Not so sure I agree with the quote above from Mr. tochatihu or the post agreeing with it. Two years in, NIL is fueling chaos in college athletics
Inside Higher ED? Hard hitting investigative reporting in action from a major publication 'eh? They do somewhat stumble into the main fear that authoritarian minded people have with NIL........ -it's <gasp!!!!> market based. ......"Now, two years into the NIL reality, heavy hitters [WHICH Ones?] in the college sports world are descending on Washington to push Congress to provide guidelines to keep NIL from becoming an arms race that will empower top athletic programs and conferences while leaving others behind." What these 'heavy hitters' [bong?] don't realize is that NIL will actually drive good talent OFF of the practice squads and into the 'also ran' conferences, and when the tsunami of cash comes in from the 12-team playoffs it will drive MORE of this talent away from the top heavy conferences like the SEC. As it turns out? SOME people who go to college are sorta smart that way! The problem with some of these academicians is that they're not conditioned to trust the free market or the sheer advantages of having 52 states 'crowd sourcing' solutions. The one thing that 'arms races' do is make for some pretty effective arms!
I am more of the mind - a free education - room and board - belonging to an athletic program and lessons learned = more than enough reward for an athlete. We see things very differently. Currently help paying for our last child's college education Many regular students juggle part/ full time jobs while also paying room/board - for my money they are the truly special people-entitled athletes not so much- you can turn on the TV every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and see all of them you want - they are a dime a dozen so to speak. Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina and N.C. State among schools fined after rash of football brawls Not so sure society wouldn't be a better place to live if we stopped glorifying athletes and focused more attention on Teachers, Policemen, Firefighters and Healthcare Professionals.
The only thing is that, other than the service academies, most top level collegiate athletes do not have the time to avail themselves of that free education - and if those same athletes can pull in NIL, then I say let free markets do what they do. Actually? There was a time when they were not 'truly special' but rather 'a little above average.' My own baby girl worked full time, while pregnant, and carried a full college load. We helped out - but not with the hard part. Her reward is teaching kids in a Christian academy for about 1/4 of my take home pay - and that IS A REWARD if you're wired right. Fortunately, my SIL 'makes polar bears cry' at about double my salary - so it all works itself out in the end. You can see all of them you want, but it's NOT all of them! NOT by a long shot. Maybe not even one-percent of them. In case you've missed it on TV, the top one percenters are ALWAYS going to be treated differently - whether they are athletically gifted or just members of the 'lucky sperm club.' THAT is unlikely to change anytime soon! Cool! Gimme a dollar's worth, please - because my finely honed Spidey senses inform me that they're worth little more than $0.08333333 That's a feature not a bug! We were MADE that way. I learn more from people with whom I disagree! If academia has a fault it is that they no longer embrace critical thinking. (Well....that, and -some say- not properly preparing its students for succeeding in the real world!!!) Most of the college athletics scholarships go to the people that you do NOT see on TV - and the truckloads of cash that are generated by those TV lights and cameras pay for them too. I have more than one family member that are teachers and health care workers compliments of a full ride scholarship - and the biggest benefit is not buying into the fiction that you will be rewarded for borrowing $300,000.00 for a 7-year Underwater Basket weaving degree!
"... papers that need reviewing" This seems very tangential, but may indicate lack of understanding. Here to help. Global scientific publications are about 3 million per year and annual growth rate is about 5%. A soccer pitch is half a hectare, and one could readily work out the number of them earth's land surface could accommodate. Anyway what would be the point of burning them? Is there a shortage of golf courses?
Sorry. My warped humor at work. I was referring to the first.....um......'field' test of napalm back in a bye-gone era when 'IV' meant FOUR instead of some ground creeping woody plant.
Be not sorry. If the comment led to only one reader being amazed at the scope of science publishing now, balance is positive. For me, 5% growth rate is more amazing.
