NCAA/Schools Paying Players - What's Next?

[eldonabe]

Were doing everything we can on the NIL front and will continue to do so. We have a unique opportunity next offseason to bring back everyone except Sool, so we need to continue to build our war-chest.

A noble statement, but collectives are very likely going to get squeezed out when this all happens, at least the legal ones will. That will be the "attempt" to level the playing field. A salary cap if you will. But the shady shit will be much easier to hide. When players could not get paid, but suddenly had a Porsche on campus, they stuck out. Now they wont stick out like in the old days.

[Roadtrip]

^This. The rich will get richer, and the less fortunate will die. Roadtrips corollary: better to be the poorest rich boy, than the richest poor boy.

[Floyd]

^ que The Little Drummer Boy

[umasscollective]

Were doing everything we can on the NIL front and will continue to do so. We have a unique opportunity next offseason to bring back everyone except Sool, so we need to continue to build our war-chest.

A noble statement, but collectives are very likely going to get squeezed out when this all happens, at least the legal ones will. That will be the "attempt" to level the playing field. A salary cap if you will. But the shady shit will be much easier to hide. When players could not get paid, but suddenly had a Porsche on campus, they stuck out. Now they wont stick out like in the old days.

We will continue to work in whatever capacity is in the best interest of advancing UMass Basketball. "New" rules aren't even close to being finalized, and still have massive antitrust and title 9 issues. Fact is with the Mass Co around UMass had its best season in a decade. And I think next year will be even better AND if we band together and continue to build the collective and support these athletes, we have a young team we can carry into the MAC and dominate.

Ryan Bamford will be on our Member Zoom on Thursday at 8pm, feel free to pose any questions directly to him as well on that call (if you are a member).

[umiejoe]

It just gets sadder every day. Goodbye to college sports as they were meant to be structured. And don't give me that b..s. about keeping up with the times and being a bitter old man. You all know this is just plain wrong. And UMass is going to end up sucking hind tit.

[umasscollective]

It just gets sadder every day. Goodbye to college sports as they were meant to be structured. And don't give me that b..s. about keeping up with the times and being a bitter old man. You all know this is just plain wrong. And UMass is going to end up sucking hind tit.

The positivity on this board never ceases to amaze me.

Ratings for college sports are at an all time high…you’ll keep watching

[eldonabe]

It just gets sadder every day. Goodbye to college sports as they were meant to be structured. And don't give me that b..s. about keeping up with the times and being a bitter old man. You all know this is just plain wrong. And UMass is going to end up sucking hind tit.

The positivity on this board never ceases to amaze me.

Ratings for college sports are at an all time high…you’ll keep watching

I do not know who you are, but I am going to assume you have been around for a long time.

You should know that Umass has a rich history of fucking up a wet dream. They may be better at it than any other D1 School ever or at least in the last 40 or so years. The only thing they have actually not screwed up in that time is Carvel - thank Jesus H Christ MAC doesn't have Hockey.



So what exactly has happened/changed in the last 10 years to give you any sense of confidence that Umass will not get fucked when all this finally shakes out? They make Stormy Daniels look like a virgin FFS.....



The Collaborative has done some decent work with what they have to work with, but really look at what it/you have accomplished? And be honest...
- How many athletes have you retained, and by that, I mean stopped from transferring
- How many have you stolen in recruiting battles from a peer or "higher ranked" program

Maybe you can provide relevant Hockey examples, but how about Hoops or Football?


I am not going to sit here and say collaboratives are not necessary, I cannot imagine what our programs would look like with nothing in place. I think you have had a part in stabilizing things to some degree, but that said: Football is still sub 120, and after a promising hoops year (which BTW still did not yield a post season tourney) they are looking squarely at a 10-15 win season again in 24'-25' before the black hole of MAC-TION takes over.


Umass has caused so many self inflicted wounds after so many chances over the years (decades) to be in a position to deal with what is going to happen next. What is going to save them outside of an actual biblical miracle?


I am not shitting on you UC, you are trying to fight the good fight; again, a noble effort.

[umasscollective]

It just gets sadder every day. Goodbye to college sports as they were meant to be structured. And don't give me that b..s. about keeping up with the times and being a bitter old man. You all know this is just plain wrong. And UMass is going to end up sucking hind tit.

The positivity on this board never ceases to amaze me.

Ratings for college sports are at an all time high…you’ll keep watching

I do not know who you are, but I am going to assume you have been around for a long time.

You should know that Umass has a rich history of fucking up a wet dream. They may be better at it than any other D1 School ever or at least in the last 40 or so years. The only thing they have actually not screwed up in that time is Carvel - thank Jesus H Christ MAC doesn't have Hockey.



