Half Century Hangout
We are Half Century Hangout where different perspectives make for better discussions.! John, Luke and Chuck are three guys who grew up differently but became good friends with a lot to talk about. On this show three unique perspectives are brought to the table where we dive into everything from current events to life's big questions. We might not always see eye to eye... But that's exactly why we're here. So grab a seat and join us for honest conversation, unexpected insights, and a few friendly arguments.
Half Century Hangout
Show Me The Money: College Sports' Wild West Era
The unexpected financial revolution sweeping through college athletics has created a fascinating new landscape where teenage athletes can become millionaires before ever signing an NFL contract. In this thought-provoking episode of Half Century Hangout, Luke and Chuck welcome guest Danny to dissect how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals are fundamentally reshaping collegiate sports.
From jaw-dropping numbers like Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood's reported $10.5 million NIL package to the staggering growth of the overall market from $917 million to $1.91 billion in just a few years, the guys explore what these seismic changes mean for the future of college athletics. But beyond the headlines, they reveal the surprising reality that most student-athletes earn modest sums – with the average Division I player making just $23,000 annually from NIL deals.
The conversation ventures into deeper territory, questioning whether these financial opportunities are undermining the educational purpose of college athletics or simply providing fair compensation for athletes whose talents have been monetized for decades. The discussion examines how NIL combined with the transfer portal has created a "free agency" environment that threatens team continuity and potentially weakens the bonds between players, coaches, and schools. Most concerning may be the trickle-down effect to high school sports, where athletes as young as 17 can now earn six-figure deals before stepping foot on a college campus.
Whether you're a sports enthusiast or simply interested in how money is reshaping one of America's most beloved institutions, this episode offers valuable perspective on maintaining the balance between fair compensation and preserving what makes college athletics special. Join us for an engaging conversation about the complex intersection of education, athletics, and commerce in today's rapidly evolving sports landscape.
Have thoughts about NIL and its impact on college sports? We'd love to hear your take! Share your perspective with us and join the conversation about the future of collegiate athletics.
Welcome back to the half century hangout. What's up? What's up, man, we're over here at Luke's garage again. It's our favorite place to hang out in the Luke.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it. And you know what? We got somebody else hanging out with us today.
Speaker 1:We do. We got Danny with us and hello.
Speaker 2:Danny's another buddy of ours. John was a little under the weather today. So, john, we hope you feel better and everything will be good. Danny was able to step in. We're happy to have him. We've had a lot of conversations with Danny over the years too, so I think that, even though he's not half century, I think he fits in pretty well.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing he looks like he's half century. Yeah, he kind of does.
Speaker 2:He kind of does Was the NFL draft last week and kind of watched some of that and some interesting things going on there, with the largest human being signed to an NFL team this draft Not drafted, the guy from Florida, 464 pounds. So he got signed undrafted free agent. He signed Largest one ever 464 pounds. How tall? Six, seven I think, or so fast. Actually he ran like a five, four or something. Five, three, five, four yeah, that's all his pro day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it was uh pretty impressive. Like for a big man he can move. But you know there's also a lot of those guys that are making less, probably their first year in the NFL than they were in college.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, for sure, with the freshman pay or the rookie pay that they get, compared to some of the NIL deals.
Speaker 2:That's one of our topics today. A big topic is the NIL market and kind of what that means, and for those of you that follow sports and do it, I mean, you'll know what we're talking about. But those of you that don't usually follow sports might be something new. But we're going to tie it into some other stuff that that goes along the way.
Speaker 1:This was honestly the first year I think that I paid this close attention to the draft yeah, yeah and just a little bit of interesting knowledge. I'm sitting there watching the first round and I think we're maybe 20, 25 deep, right, and I get this text.
Speaker 2:Beers.
Speaker 3:No oh picks.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, picks.
Speaker 1:Okay, I get this text, Danny, from yours truly over there and he says I might have been 25 deep. How many Michigan versus how many Ohio? State number one draft picks have been going on so far. And what did I text back, Luke?
