RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
A “Super League'' for college football has been proposed by a group of 20 people known as “College Sports Tomorrow.'' This proposed league won't work, won't work well, and will only frustrate broadcast partners. But that doesn't mean the radical idea of creating a new model for major college football isn't worth it.
But College Sports Tomorrow (CST), a group led by NFL executives, NBA owners, athletic directors and current university presidents, believes it can be done.
The proposed “Super League” idea, first reported by a reporter for The Athletic, would essentially split the FBS in half, reducing it from 130 programs to 70 programs and creating a relegation system for the bottom 10 teams. Thing. Will parity be born? Probably not, and equality was never what the sport itself wanted.
This idea borrowed from the Premier League also has merit. The world's most famous soccer league is the world's most famous soccer league, with British media executive Greg Dyke offering England's five biggest clubs (Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham) 1 million yen for television rights to their home games. It started with an offer to pay British pounds. He could be kicked out of the Football League.
These five teams were increased to 22, and finally settled on 20 teams, with the three worst-performing teams removed and the top three teams in the Championship, which later became a subdivision of the Premier League, moved up. This model gives desperate small teams hope of not only competing with the blue bloods, but also making a little more money. For fans, it's like a drug. Because we always believe that we have a chance, even when it is clear to others that we have no chance.
The idea of creating a new league built on a new model of revenue generation and revenue sharing in college football also has merit. Coaches and administrators believe the unintended consequences of players using their names, images and likenesses to make money are largely unacceptable. The NCAA has almost completely lost its once-valuable ability to enforce membership rules.
The result of Alston v. NCAA is that the Supreme Court ruled that rules restricting education-related benefits violate antitrust laws, resulting in universities losing billions of dollars to their workforce, namely their athletes. It could mean paying compensation. For some, that's 152 years' worth of unpaid bills. Universities may eventually pay players the same way they pay coaches. And we could also see a college football players' union formed, only this time it would participate in collective bargaining with television networks, conferences and schools.
This will require a new model, but CST is unlikely to decide what that model will look like or who will benefit. A key reason why the CST model is here to stay is its timing.
Is a college football Super League really possible?
The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC have all agreed to deals with major television networks, including FOX, ESPN, CBS and NBC, that run through 2030, 2031 and 2034, respectively. ESPN is paying $7.8 billion for the rights to broadcast the College Football Playoff through 2031.
With billions of dollars in live rights at stake and an ever-growing number of sports officials, college football's new form will move slowly and only at the 11th hour of the bill's deadline. It will be.
For most people, there is little incentive to change the way college football is broadcast or distribute more revenue. Until that changes, the quagmire we're in with college football will continue. West Virginia University President Gordon Gee was right when he said in The Athletic that college football is “in existential crisis,” but the people who make millions of dollars in the sport usually don't know what's inside. They have not yet felt the economic crisis that comes with their conflicts, identity, and issues of substance. Like G, it means to exist.
Everyone listens when people talk about money.
College football administrators would do well to remember the words of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche:
“I know my destiny. One day my name will be associated with the memory of something horrifying and unprecedented on Earth.”
As many of you know, the sport of college football is gone. Those who adapt quickly with the ruthless intention of doing what's best for themselves and the sport will likely set a new model for college football.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst and podcast host for FOX Sports.The number one college football show.” Follow him on Twitter @RJ_Young and Subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
Enjoy more college football Follow your favorites to stay informed about games, news and more