So what exactly has happened/changed in the last 10 years to give you any sense of confidence that Umass will not get fucked when all this finally shakes out? They make Stormy Daniels look like a virgin FFS.....



The Collaborative has done some decent work with what they have to work with, but really look at what it/you have accomplished? And be honest...
- How many athletes have you retained, and by that, I mean stopped from transferring
- How many have you stolen in recruiting battles from a peer or "higher ranked" program

Maybe you can provide relevant Hockey examples, but how about Hoops or Football?


I am not going to sit here and say collaboratives are not necessary, I cannot imagine what our programs would look like with nothing in place. I think you have had a part in stabilizing things to some degree, but that said: Football is still sub 120, and after a promising hoops year (which BTW still did not yield a post season tourney) they are looking squarely at a 10-15 win season again in 24'-25' before the black hole of MAC-TION takes over.


Umass has caused so many self inflicted wounds after so many chances over the years (decades) to be in a position to deal with what is going to happen next. What is going to save them outside of an actual biblical miracle?


I am not shitting on you UC, you are trying to fight the good fight; again, a noble effort.

Our members and supporters collectively choose to be part of the solution and build for the future. Rather than constantly complaining and being negative we take positive action that moves the program forward.

And we’re done entertaining or acknowledging negativity.

[eldonabe]

The positivity on this board never ceases to amaze me.

Ratings for college sports are at an all time high…you’ll keep watching

I do not know who you are, but I am going to assume you have been around for a long time.

You should know that Umass has a rich history of fucking up a wet dream. They may be better at it than any other D1 School ever or at least in the last 40 or so years. The only thing they have actually not screwed up in that time is Carvel - thank Jesus H Christ MAC doesn't have Hockey.



So what exactly has happened/changed in the last 10 years to give you any sense of confidence that Umass will not get fucked when all this finally shakes out? They make Stormy Daniels look like a virgin FFS.....



The Collaborative has done some decent work with what they have to work with, but really look at what it/you have accomplished? And be honest...
- How many athletes have you retained, and by that, I mean stopped from transferring
- How many have you stolen in recruiting battles from a peer or "higher ranked" program

Maybe you can provide relevant Hockey examples, but how about Hoops or Football?


I am not going to sit here and say collaboratives are not necessary, I cannot imagine what our programs would look like with nothing in place. I think you have had a part in stabilizing things to some degree, but that said: Football is still sub 120, and after a promising hoops year (which BTW still did not yield a post season tourney) they are looking squarely at a 10-15 win season again in 24'-25' before the black hole of MAC-TION takes over.


Umass has caused so many self inflicted wounds after so many chances over the years (decades) to be in a position to deal with what is going to happen next. What is going to save them outside of an actual biblical miracle?


I am not shitting on you UC, you are trying to fight the good fight; again, a noble effort.

Our members and supporters collectively choose to be part of the solution and build for the future. Rather than constantly complaining and being negative we take positive action that moves the program forward.

And we’re done entertaining or acknowledging negativity.

My wants and wishes for Umass have never changed, it is my expectations that have been reduced (over and over). You can call it negativity, I think of it more as hope with a strong dose of reality.

I understand where you are coming from completely, and I do wish nothing but success for the collective and wherever Umass lands when the dust settles.

I guess time will tell. Good Luck

[Mike0473]

The positivity on this board never ceases to amaze me.

Ratings for college sports are at an all time high…you’ll keep watching

I do not know who you are, but I am going to assume you have been around for a long time.

You should know that Umass has a rich history of fucking up a wet dream. They may be better at it than any other D1 School ever or at least in the last 40 or so years. The only thing they have actually not screwed up in that time is Carvel - thank Jesus H Christ MAC doesn't have Hockey.



So what exactly has happened/changed in the last 10 years to give you any sense of confidence that Umass will not get fucked when all this finally shakes out? They make Stormy Daniels look like a virgin FFS.....



The Collaborative has done some decent work with what they have to work with, but really look at what it/you have accomplished? And be honest...
- How many athletes have you retained, and by that, I mean stopped from transferring
- How many have you stolen in recruiting battles from a peer or "higher ranked" program

Maybe you can provide relevant Hockey examples, but how about Hoops or Football?


I am not going to sit here and say collaboratives are not necessary, I cannot imagine what our programs would look like with nothing in place. I think you have had a part in stabilizing things to some degree, but that said: Football is still sub 120, and after a promising hoops year (which BTW still did not yield a post season tourney) they are looking squarely at a 10-15 win season again in 24'-25' before the black hole of MAC-TION takes over.


