To what extent do you care about the "college" part of collge football?

#26
#26
Somewhere around 1-2% of D1 college players make it to the NFL. If we sell them on the idea that they are only in school to train for the NFL and not to get a degree, then we do them a disservice. We need to be willing to cheer their academic scores as much as we cheer their touch downs and tackles, otherwise we end up with UT alumni who are unemployable "what-could-have-beens." Do we really want our fellow students to have a couple of years of success and be failures the rest of their lives?
 
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#27
#27
If I didnt care about the college part I'd watch the NFL.

And going away from college football MOST college athletes are getting their degrees, they just don't play football or basketball.
 
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#28
#28
It's no surprise that a couple of posters say they "could care less" about academics. The saying is couldn't care less for God's sake! 55% graduation rates are embarrassing. More so, they usually accompany losing seasons.
 
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#30
#30
As an alumni, I will always care more about the school and ideas behind it as a whole than just one part of it.

When you say University of Tennessee to me, more comes to mind than just football on Saturdays.
 
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#31
#31
vol66 said:
Times Change. Football is a sport, like rugby. A violent sport. In the early 1900's folks tried to banish it, in truth, that's why the NCAA was created. It was not intended to be a police force for recruiting violations, the NCAA's sole purpose was to figure out a way to keep football players from dying on the field, most importantly keep the sport going.

Even in the 50's and 60's, as the sport grew, professional football players held down other jobs, it was like rugby in the US, a pro sport, yes, but like a club sport, most couldn't make a living at it.

Getting a scholarship to play college football, pay for an education...that had a value. That value was MORE valuable than the option of playing professional football.

Now, in my opinion, it's hypocritical...Football is a way out. 20 year old millionaires, Bryce Brown for example. Fresh legs right there. No education, no practice...and when McCoy can't go, boom there he is. I realize that is an extreme example, not the norm.

How can Mark Emmert sit in front of a camera and say student athletes are not employees of the Universities with a straight face knowing he pulls down nearly 2 million dollars a year? The only reason he has a job, is college football and basketball.

Hypocrisy...like the University of Tennessee accepting seven million dollars in gifts from the athletic department, before the season has started. Before the popcorn has been sold.

Hypocrisy like the NCAA selling the rights to a players likeness to EA Sports even though that player played for UCLA under Wooden.

Coaches salaries, all of them. assistants too...If I knew a few of my players couldn't afford a pizza and I made $100,000 dollars a year, it would be hypocritical NOT to help them out.

It's time to change an antiquated model and the baby doesn't have to be thrown out with the bath, but it's time to do the right thing. Let the players test the open market to see if they can supplement their grant and aid. Johhny Football, Candace Parker, Tim Tebow(@UF)...It's good for the Olympics, the X Games...and best of all neither the NCAA or the Universities have to pay. It's fair. Most players will reach the pinnacle in college and they could profit from it, and it hurts nothing and no one.
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Well spoken and I agree completely.

There are few, if any, more antiquated and byzantine bureaucracies in this country than the NCAA.

Change is coming and, the closer it gets, the harder the fellows in Indianapolis are going to lawyer up and push back because the cash cow is being taken from them.
 
#32
#32
SaintLouisVol said:
I am not going to pretend to be idealistic here, but I am curious about the mentality of the fanbase.

Recently I have seen thread about cheating and such while others seem to want to preserve the notion that "student athletes" still exists. I've seen it suggested that the university has an obligation to balance between psuedo-pro sports and educatution.

So, let's hear it. How far do you push it? Is this about football or is this about college?

Where does the balance lie?
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I'm all for the NFL having a minor league system like MLB. The kids who aspire to being an NFL gladiator could enter the draft. Student athletes could then fill the rosters of college teams, like it was designed. We've created a monster and it's only getting worse. Not many of the current group of players are there to get an education, nor do they have any loyalty to the University.
 
#33
#33
Both are important. Athletice provide young people with my great life lessons, the first of which is that you may want something and have to work for it but not all of you will succeed (NFL). Academics provide young people with opportunities once the athletics are over....each person who attends a university represents that university once they are no longer there and I would want it to be said that they were great "student athletes" and when they speak, it be recognized that education was as important because it is a direct reflection of that university. I understand the notion that a team is there to win but athletes are still a part of a bigger team than their sport and that team is alumni....
 
#34
#34
I'm not alumni I'm just 40 hour a week average Joe that dreamed of attending school at UT but that wasn't in the cards for me. That being said, do I care if a young man get his degree? Honestly no. Why? That young man has got to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get that education for himself. But in low income house holds these young men has been sold on the idea NFL or bust!!

To the university folks that careless about sports need to realize that when your football team is doing well your school does well. More money for the school, more students want to come there and be apart of the hoopla of gameday etc. More donations from alum. Football is the front porch and face of the school. Just watch the segment on 60 minutes from a few months back.

Now do I care more about wins than research on science? Hell yes because I have no vested interest on the acedemic side. Do I understand that UT is a place for higher education and degrees? Yes I understand that and I am proud of the folks that do.
 
#35
#35
I guess I would fall somewhere in the middle, in that it's much more than athletics vs academics to me. In fact, why should I care if a player graduates or not, or leaves early for the NFL... both are an indication of hard work so kudos to them.

On the other hand, it does bother me if the players are constantly in trouble (drugs, behavior, bad sportsmanship, never attending classes, etc.) as these have a negative impact on the University. I would much rather cheer for the team that demonstrates good sportsmanship (such as the example UT players displayed when Lattimore was injured) versus the likes of Marshall Henderson. And this applies to the coaching staff as well.
 
