Talking points: yellus disapprovus edition

by Joel Hollingsworth on May 8, 2009 8:03 AM EDT in Rocky Top Talking Points

Tennessee football

Did you know that Jacques McClendon is graduating? He'll have received his degree in finance in three years. Good for him. The other guys graduating can be found at that same link.
Yes, Skylar McBee is walking on, but there's a chance he's just putting a down payment on a scholarship. And this from Ghost: McBee for threeeeeee!

SEC

Track 'Em Tigers ranks the SEC coaches in terms of the probability they'll still be at the same school in five years. Lane Kiffin gets a three, and -- wooo! -- Urban Meyer gets a one because he's "named after a Pope and still covets the job." The Notre Dame job, I'm guessing, but the head of The Catholic Church is a viable reading as well.

NCAA

Former Nebraska QB Sam Keller is the lead plaintiff in a class action against EA Sports, alleging that the video-game maker wrongfully uses the likenesses of NCAA football players. Fine sentiment that they should have some piece of that large and tasty pie, but I fear all it will accomplish is to force EA Sports to not use the likenesses of players, which wouldn't be nearly as fun.
OBNUG goes fan-watching and notes his findings:

The boo-bird (Yellus Disapprovus)

Anthroplogists maintain that booing is one of the earliest forms of speech. Long ago, when the cavemen roamed the earth (presumably somewhere near Kuna), it was commonplace to hear a chorus of "boo"s around the fire (usually when it became clear that Gak had made meatloaf for dinner yet again). Over the centuries, man developed vastly more complex language patterns to vocalize a wide range of emotions—the boo-birds, sadly, did not. The boo-bird's sole method of communication is a gutteral "boo" (often amplified by placing the palms on either side of the mouth)...their only emotion—disdain.

There's more, so go read the whole thing. It's worth your time.
Building the Dam begins a series of the Top 10 Pac-10 games of the last five years.
Card Chronicle is . . . concerned . . . about the rumors of losing Rick Pitino to the NBA's Sacramento Kings.

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I'm going to be very interested to see

if Kenucky fans spin the Pitino-to-Sacramento news as him trying to dodge competition. To Sacramento.

by David Hooper on May 8, 2009 9:51 AM EDT reply actions

"Keller is not interested in getting compensated for himself"

Riiiiiiiiight.

The quickest way to get thousands of college football fans – including plenty at Nebraska and Arizona State – to dislike you is to take on that game. Because just as quickly as I can tell you that there are 120 days until it’s football time in Tennessee, there are also only 67 days until that game comes out.

Will - Rocky Top Talk

by Will Shelton on May 8, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

Wow.

From a guy who has laid off of video platforms for over a decade, point well taken.

by David Hooper on May 8, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

wahhhhhhhhhhhh

for playing a sport for a few years, i only got hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tuition, gear, accomodations and the increased earning potential over the course of my expected working life that comes with my degree. WAAAAAAA! i need to sue someone quick!!!

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on May 8, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Official MCM Hater!

by gramsey712 on May 8, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

True

As a counterpoint, none of the benefits you listed came from EA. Those could be considered compensation from the university that stood to profit from his play, but not from the game company that stood to profit from his play and image. Legally, he probably does have a point.

by David Hooper on May 8, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

i understand the legality

i still think he’s a whiny baby. the worst part about the whole thing is definitely the fact that they have a fairly solid legal position. in my mind though, he’s trying to get a piece of something he put zero effort into producing or promoting. amateur status means you don’t get paid, period, and players know this from the day one. sometimes you just need to shut up and appreciate what you have been given and stop worrying about every grubby little cent you can scrounge up.

my real question, though, is what’s the end game? the players can’t themselves be compensated for what they do while they are NCAA athletes unless we are just going to obliterate the “amateur” distinction. so if the petitioners can’t be paid by NCAA regs, what happens?

when you go through the ncaa clearing house for D-1 athletics, you agree to a lot of stipulations regarding what money you can make while preserving the necessary “amateur” status for eligibility, including maximum allowable wages for any outside income from a job. i would love to see the judge rule that the players knew full well that they couldn’t be compensated monetarily for their performance on the playing field when they signed up to play, so as long as the official trademarks are respected (which they are by EA’s arrangement w/the NCAA) EA is in the clear.

essentially i see how EA is wrong, but i don’t think that makes the petitioners right. maybe the best case scenario is where the judge tells the players they have no right to be compensated, but also tells EA they have no right to profit freely off of the image of others and they force EA to pay a certain amount to the NCAA general scholarship fund as de facto royalties to all the players they recreate for profit.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on May 9, 2009 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions