This isn't just kids signing autographs. If you think this isn't going to have an effect on competitive balance you're nuts. It's ultimately going to end up hurting kids that play at G5 level schools that aren't able to compete with the big schools anymore and support starts to dwindle. In the end, the players that are going to be signing autographs for money tend to be the ones who are going to need the money least. It also creates a HUGE disparity between the living situations of the normal students and the top level athletes. The money should have been redistributed to make the schools better / more affordable... but instead the money was soaked up by the administrations.
I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment and here is why. If you are an elite athlete under these new rules, why go to a school like Alabama and have to sit behind other elite guys for years when you could go to a place like Tulsa where you have the opportunity to play and build your brand and increase your net worth from day one. This should actually level the playing field to a large degree. Imagine there are four tiers of revenue that emerge from these new rules.
The first tier at the top of the pyramid of revenue are superstars like Zion or Kyler Murray that are Household names both on the national and in some cases international level. These types kids will be multi millionaires before they leave college.
The Second tier on the revenue pyramid are the kids that are good but not superstars like a Sam Ehlinger, Chubba Hubbard, or Jaylan Waddle who are national names but are not on the superstars level. These guys yearly earnings will be mid to upper six figures and have the potential to make in the lower millions during their career.
The third tier of revenue will be regional guys like Tre Brown, Trevis Gipson, and Reggie Robinson. These are guys who play at smaller schools/conferences or schools that don’t get as much media hype to include D2 and D3. Those types of players will ear over $35,000 and have the potential to earn low to mid six figures.
The fourth and lowest tier of revenue earnings are those players who make under $35,000 a year. This may be a local kid from BA, Union, Bixby who has an established name locally but will need to redshirt or a guy who is playing behind a tier three guy.
A kid could now either hire an outside firm or go with the university package deal. The firm and the university could still charge a nominal fee to manage the player. University Sports Marketing departments will need to split their efforts or expand to include a team focused on developing marketing/revenue plans for both the individual athlete as well as the overall program.
For the haters on here who have written that they think this is even more unfair, I ask you this question. Do you complain about the full scholarships the Rhodes Scholars receive? Do you complain at work that you don’t make the same salary as a coworker who brings in more revenue than you?
Many fans have been under the illusion for decades that student athletes are at the academic institutions to obtain a degree first and foremost and play sports as a secondary focus. This new rule finally sheds light on this misconception and shatters that illusion. I hope the doubters finally realize that many Universities are only interested in the revenue stream sports brings. College sports always has and always will be a business!