#36
#36
I was in school at the time that Dale Carter, Reggie Cobb, Alvin Harper, Carl Pickens and a few more guys were on campus. Those were fun times to be in Neyland. That should give you my answer.
 
#37
#37
Spartacavolus said:
I was in school at the time that Dale Carter, Reggie Cobb, Alvin Harper, Carl Pickens and a few more guys were on campus. Those were fun times to be in Neyland. That should give you my answer.
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Nobody fills Neyland to see a chemistry experiment. Just sayin.....

I know I know that was a little The Programish but true
 
#38
#38
Coach Grizz said:
Nobody fills Neyland to see a chemistry experiment. Just sayin.....

I know I know that was a little The Programish but true
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Just like this website is devoted to UT athletics. I'm sure there are forums about UT engineering, etc. but I doubt they get the traffic of this site.

I'm not against academics. There's no reason that UT can't be strong in academics and strong in athletics. The problem I have with the academic side, and Cheek in particular, is that they have been robbing the AD for a while now. Doug Dickey wouldn't have let that happen.
 
#39
#39
My question to the academic people is do they know how desperate people are across this state are to win again? General Patton said it best, "Americans love a winner and will not tollerate a loser. I wouldn't give a hootin hell for a man who lost and laughed about it".
 
#40
#40
Godfatha said:
Just like this website is devoted to UT athletics. I'm sure there are forums about UT engineering, etc. but I doubt they get the traffic of this site.

I'm not against academics. There's no reason that UT can't be strong in academics and strong in athletics. The problem I have with the academic side, and Cheek in particular, is that they have been robbing the AD for a while now. Doug Dickey wouldn't have let that happen.
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That's why you need Tennessee people running Tennessee that know how much more important it is for us to field a winning football team. I really wish they would watch that 60 minute segment on college football. And yes do think every college athlete should get a little pocket change for their services. Hell these kids probably put in a full days work at UT just as much as a professor to the janitor!!
 
#41
#41
Really, why would fans care about the "college" side? Do the players have cameras following them to class? No! I wish all of our players to graduate or make the NFL but all I truely care about is the football side!
 
#43
#43
whocaresgobobcats said:
How many people that put football over academics actually went to UTK?
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I didn't go to UTK but that has nothing to do with my opinion. The only time I care about players grades is if they're in danger of being ineligible. What they do in the classroom, doesn't effect me at all while what they're doing on the football field does cause I'm a fan of Tennessee football and want them to win. Education is important but I wouldn't know one of these kids names if they didn't play football.
 
#45
#45
whocaresgobobcats said:
How many people that put football over academics actually went to UTK?
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As I mentioned above, I enjoyed watching those guys play. If academics were an issue then, I wouldn't have been able to see them play. Hell, if Twitter and camera phones were around then, we wouldn't field a team.
 
#46
#46
#1DicksonVolFan said:
I'm a freshman and sports is the reason I came to UT instead of a place closer to home like APSU. I'll take a top 25 football team over a top 25 university any day.
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So naive. I don't know your situation and if you care about the direction your future goes (ie family biz or money) but when you graduate many in your class will care more about the academic rep of the school than the sports. I went to UT from TX and it was mainly for football too. I got my first job out of college based on UTs national ranking in the field, not football, and not even my specific degree. Just think of all of your fellow classmates that want to go to med school, law school, etc...you think they don't give a flip about UTs academic rep? The more students that succeed the more future donations to the university. At the end of the day the university is the company...football is just one of the products it offers to generate revenue.

This is the biggest struggle between the fan base. You have fans that only care about wins and then there are alums who care about both winning and academic rep. Someone on here even went as far as saying alums don't care about winning which is foolish. We just care about trying to balance the 2 properly. It's a part of the beast, so coming on here and acting like its going to change is just dumb. We alums get embarrassed in way non-alums do not when the school gets run through the mud.

I think it's funny how I will get bashed for my opinions on here by non-alums. Not saying that mine should be more important, but the fact that mine as an alum comes from an angle that non-alums just don't see or understand.

Many have looked into or tried to create a minor league for the nfl and it fails. It's not like baseball. Baseball minor leagues have been around for over a hundred yrs and the infrastructure is built and solid. What does that sound like on the football side?? Cost for creating a football minor league would be way to much and to compete with the current system makes it harder.
 
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#47
#47
I've always felt like, since the players play for free, if I don't care at least slightly about the academic side and what the players get from the school, I'm supporting something that is a little bit unseemly. Almost a plantation mentality.
 
#48
#48
#1DicksonVolFan said:
I'm a freshman and sports is the reason I came to UT instead of a place closer to home like APSU. I'll take a top 25 football team over a top 25 university any day.
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So you think a job interviewer will be impressed when you say your school's football team was top 25? Or will you list that under experience on your resume?
 
#49
#49
VolMaster14 said:
I didn't go to UTK but that has nothing to do with my opinion. The only time I care about players grades is if they're in danger of being ineligible. What they do in the classroom, doesn't effect me at all while what they're doing on the football field does cause I'm a fan of Tennessee football and want them to win. Education is important but I wouldn't know one of these kids names if they didn't play football.
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So you just see them as names that are replaced every four years. OK, I see.
 
#50
#50
#1DicksonVolFan said:
I'm a freshman and sports is the reason I came to UT instead of a place closer to home like APSU. I'll take a top 25 football team over a top 25 university any day.
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Might want to wait until you get a degree and a career before being that shortsighted.
 
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