Speaker 2:You said that you were blue collar or late bloomers or something.
Speaker 1:No, I said we're waiting to count at the end.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. But then you said blue collar, we win blue collar wise. And I said yeah, you had a blue collar loss in there too.
Speaker 3:And I emphasized blue.
Speaker 2:You, you know, just to make sure, there was a decent amount of iowa, and iowa state people that there was iowa. There was a lot. I mean, once you got through it I mean there was actually quite a few, and michigan had a lot of undrafted free agents that were. That were there too.
Speaker 1:But 14 ohio state buckeyes drafted in the round in the nfl draft.
Speaker 3:Yeah most of Most of them, the last picks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they were down there a little, but it's all right, you'll take them however it goes, it's all right, I think Kansas City got one Pittsburgh man, they picked up on Ohio State, they got our quarterback and they got, oh shoot, I think, our running back Travion.
Speaker 3:That's why Pittsburgh who they are, because they waited for later on, my guys, you know.
Speaker 2:And the other thing, then you got from back in the day in the draft. You know you had prime time Sanders. Right then you got his son bout time. I had to throw that one in there sorry, couldn't help.
Speaker 2:It, couldn't help it yeah, I gotta throw it over the bow, that's fine. But you know, it's funny how you talked about not watching the draft as much you know previously and going into it now. But you know the NIL thing. You know, when it first kind of started kicking up like 21, 22, somewhere in there, it was like a $917 million that it represented across the whole thing, across the college, across the whole thing. But we'll, we'll step into that football, college sports, okay, okay. And now it's over 1.91 billion and it'll it'll be. You know, after this next season it'll it'll definitely skyrocket over there took.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah her own and you know, it's one of those things where for years, for years and years and years, it was one of those things where, growing up, I was such a college sports fan and I think what I clung to clung Clinged.
Speaker 1:Clang.
Speaker 2:I think clung Clung is right Clung to was that I thought that the game was pure because the players played for their school, they wanted this, they wanted that, but the pros were getting paid. So I kind of always just it was never on my big wheelhouse thing, like I always kind of thought of it that way. And so then when it started to be the idea that there were was money going to change hands with this, I have to say I was a little taken back by it. I was a little bit like oh, you know, I don't know. I mean, you're getting an education at a great university somewhere You're probably getting a quarter million dollar education.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean just that.
Speaker 2:But I think when it came down, one time when the Fab Five was at Michigan and Chris Weber had a great interview and he was walking down the street with Mitch Albom, who was a great writer from back then who still is, and he was noticing because the Fab Five, you know, we're all over the place right, they were. They had his Jersey in the window. Chris Weber didn't have any money to buy a pizza and he's like look at, people are getting money off of my name and my Jersey, but I don't get any of it. So there's a lot of different sides to it. I in my jersey, but I don't get any of it. So there's a lot of different sides to it.
Speaker 2:I've generally been kind of against it, but I think one of the things that opened up my mind to it just especially in this draft because we've seen and heard this draft how many guys like some big names who will be getting paid less than what they were making in NIL money or even were offered in NIL money to stay this year is that and my son was telling me about this was that maybe this will be the impetus for guys to stay in college a little longer and finish their degree, which I had never really thought of it, kind of like, you know, it's my kid, what do I listen to, right?
Speaker 3:I mean, he doesn't know anything but he kind of did Like it was right.
Speaker 2:So, Nathan, shout out to you. You know so it was. It was an interesting one and I think this was the first time that I really saw that it's like some of these guys are leaving some money on the table.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what was your initial reaction to NIL money? So?
Speaker 3:I guess I agree with a little bit what Luke said in the beginning is that you're going to college for four years and I know you're not getting paid, but you are getting four years at great colleges like, let's say, michigan or iowa state, where you're getting a four-year college degree and if something does happen to you in the nfl you can fall back with a little bit of of education.
