IUCrazy2

https://www.reporter-times.com/story/news/2020/01/31/iu-athletics-reaches-1278-million-in-revenues/43867003/ That was a few years ago. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2020/02/14/ohio-state-athletic-revenue-210-million-but-department-lost-money/4760028002/ They made almost $100 million more but actually lost money. They had to "borrow" $45 million from the school for COVID. Make the athletes employees of the school and let's see how they do. ETA: We will never be able to compete with that amount of money either because Indiana football is never going to be competitive with those schools. Being in the BIG and trying to stay part of this league probably hurts our basketball program because we feel like we have to try to compete. We'd be better off going to like the ACC and just emphasizing basketball. We won't do that because it would mean walking away from all the TV revenue but I think the football money is wasted.

We will get some dudes eventually and by September we will be convinced that we are going to have a competitive team. The weather is getting nicer so we can all go out and touch grass while they fill out the roster. Eventually some kids will lower themselves to play in front of our terrible fans, crappy facilities, NBA coach, and for our NIL pittance. (DWS) And we will love them until they start losing too many games. Circle of life.

Because we zeroed in instead of a wide net on some guys with a bunch of options and struck out. Win some, lose some. I also think that the league we play in has a reputation that would make it unattractive for wings with a choice. Fair or not, perception is reality.

I am not belittling them. I am saying that the value they bring to an EDUCATIONAL institution is overrated. You have to start asking how much money being dumped into sports entertainment at these schools is now being taken from the academic mission. If they are pros who are capable of making money off their skill, then let's set up a league for them to do that. I mean, I won't watch the Bloomington Stone Cutters vs. The Columbus Worthless Nuts play to 68 point finishes when the Pacers and Cavaliers are available for that, but I am sure that a few thousand locals a night probably will.

I think it is the combination of a basically professional sports league with a state college that is constantly begging people to give it more money. If they think there is a real market for these guys to be pros, expand the G League and let them have at it. The core mission of the schools would continue without the high end athletics....I am not watching that G League and I would lay money that they wouldn't be worth much more than minor league baseball teams, but they are free to separate it out. To put it another way, the Indiana Pacers aren't calling me to pay Myles Turner's salary. If they had to set up collectives to pay players, that would signal to me that the NBA didn't really have a supportable model for their league. Just like the NCAA doesn't. They can't pay the players and make sure that they all have a hot tub and pay for all the non revenue sports on top of it. The vast, vast majority of the players aren't worth anything (from an athletic standpoint) without the school name across their chest. That is a harsh reality.

I just want to say that after this off season, I have a new appreciation for Jackson-Davis. It was nice to get to know a good player for 4 years again. Wish we could have got the kid in a spot to get more team accolades but his career was refreshing in this era.

This is a dumb question that maybe noone knows the answer to, but does anyone know how much this stuff even gets used? Like I know that the weight room and practice court at Cook get used, but stuff like the lounge and pool table...or like the hot tub they had at Tennessee that looked like it could fit about 5 guys before it got weird when it serves a program that has 70ish?+ members, how often are guys even showing up for that stuff? It is like the apartment complex that has the really nice clubhouse that you used to only go to in order to pay rent. It is one of those nice perks that nobody uses. I would lay money that is what most of the extras at all these schools do. Places that look good when a recruit comes but nobody is using. And it is a race you never win. That is why I have argued that the athletic departments could make 50% more money and it wouldn't matter to the school at large at all because the money all gets dumped right back to the athletes because someone has always one upped you. If you have the best this year, someone is going to replace you next. ETA: I also want to say that if a guy like Ledlum was swayed by that stuff, then I don't think that is the attitude that is going to work here. He has like one year to get to the NBA and if that is where his head is at, well, best of luck young fella...you will need it.

I honestly barely care anymore. I make good money and some of these guys make more than me already, they live in an environment way better than I did at college, have access to facilities and amenities we would have dreamed of when we were eating Ramen and Chef Boyardee, and they want more. Honestly, I am almost kind of out on all this stuff. It is a colossal waste of money when the median IU-B student is walking away from school with $20k in debt. These kids are worse than pros if this is what is driving everything. Go elsewhere, at this point I am almost rooting for them to kill the goose that laid their golden egg.

Part of the NIL money is based on social media followers. That is how many of the top women are competing for money.

In an NIL world they should...just saying.

I have increasingly found that following the tea leaves on any of this recruiting type of junk is mostly fruitless. People get hyped up over a name and some rumors and then get overly upset about everything when that doesn't pan out. Eff Ledlum. He wants to go play for that Nickelodeon wannabe program with a bunch of hilljacks singing about rocky top every 30 seconds, let him. Call me when the team is set and we can spend our time talking about guys who actually want to be here.

Hunter doesn't strike me as the guy to get a team over the top. He is a good player but having seen him the past few years, I wouldn't have much interest.

Rim shot.

I have been trying to place his location.

Can we have a meltdown here to make things interesting? Last meltdown spurred Ware to commit, I feel like we have to feed the basketball gods meltdowns so that they will bless us with commits. I will start. I hear things have gotten so bad that when in Assembly Hall, the sky will literally fall on you some days.

It is just going to blow up college athletics at the end of the day.

If the schools pocketed the money, that would be something. 99% of them don't. The money was always plowed right back into athletics. "You didn't pay me." No, we paid your schooling, housing, tutor, nutrition specialist, personal trainer, medical bills, practice facilities that only you and a select few had access to, travel, etc., etc. Those guys want to complain that they weren't getting theirs, they need to go to anyone that wasn't a men's basketball or football player and tell them their sports aren't worth a damn and any money being spent on them should go into their pocket.

I don't think kids are regularly calling to decommit and then being harangued back into their commitment. He might not end up at Indiana, but I bet he doesn't finish a career at Purdue.

Once the doubt is there, it is only a matter of time IMO.

It just got warm out. For a young 20 something guy it is probably a really good week to be in Bloomington.

Have him talk to Ware about how great it is at Oregon.....

You can complain about it all you want. That "Championship" was picked over a decade after the fact and nobody but the schools who have them recognize Helms because of that. Everyone recognizes the Championship IU won because it was on the court, sanctioned by the NCAA, and awarded the minute after they won their last game.

IUCrazy2 has cut Sofia Vergara from his top 5. (It isn't that she found someone else, I cut her you see.)

Everyone who recognizes championships does.

Howard has the "cool" factor that has carried on for those guys since 1992; he can't coach for sh** but sometimes narrative will take you far.