Will College Football Be Gone in 20 years?

[sioux34]

I use my engineering degree every day. Dont blame others for the poor choice of programs some of you selected.

 

[taffaej]

I don't think it will be gone, but it might look and feel different. Unless you want to specialize and need that extra classroom training it is kind of pointless to go spend all that money and get nothing out of it. How many of us actually are doing they went to school for? How many went to a school and still can't get a job? With fewer students being able to afford school, fewer people being able to afford tickets, the at home experience is cheaper and getting better to view. I can see stadiums getting smaller and bands getting smaller, but never gone completely. The sport is just too popular.

 

[eyekwah]

will college (and pro) football be gone in 20 years, I hope not. With the ever increasing size and speed of the players though I can see their point. 400 lb linemen who have 8% bodyfat, 270 lb linebackers, etc will be the norm in 20 years. hopefully they start looking into a WAY better safety gear and way better head protection. Talking stuff beyond carbon fiber composites and foam padded helmets. This is what's needed. There's only so much you can do when a player lowers his head unless you wanna put a HANS device on him like they do in NASCAR to force him to keep his head up. Lowering the head is just a natural instinct when making contact that's tough to overcome and, very unfortunately, it leads to concussions (for you and the guy you're hitting), paralysis, etc. They need to start R&D'ing better equipment and they needed to do so 5 years ago.

You want to make college football safer? There is another way called limited substitution football. A player plays both offense and defense. The size of the players will dramatically change. The size of players would change because of the conditioning required and the need to play multiple positions.

 

[Benddontbreak]

That's because some idiots go into a university setting and treat it like a trade school. The end game isn't to make a buck, it is to become a better educated person. If someone goes to school only to learn how to do a certain task, they will be irrelevant in 10 years. You need to learn how to read and write at an extremely high level, and learn how to reason, and develop logical problem solving skills.

The LSATs and MCATs are high level thinking exams that require an applicant to prove the can read, write, and reason at an extremely high level. They are not specific to a field of study, but rather test to see how well you think.

That is what college is there to prepare you to do. That is what college prepared me to do.

Great post.

 

[tm3308]

That's because some idiots go into a university setting and treat it like a trade school. The end game isn't to make a buck, it is to become a better educated person. If someone goes to school only to learn how to do a certain task, they will be irrelevant in 10 years. You need to learn how to read and write at an extremely high level, and learn how to reason, and develop logical problem solving skills.

The LSATs and MCATs are high level thinking exams that require an applicant to prove the can read, write, and reason at an extremely high level. They are not specific to a field of study, but rather test to see how well you think.

That is what college is there to prepare you to do. That is what college prepared me to do.

Those interpretation of literature courses I was required to take had nothing to do with logic. Math classes do have value, though, even if I'll never use statistics again. I got something out of one of my required science courses. But a lot of the hoops kids have to jump through aren't all that helpful in the long run.

In terms of adaptability, kids today are already far more prepared than any generation in history. We grew up in the technology age, which is something older generations didn't do.

 

[tubahawk]

You want to make college football safer? There is another way called limited substitution football. A player plays both offense and defense. The size of the players will dramatically change. The size of players would change because of the conditioning required and the need to play multiple positions.

Meh.. I think you'd see the same number or increased number of injuries due to increased fatigue. Not too mention you'd be taking twice as many shots playing both sides of the ball.

 

[eyekwah]

Meh.. I think you'd see the same number or increased number of injuries due to increased fatigue. Not too mention you'd be taking twice as many shots playing both sides of the ball.

I'm not saying you can eliminate injuries, I'm saying the chances of someone being paralyzed or killed goes down. College football has twice been under limited sub rules. It would change the offensive philosophies away from fast break football.

 

[SonofaSailor]

I am graduating next May and wasn't considering grad school until I found out Georgia Tech is offering a Masters in Computer Science 100% online starting in fall of 2014...costing...less than $7,000 for the ENTIRE program....

Say what you want....but when/if things like this take off...it's a game changer...

Not to mention...if I get a Masters from Georgia Tech...I have a "2009 Orange Bowl Resume" but seriously, this would allow me/others to get a job...yet continue education.

 

[OLWPAORWWM]

Those interpretation of literature courses I was required to take had nothing to do with logic. Math classes do have value, though, even if I'll never use statistics again. I got something out of one of my required science courses. But a lot of the hoops kids have to jump through aren't all that helpful in the long run.

In terms of adaptability, kids today are already far more prepared than any generation in history. We grew up in the technology age, which is something older generations didn't do.

Interpreting literature is one of the most helpful skills you can learn for the rest of your life. If you're unable to leverage that into something useful, you either didn't pay attention, had a bad teacher, or are very, very young.

 

[Jonesy86]

I wish I had gone to community college for two years first, then I could have worked at the casino and saved and I'd be sitting prettier now financially... However I never would've figured out my majors and career plans.. Sometimes not knowing is okay because you can figure something out you wouldn't normally have.. I also went to a small liberal arts college and not major University with 300 student lecture halls, so maybe the huge university will disappear, but smaller colleges will thrive, my alma mater had record enrollment in 09

 

[tm3308]

Interpreting literature is one of the most helpful skills you can learn for the rest of your life. If you're unable to leverage that into something useful, you either didn't pay attention, had a bad teacher, or are very, very young.

I can interpret literature, and that was incredibly useful in some of my other courses. That wasn't my point.