Speaker 3:But now you got like caitlin caitlin clark, just for example, who she's done with college and she's going into her second year and going into her first year she's making more money than some of the basketball players that have been there for 10 years. Yeah, so I'm sure that's got to build a little bit of animosity, but I do think it takes away a little bit from the sanctity of college football when you're making, you know, three, four, five million dollars before you even get to the nfl. Where's the actual just playing for the game in college? Now you're worried just as much about am I getting paid my money as you are, am I actually doing well on the field or just loving the game of football?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was forced to think about this when Maurice Corrette was kind of he got in trouble for the whole trade and paraphernalia Ohio State Buckeye paraphernalia for tattoos. I'm like it's a freaking tattoo.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know seven, eight, nine, maybe, if it's a good tattoo artist twelve, fourteen hundred bucks. And these guys got extremely penalized for that, you know 10, 15 years ago. Penalized for that, you know 10, 15 years ago. And so I got to thinking that, man, there's got to be a better way. Because you have these coaches who are making millions and millions of dollars you know, the school was making millions of dollars the heads of these different leagues, you know, big 10 sec, whatever, they're making millions of dollars off the backs of these athletes who, if they get hurt, it's over. Yeah, like they're selling used cars or something. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:I think one of the things one of the things that brings it back a little bit to home is that stat from October of 2024. So just last fall. So the one thing that that when we talk about NIL for those of you who don't know, that's name, image and likeness, all right, so that's kind of how it started was the idea that if you have your name, your image, your likeness, if you're on a video game, if they're selling jerseys, if they're doing your name, whatever it is, because remember, like before, you couldn't buy a collegiate football jersey with a name on the back, right, you could get the number, but you couldn't get the name on the back. You would have to put that on yourself, right, I forgot all about that, you know. But now they do, yeah, now they do it, but the in in last year, the number one.
Speaker 2:So division one, nil deals. The average was two thousand six hundred eighteen dollars. Okay, so it puts it into perspective. Like we're hearing the big ones, right, you're hearing of the bryce underwood who's getting 10.5 million dollars at michigan to come there. You're hearing the big ones, right, you're hearing of the Bryce Underwood who's getting $10.5 million at Michigan to come there. You're hearing big ones. But mainly what it is is that for that $2,618, the average total earnings of a D1 player last year was $23,000. So still, even with those high ends, most of them aren't making these millions of dollars.
Speaker 2:Okay, they're making something. Them aren't making, you know, these millions of dollars. Okay, they're making something that's going to. You know they can buy pizza. You know they can put gas in their car, they can do these things that are there. But I think, at some point, I feel like the NCAA is going to have to do something with it, Because part of it, part of it at some point. Here is also the portal, which is something that we want to talk about as well. The NIL stuff, the money. You knew at some point it was going to happen. So really, the only rule is that that money can't come from the school, so it's donors, you know.
Speaker 1:Donors, boosters, whatever.
Speaker 2:I mean the guy from Michigan. Everybody says it was ten and a half million dollars. The guy that gave the money was the CEO of Oracle, which is like a communication. I mean, that's the company. He's the one that put the money up. Okay, but his money was basically put into the thing to go. But it's like he got two free cars. His parents got a car, you know, he got the thing they talked about what's the guy's name? From Crate To get him to stay.
Speaker 2:That was a condo right next to Doug McDermott's, like you know, there's different ways to make the deals look the way that they are. Yeah, but putting it in perspective, this is over all of D1. It's not just football, it's everything the interesting thing, and it's there.
Speaker 1:The interesting stat I would like to hear is the Power 5. Like, what's the average among the Power 5? Well, it's definitely higher but when you say all d1, I mean you're bringing in ohio university. You know who they. There may be some nil money there, but there well think about.
Speaker 2:Think about it here where we live, right? So if you look at university of nebraska, all right, part of where money goes, it's always location. It's like realty, real estate, right? Location, location, location. So you got the guy last year, I remember whatever that cat's name was on the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. His name was somehow synonymous with heating and air conditioning and that's who. He was a spokesperson for, which is great. So he's there in his jersey and he's making a commercial, but his name fit into HVAC, which was cool, which I think is that's kind of how they always thought that it was going to be. Was that I can be a spokesperson, I can have a sponsor, I can do whatever. But I think that it's blown up from there to the point that who is the cat that just left school, went to UCLA and didn't get as much money as tennessee.
