charge max prices on their seats? Not to charge full cost of attendance scholarships?

The problem with Division 1 isn't the "Power 5" and conferences like the BE that can afford to play at their level. The problem is the multitude of low level schools and conferences that have no business is Division 1 and are leaching off the popularity of the other schools.

look at the explosion of D1 bball schools the last few years. what, have around 30-40 schools gone D1 in the last decade? I remember a number around 315 for the max RPI and now it's up around 340-350.

Those schools, the Northwest South Dakota Tech State School of Mines and the Deaf, need to show that they can be D1 before the NCAA lets them move up from D2 or D3. There's no gatekeeper now, which lets the masses in, and in reality, the NCAA should be the gate keeper.

[TheSultan]

Sultan,

I'll be curious to read your views a few years down the road when coaches from the five conferences are recruiting basketball players and telling them, "Yeah, and your family and your FRIENDS can go to the NCAA Tournament games on our dime. And we can give you an extra $500.00 a month for expenses beyond tuitions, books, etc., and so on and so on and so on...." while MU and other Big East, AAC, and A-10 schools can not match such perks.

Do you really think that the likes of DePaul, Seton Hall, Providence, Butler are going to spend the kind of bucks to support their athletes that schools in the P-5 conferences will?

MU can certainly match such perks. And if they can't, they deserve to be at a disadvantage. And if the other schools in the BE can't...well...tough sh*t. They have all doubled their television revenue from a year ago. No reason they cannot up their scholarship value by $6,000 each.

Ziggy is right. There are too many teams in D1 right now. 100 of them shouldn't be there. I wouldn't miss them if they left.

[TheSultan]

The problem is the elimination of the student-athlete model in favor of money making. College football and basketball should not be a prep level for pro sports. It should be about education and graduation. The SEC makes no apologies, the BIG EAST seems to be headed in the right direction. Most college presidents and people who are involved with, and supporting the minor league sports model, should just call it like it is and make their schools minor league programs. The college presidents can then be the pro sports owners they want to be. The changes in college athletics in the past 10 years have been ridiculous, although profitable. America has its head in the sand on this issue because football Saturdays are just too much fun. It is a joke.

I will just point out that we root for a team that spends more money on basketball than pretty much every other college in the country. One that admits basketball players that it wouldn't otherwise admit. One that provides services that no other student gets to make sure they graduate. And this board has lobbied for easier standards for Jucos, the NCAA minimum standards for continuation, and an athletic dorm.

But because we might offer full cost of attendance scholarships, (which MU offers to other students by the way), and give them the ability to seek advice from an agent, we are somehow breaking the student athlete model?

Let's just be honest here and have a transactional model that fits reality. Or go root for a division 3 program.

Really I cannot logically blame the "Power 5" for what is occurring here, because Marquette has done similar things. Marquette has jumped conferences, signed lucrative television contracts etc. We are engaging in similar behavior and will continue to do so if it is more lucrative.

[Nukem2]

I will just point out that we root for a team that spends more money on basketball than pretty much every other college in the country. One that admits basketball players that it wouldn't otherwise admit. One that provides services that no other student gets to make sure they graduate. And this board has lobbied for easier standards for Jucos, the NCAA minimum standards for continuation, and an athletic dorm.

But because we might offer full cost of attendance scholarships, (which MU offers to other students by the way), and give them the ability to seek advice from an agent, we are somehow breaking the student athlete model?

Let's just be honest here and have a transactional model that fits reality. Or go root for a division 3 program.

Really I cannot logically blame the "Power 5" for what is occurring here, because Marquette has done similar things. Marquette has jumped conferences, signed lucrative television contracts etc. We are engaging in similar behavior and will continue to do so if it is more lucrative.

Of course, one can say that MU has been living the American dream trying to be upwardly mobile as it moved from independent status to better conference(s). Far different than the power grab by the Big 5 conferences.

[TheSultan]

Well I guess however you want to spin it to feel better...

[Nukem2]

Well I guess however you want to spin it to feel better...

Guess one could say the same for your view. We agree to disagree, as you are comparing apples to oranges.

[wiscwarrior]

I actually think MU is in a better position than the Big 5 football conferences if we are allowed to join the movement. We don't have to support a football team.

[TheSultan]

Exactly wisc. I agree with that statement. Instead of being hypocritical chicken littles about this, lets take a look on how these changes can benefit Marquette, it's basketball program and its student athletes.

Is giving a higher value scholarship that bad of an idea? Would giving players quality advice from an agent bad?

And one more thing. If the ACC invited Marquette to be a non football member, the majority of fans would be thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. We would join the Power 5 in an instant if given the chance.