My point is that I now have a skill that has no real value in the real world. I really don't think future employers are going to care if I can interpret Greek literature or Shakespeare, nor does anyone else out there. It brings almost no practical value. Literally the only thing it could be useful for would be explain the morals of my future kids' bedtime stories.

 

[Seth53]

Two thoughts:

1.) Not all college degrees are equal. The "hard science" majors probably won't go to the on-line business.....pharmacy, medicine, nursing, engineering, any health-care related research area. Same could be reasoned with pre-law and law school, as well as computer science.

The philosophy, literature, art-history, music, non-specific business, etc degrees need to go away as degrees. Yes, offer the subject matter in one form or another as electives, but quit offering them as majors....you'll never use them and never pay back your college loans using them.

I have been a benefactor of my pharmacy degree for 3+ decades. Worth every cent x100000 I paid and time spent. So, no, not all college degrees are the same worth while doing your time obtaining them.

2.) And that's the rub with the traditional "keep em eligible" degrees the football factories of the world offer.
If you're taking pre-pharm/med/nursing/dentistry/etc...you *do not* have time to study/do lab work if you're giving 50+ hours/week in the fall to football. Been there, done that. Doesn't work.

Instead, you take the powder-puff courses to stay eligible in order to play football for the University's and fans' benefits, but in the end, you have a degree which basically non-marketable.

While the "degree" is touted as the main benefit of a "free" education, most of them are useless. Sort of ironic isn't it?

 

[Seth53]

And as far as college FB being "gone"....no way. Too much money to be made if modeled correctly.

What may be gone is the university-tie-in to the product.

As stated in the article, perhaps an NFL-minor-league operated system may emerge (which is basically what you have now at the University's expense (and profit)).

Technology will advance and better/better impact absorbing materials, and, treatments of injuries will be prevalent, so I don't think concussions are going to play a part. The NCAA will pour millions of dollars into head injury studies and prevention-technologies in order to preserve the billions of dollars it makes.

I also think the NCAA is going to lose the current class action suit and there will be (finally!) a stipend paid to the FB players.

What about the others you say (non-profits getting paid?)....in order to preserve the integrity of the FB product, the NCAA/Congress will simply re-write the rules and only pay participants who make a profit for the university. Others can still get their degrees for free, but no stipends. Law-suits will prevail, but to no avail, once the economics are presented in a logical manner. Nobody gives to a school based upon a chemistry program or the women's rowing team. And in this day and age of keeping state taxes within reason, any non-tax-based supporting of universities will be not only welcomed, it'll be encouraged and legislated into law.

Or, if the NFL runs it, it'll be out of the NCAA's hands anyway.

"College" football (minor league) football will be here to stay for awhile.

 

[lightning1]

Where I question the long term viability of football is in regards to the lawsuits for concussions, etc. The NFL has bottomless pockets but Universities and public school systems don't. What happens when a Jayme Murphy type of player sues the U of I for his brain damage? (I believe he quit because of concussions). How many players would fit that criteria over the past 20 years? 10? 20? 50? How many such lawsuits would it take to bankrupt the athletic department? What about the Des Moines public school system? How many high school players were sent back in after getting their bell rung? Who never made it to college football, or the NFL? The NCAA programs could weather a certain amount of lawsuits. The Des Moines public school system can't. One or 2 lawsuits and the public school system couldn't get insured. Once the precedent is set (NFL lawsuit) how long before these lawsuits come out of the woodwork? If it reaches the high school level across the country, there goes the feeder system. There goes football.

 

[Hawknigh]

Two thoughts:
Not all college degrees are equal. The "hard science" majors probably won't go to the on-line business.....pharmacy, medicine, nursing, engineering, any health-care related research area. Same could be reasoned with pre-law and law school, as well as computer science.

Lots of these degrees are being offered in online formats, particularly for people who are already doing some sort of work in a related field. The combination of online learning and real life experience is resulting in graduates who are prepared for their industry exams, but actually better prepared for their fields.

 

[Seth53]

Lots of these degrees are being offered in online formats, particularly for people who are already doing some sort of work in a related field. The combination of online learning and real life experience is resulting in graduates who are prepared for their industry exams, but actually better prepared for their fields.

Grad-school or PharmD classes can be done on line....your correct...but...the majority of the 3 years of pre-pharm have to be done in a classroom, and, certainly most of the pharmacy-college classes.

 

[bws258]

All of this may be true, but the Iowa Hawkeyes football team will still exist, and it will still play in Kinnick Stadium, and they will still wear black and gold. It just may be that they are not college students, but rather semi-pro, like a European club-team. In the end, the Tavern Hawks won't care, and I doubt the rest of us will stop watching either.

Go back to what Delany said about going to Division 3. If the university spun off football (& basketball) as semi-pro or club-teams, then the rest of the sports could/would go division 3, right? And then they could fade away if the enrollment shrank, and none of us would really care. (except for those of you who like rasslin)

 

[You]

All of this may be true, but the Iowa Hawkeyes football team will still exist, and it will still play in Kinnick Stadium, and they will still wear black and gold. It just may be that they are not college students, but rather semi-pro, like a European club-team. In the end, the Tavern Hawks won't care, and I doubt the rest of us will stop watching either.

Go back to what Delany said about going to Division 3. If the university spun off football (& basketball) as semi-pro or club-teams, then the rest of the sports could/would go division 3, right? And then they could fade away if the enrollment shrank, and none of us would really care. (except for those of you who like rasslin)

Hmmm... what would happen to Title IX?