Speaker 3:What's his name?
Speaker 2:I don't remember oh, but it's, it's.
Speaker 3:It's crazy though there has to be a cap, right like. So you can't leave college and have 10 I know that might be a crazy, you're right, that'd be the top one percent. But you can't even leave college and have nine hundred thousand dollars that you made in four years, right. And then you're like're like, all, right, now I'm going to the NFL. I'm already have a whole bunch of money already. It kind of ruins like the sanctity of you went there for four years and it was when, when you were a little kid and you were like I want to go to the national football league. That was the top tier. Now, if you're making that much money for the good, good players, you get done with college and you're like well, I made $2 million in four years, yeah, the.
Speaker 2:NIL also goes into high school, okay, hmm.
Speaker 1:There are states. How does that work?
Speaker 2:Well, it's still, you can. You can make money. Different states have some different laws as to how that works and how it looks, but there are high school players that are making some money. I mean, now, they're big-name players, I'm sure. But again, think of where our high school football powerhouses are Texas, florida, california, even.
Speaker 2:These places where IMG Academy, these places where these players go, they're getting money where we used to say, oh the booster know friday night lights you see all these things right on on movies and tv and stuff well, if that's the case, then look at.
Speaker 3:So then just think about this and this is what I'm talking about like too much money, uh, for some kids. People can't handle that. So what if you're given the number one prospect in, uh, the united states of america going into college and he made $300,000 in high school? That's crazy. And then what kind of person are you in college when you think, heck, I already made it. I made $300,000. And not a lot of people have $300,000 in their bank account as normal American.
Speaker 3:And some 17-year-old kids are like I'm going to college with $300,000 in my bank account, as as normal american right, and and some 17 year old kids like I'm going to college with 300 grand in my bank account.
Speaker 2:So what happens if?
Speaker 3:a sophomore at michigan is like, all right, I'm making this little bit and now money, but I think I can make a little more here. So then that goes in the transfer portal to where I'm going to transfer to a different school where I think I can make a little more money because I might be a better running back at that school than I currently am here, and it instead of I'm gonna wait. I'm gonna wait one more year and see if I can get better and be the man at Michigan. Yeah, you know what? Nope, I'm gonna transfer over because they need it. I'm gonna transfer over to the Buckeyes and make sure that I can run there and and make a little more money and be a running back there.
Speaker 3:It kind of ruins, like the, the truth about, uh, college football because you don't know if someone gets drafted or if someone goes to michigan now they're not going to be there in four years, the way things are going, no one's staying in the same school. It kind of ruins college football in that aspect where you don't know. It's just like the nfl. At that point, who's going to be aware next?
Speaker 1:year. But see the way they control in the nfl is through contracts yeah, but that's not, that's not happening, I know, but I think that's where we got to go. If in college, with nil, money is some type of a contract that incentivizes a, an athlete, to stay at a place for two years or four years or whatever, based on well and you kind of hope, like I was saying, that that would be the impetus for somebody to stay?
Speaker 2:yeah, which would that would affect your transfer portal issue but this is kind of like what you said, chuck, and it's like I think you said this, shared this with me. It's like the grass is only greener where you water, right? Yeah, exactly. So they keep thinking, oh, it's going to be better if I go over here because I'm going to get more money, but it doesn't happen that way.
Speaker 2:I think the other thing that I fall back on with it, with that portal part, which this is where I get kind of pissed off, because I think that the portal, I think that it's working its way down to the point where the commitment to the program and playing the course of holding the course and going, like Danny said, I'm going to stay another year because I want to be the guy. I want to be the guy at running back, I want to be the left tackle, I want to be the linebacker and that guy that's in front of me I'm better than he is. I know I can beat him out. I know I can do it. They get into strong competition.
Speaker 1:Coaches encourage that competition by not saying you're going to be my starting quarterback for the next four years but I think one of the reasons we're in this spot is because so many people have screwed so many people over over the years. Like you get a coach who you know abuses or maybe overuses a particular athlete and is looking at the w's of his, of his program instead of looking out for the health of that particular player and yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, I agree and so you know, you have these things that have gone on over the years and you, you know it causes that mindset. Well, I'm going to get mine when I can.
Speaker 3:I think that's more of a high school problem than a college problem.
Speaker 1:I think it's a you look at. In my opinion, you look at RG3. Yeah, rg3 out of Baylor. The way he was treated I think at Washington overused, ended up getting injured you know, what I'm saying. And they didn't care anything about his health. Honestly, it didn't seem like it, and now he's out of the league and can't play anymore.
Speaker 2:But what's he doing? He was an announcer. He's an announcer. He's not hurting, he's not like you know, he ain't selling these cars.
Speaker 1:You look at the money he makes some great suits too. You look at the money he could have made over a career. It definitely impacted his livelihood.
Speaker 2:But I think that it does still take away. I mean, I hear what you're saying and I think that there definitely have been coaches and people over time that have taken the athlete and their best interest and put it on the back burner as opposed to just I'm going to, I want to win, or I want to do this or whatever it is. We've all seen instances of that over the years, but I still think that, Danny, you've used this word twice tonight and I love it just because you said it was the sanctity of the game. Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:I'm a vocalist. All right, you're a linguist.
Speaker 2:You're a linguist, danny, uh, and I've never said that before, so that's okay. So I I'm not discounting the players, but I, I, I fear for the idea that we play into their dreams, their whatever they've thought about, dreamed about like like playing here or doing this, whatever. Hey, come here, kid, and do this, you know whatever it is. And they're already committed to somebody else and they say you know what?
Speaker 1:I'm leaving, I'm gonna go there that's where I think contracts have to come into play, because I think there's going to be a payoff and an interest for both parties. Let's think about it.
Speaker 2:but think, chuck, what is the real thing? Like, I think we've all said it on some level, but the idea is that you're going to college for a degree for free. You're getting a four-year college degree from a D1 school.
Speaker 1:That's not necessarily. I don't think that's what these athletes necessarily are going to college for. Yeah, but that's, but isn't that the?
Speaker 3:It's a stepping. It's a stepping stone that you have to do. You're not, you're not going from high school to the NFL, obviously. So it's a stepping stone. So you have to. I don't mean fall in line, but kind of fall in line and do what you're supposed to do and not make a bunch of money because you know that's on the back end. So not to cut you off, but so also, what does that do for coaching? So think about just going back to what luke said and then not just for a minute here at high school, if some high school let's say, the best person, best quarterback in high school, started making his junior year 50 grand and his senior year $100,000. And the coach was like you've got to do this, coach. I'm making $100,000 a year. What are you talking about?
Speaker 2:You make $10,000 a year Because we've seen it at the college level already.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you see it at the pro level and I was going from that, like the high school level. You have kids like what are you talking about Going to the college level? I'm sure it's hard at the college level for coaches to be like, listen, hey, luke, you missed that. You missed that block bud. If you miss that block again, we might, we might have to look at someone else. Well, that's fine, I'll go somewhere else where they're not going to do that to me. So that's what scares me about this money to where some kids are going to get a little too much. I money to where some kids are going to get a little too much. I'll do whatever I want and if you don't like what I'm doing and I don't like what you're doing, I'll just go somewhere else.
Speaker 1:I think there's checks and I think we saw it in the draft. I think there's checks in the system for that type of arrogance Like maybe you should do what you're saying.
Speaker 2:We definitely saw that, but think about that for a second. Let's focus on it just for a second because we don't want to take too much time on it. But the idea is, and if you talk to anybody, especially Mel Kiper Jr, who's probably going to get axed from ESPN for all his rants, but the idea is, you look at him as a quarterback. We're going too far into sports here, folks. I know Great quarterback, great athlete, does his thing. But when you look at quarterbacks, holds the ball too long, throws balls that he shouldn't, leaves a lot on the table. He doesn't take the passes the easy ones that he should, doesn't take his checks, does his thing. They see that. But they ranked him high.
Speaker 2:I think personally just my personal opinion this is not factual of any sort, even though usually what I say is golden. But the idea is that I think they ranked him too high to start with and they're they're retiring his number for a 500 record and something. It's. It's crazy to me, but kids see that and, like you said, they're not going to college for the degree. Right, like you said, they're going to get themselves out of a situation. It's like a minor league baseball. But the idea is is that I think that's where we have failed, as either parents or educators or as coaches, to say look at what's going on here, because you are one hit away from your career being done, but if you go to this school and your sophomore year you blow your knee out, you're still going to get your education because they're going to honor it. You've got a four-year scholarship.
Speaker 1:You're going to get it and you're still going to be a winner, but the way it's set up is with the NIL money, they'll also get their money.
Speaker 2:Well, I understand that, and that's what I'm saying is that I think that the emphasis still needs to be on the importance of what they are receiving besides the NL. I mean, that's the thing. Now I've got guys, players, athletes, student athletes. Student athletes Agreed we have to keep saying it and we stopped saying it a while ago. I still struggle sometimes at school, like I have to say that and that you have to. You are a student first. You're an athlete second.
Speaker 2:okay, right now, I'm not saying that the athlete part isn't putting food on the table. I'm not saying that. But the idea is is that with the athlete part your window could break any day. And you know what, if you don't even have a piece of wood to put over the window, you're screwed yeah.
Speaker 1:So here, in theory, let's talk in theory. Right, in theory. If a kid student athlete goes to one of these power five gets a mega nil deal. They've got the money. They get their knee blown out. Sophomore year, their career's finished, they still got the money. They get their knee blown out. Sophomore year, their career's finished, they still got the money. Career as a football player, career as a football player. But they would still have the money to come back and get that education. They don't need a scholarship at that point because they got the money to pay for the education.
Speaker 2:But I guess what the thing is with me, Chuck, is that, and I hear what you're saying, but the idea would be is that if it wasn't placed as important for them before the fact, what, all of a sudden, is going to make it important after it.
Speaker 1:But we've created this mechanism by putting all of this money into it and not allowing any of these players to get access to that money. We tell them they're college kids?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know how many other college kids. They're college kids. Yeah, I know how many other college kids. So what about the college kid? That's not to degrade what you're saying, but what about the college kid that's a super smart kid at Harvard and he graduates from college and then becomes some dude at NASA, or some dude that does something great and invents a great thing. Some dude that works, does something great and invents a great thing? How? We're not talking about giving him millions of dollars? Uh, because he's working and going to work at nasa. How many times have? Hey, you're going to be a nasa worker, so here's all this money so you can be smart and try and what. What makes an athlete so important that he gets because of the?
Speaker 1:money that the schools and the industry of athletics is making off of his name and his ability to play.
Speaker 2:I think that's what makes him unique. I mean, I hear you, but it's a slippery slope because I would back that up to say that the idea is that if you have I mean Danny, put it nicely if you've got a brainiac, a kid who's just off the charts, and let's say he's in whatever it is, cares cancer.
Speaker 3:How come he doesn't get it the idea?
Speaker 2:is that they are still in these schools, a lot of them. They're still making money off the research and things that are based on what maybe this kid in their department in biology or whatever it's in are making off of the backs of the kids that are doing the research and doing their thesis and all this stuff and figuring stuff out. It's different money, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying but still, it's the idea that I think, and the one thing that you said, chuck, that I do agree on, is that we've put this into place. I don't mean like me and you.
Speaker 3:I mean that just in general, but you guys don't have the money to put it. I definitely haven't. I need a gallon of urethane if anybody has one for me.
Speaker 2:But the idea is that I think that we've made it less important, we've downplayed the importance of what that education does for you and what it can do for you. All right, and I know that everybody's not a four-year college guy Like I get it yeah, some guys you know, or trade school guys, there's all sorts of you know avenues for people to go, but I don't want to ever cause this is what we're in. We're in education. The idea is is that, listen, we're here to make sure that you have a future that's solid for you and your family, for you, for everybody. Okay, the athletics part might bump your bank account up and you can do something with it and that's great, but you know what that money's going to run out?
Speaker 1:Here's a thought. Here's a thought. So you have this high school outstanding athlete number one, rated uh, in the in the country, right? So you have this kid who doesn't know much about finances, doesn't know how the bills are paid, because he's just not lived in that world, but we're telling him to go to a school and to be happy with a I don't know 400, $400,000. Let's say it's $400,000 education, depending upon where you go. $250,000, $400,000, half a million, whatever. Be happy with that. All the meanwhile there's the school and all of these other people that are making multi-millions of dollars by putting him on the screen every Saturday and him playing lights out, is that?
Speaker 2:fair and again, I'm not disagreeing with you. I just think that we've said it a couple times there needs to be some sort of a cap. There needs to be some sort of a thing that says, hey, we completely understand that you are helping us with our financial goals to provide programs for our whole school. Okay, so we're going to give you this, we're going to give you X amount or whatever it is. Or we have a donor that's going to give you X amount, whether that's a hundred thousand dollars, whether it's two or whatever it is. I don't know what the number is. I'm not here to argue the number. It's just the idea to say and I don't disagree with you at all, I really don't it's just the idea that it needs to be something where it's not the wild, wild west.
Speaker 3:Yeah, a ridiculous amount of money.
Speaker 2:Because that takes away what you know. Just five years ago, before this really got into it, everybody was talking about because of scholarships and everything else there was parity. Coming back to college football, that's going to go away again. Yeah, Look at the Power Five already. Look at, the Power Five is already miles ahead. Look at the SEC Everybody is just miles ahead of these other D1 schools. Yeah, they're miles ahead.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the idea is that we can't, and I think it's a bad lesson for kids, because it's like whoever's got the more money wins. That's really what it comes down to, which is not a great lesson to teach kids. I don't think, because if you're ever in the spot where you don't have the most money, well, what am I going to do now? I don't know what else to do. I don't know what else to do. I don't have anything else. I don't know anything else. I don't know another way, you know. I mean, like you, look at some of the it happens in entertainment. Look at the kids who were child actor stars. Right, it's the same thing. They grew up in that lifestyle where they were like the g and they knew once they got old and they don't look the part anymore into the curb yeah, I mean, what do you do?
Speaker 2:And you hate that. College athletes might go that way and I love the idea, even though half of them I turn the volume off when I do it. But the guys and women that do these sports that then become announcers some of them I love because you can tell they have the passion for the sport and they know what they're talking about. Other ones because you can tell they have the passion for the sport and they know what they're talking about. Other ones you can tell when they talk there's a kid with a journalism degree that could do better than they are Sure you know what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 2:And you all know who those people are. And I turn the volume down and turn the radio on when those guys are right. I just, I just can't handle it. But I think my concern is most of it. Are you talking about?
Speaker 3:Tony Romo Maybe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a horrible guy.
Speaker 3:No, I'm kidding, I think that.
Speaker 1:We can edit that out.
Speaker 2:No, we're leaving that one. I think that it's more of the thing for me as it trickles down, because everything trickles down just like it did when we were kids. People saw things that Jordan did. Whoever like the shorts, everything happens right. All these things that trickle down and kids see it and it's like you know what? Right now you're in high school football, you're in friday night lights. This is your opportunity to just shine, have fun with your friends and get out there and do it and work your butts off. Whether you're playing volleyball, whether you're running cross country, whatever it is, you're playing tennis. All these kids that we see at our school doing this stuff. It's like guess what? This is your shot right here.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And we still want them to think that Right, we still want them to have the dream that says hey, you know what I could be, that I could do that. Great, then work your butt off to get there. Don't wait for the handout.
Speaker 3:Don't wait for the handout. It goes right back to what I said at the beginning of this the guard at Michigan who's an 11th grader. He's like next year I'm starting, yeah, but if we, no, I'm not going to try and beat Chuck out for the guard position. I'm going to go to a different school where I know I'm going to play what happened to beating Chuck out or beating Luke. I'm going to beat Luke out this year and I'm going to be the starting guy. But see what you said there is that.
Speaker 2:Why do they think in the first place that they're going to go over here to this school and be the starter? It's because somebody told them yes, some coaches, a bunch of you know what.
Speaker 3:And then they get there and they're like well hey, that out yeah, I was. You ain't. You ain't starting, but you'll be good.
Speaker 2:Second string yeah, that's just how it works. I mean, we've all seen kids that have gone to another school and have watched from the sideline one. They could have been in our school playing every friday night doing their thing, having a great time, making lifetime memories with their buddies, right like you know, all of us have those memories, right of you know. Chuck showed me pictures. We've all seen that stuff. That's what it's about, yeah, is that you know what? I was with my buddies and we. We did this and we did this and you know what? Maybe you weren't national champions or you weren't, whatever it was. The idea is is that you worked your butt off. You accomplished something, yeah, and you made yourself a better person because of it yeah, I mean, that's really what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the beauty of high school football particularly um for most people out there, for most football players out there are is is the memories right yeah the fun, yeah like luke was talking.
Speaker 1:You know, I remember playing football with you know, marco coleman and william cool, will mckinney and lorenzo redman and keenan early and all those guys, man, we had an incredible time playing high school football. You know, and I think some of these other things, for maybe some of the elite athletes can kind of cloud, yep that issue like the the real life fun of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah but I just wonder if we have to like, if we're reacting to something when you talk about in a in our own high school, if we're reacting to something that maybe I don't know if we'll see in our context or not.
Speaker 2:As is normally the case. You know, we come up with a quote, I come up with something, and I think I struggled with it a little bit because there's so many that are there. But desire is the key to motivation. But it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal. It's a commitment to excellence that will enable you to attain the success you seek. So, whether that player is just bent on the money or making their family in a better position, whatever that is, it's still about the hard work, it's still about the commitment and that pursuit of excellence that does it. It's not just hey, that guy of excellence that does it. It's not just hey, that guy over there said I can do better or I can make more, or I can you know?
Speaker 3:whatever it is.
Speaker 2:Okay. The idea is is to accept what's in front of you, take it as an opportunity, work your butt off and show everybody around that you're good enough to do it and to show yourself. You know, we see a lot of people that don't have that self-esteem right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Maybe they have a lower self-esteem or they don't think well about themselves, but you know that's a huge builder for themselves. Yeah, I mean, the fact that I played some college football to me is a great thing in my life. It's like hey there's a lot of people that don't do that that got the opportunity and I, luckily, was blessed to get the opportunity Came from hard work. I mean, one of my college coaches said you're not at all one of the best athletes I've ever seen, but you work hard.
Speaker 3:You're a hard worker, you know it's just. That's the thing.
Speaker 2:And I think that that quote, even from him, stuck with me because it's like you don't have to be the best Hard work.
Speaker 1:mediocrity outlast and will outdo lazy talent any day of the week.
Speaker 3:Look at this guy. Hey, don't you talk to me like that coach.
Speaker 2:Hey, you know what Danny thanks for being here today. You're the best. I mean. We'll put you on the list to come back. Chuck appreciate it. You know, john, we missed you, but you know what Hope you're feeling better, we'll have you back. We'll be ready to go. Great time today. Fun, fun. It was a little different topic but it was good. We like it.
Speaker 3:We talk about anything. Thanks, man. Yeah, you guys are okay.
Speaker 2:He's a good guy. He's not half century, but he's close. Yeah, he's close.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Half century. I would assume you took advanced math, didn't you getting?
Speaker 2:out of here. We'll see you guys later next time we get together to hang out, peace out.