Umass has caused so many self inflicted wounds after so many chances over the years (decades) to be in a position to deal with what is going to happen next. What is going to save them outside of an actual biblical miracle?


I am not shitting on you UC, you are trying to fight the good fight; again, a noble effort.

Our members and supporters collectively choose to be part of the solution and build for the future. Rather than constantly complaining and being negative we take positive action that moves the program forward.

And we’re done entertaining or acknowledging negativity.

Umass basketball is in a tough spot, no doubt. But, I think you are right to stay posative and try to make the best of it.

[umasscollective]

I do not know who you are, but I am going to assume you have been around for a long time.

You should know that Umass has a rich history of fucking up a wet dream. They may be better at it than any other D1 School ever or at least in the last 40 or so years. The only thing they have actually not screwed up in that time is Carvel - thank Jesus H Christ MAC doesn't have Hockey.



So what exactly has happened/changed in the last 10 years to give you any sense of confidence that Umass will not get fucked when all this finally shakes out? They make Stormy Daniels look like a virgin FFS.....



The Collaborative has done some decent work with what they have to work with, but really look at what it/you have accomplished? And be honest...
- How many athletes have you retained, and by that, I mean stopped from transferring
- How many have you stolen in recruiting battles from a peer or "higher ranked" program

Maybe you can provide relevant Hockey examples, but how about Hoops or Football?


I am not going to sit here and say collaboratives are not necessary, I cannot imagine what our programs would look like with nothing in place. I think you have had a part in stabilizing things to some degree, but that said: Football is still sub 120, and after a promising hoops year (which BTW still did not yield a post season tourney) they are looking squarely at a 10-15 win season again in 24'-25' before the black hole of MAC-TION takes over.


Umass has caused so many self inflicted wounds after so many chances over the years (decades) to be in a position to deal with what is going to happen next. What is going to save them outside of an actual biblical miracle?


I am not shitting on you UC, you are trying to fight the good fight; again, a noble effort.

Our members and supporters collectively choose to be part of the solution and build for the future. Rather than constantly complaining and being negative we take positive action that moves the program forward.

And we’re done entertaining or acknowledging negativity.

Umass basketball is in a tough spot, no doubt. But, I think you are right to stay posative and try to make the best of it.

400+ Members strong and growing! We now, more than ever, can make a significant difference...IF we harness it!

[umiejoe]

Eldon- I have been around a long time. Graduated in "68 and have been to more basketball and football games than I can count. I agree with you 100%.Umass has fucked itself into non-relevancy. And Umass Collective- all you're doing is burying your head in the sand. Won't court negativity any more. What a joke. There is absolutely nothing to be positive about. Have fun trying to put your puny thousands against the millions thrown around by Michigan,etc,

[DEM]

Speaking about NCAA sports more generally (not just UMass, but many athletic programs if not all of NCAA), this seems pretty bad. However, I agree with UMassCollective in that we as fans shouldn't be dwelling on negativity or pessimism - negativity just ends up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am fairly confident that UMass is doing what it can to get a decent seat at the table, even it if it's not the ideal type of landscape for us as college sports fans.

One silver lining I can imagine if this ends in a big shake up - the few Ohio State-type schools break off to form their own glorified professional D-league, while the rest of the NCAA reverts back to a more traditional college sports environment, with something resembling the old regional conferences. Perhaps UMass will find itself in a conference (MAC East division, perhaps?) with some more traditional rivals like Temple, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

[eldonabe]

Speaking about NCAA sports more generally (not just UMass, but many athletic programs if not all of NCAA), this seems pretty bad. However, I agree with UMassCollective in that we as fans shouldn't be dwelling on negativity or pessimism - negativity just ends up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I am fairly confident that UMass is doing what it can to get a decent seat at the table, even it if it's not the ideal type of landscape for us as college sports fans.

One silver lining I can imagine if this ends in a big shake up - the few Ohio State-type schools break off to form their own glorified professional D-league, while the rest of the NCAA reverts back to a more traditional college sports environment, with something resembling the old regional conferences. Perhaps UMass will find itself in a conference (MAC East division, perhaps?) with some more traditional rivals like Temple, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

The horse is out of the barn. Like EVERYTHING else.... it will come down to money. Who has the most and who can get the most of it; and then all the slimy ways people will manipulate the system to take advantage of it.

[Juice Stand]

The Gazette did a two-part series on the proposed NCAA settlement. For dummies like me, this was a nice breakdown of that the deal is, how UMass might be affected, and how joining the MAC may save our bacon. For all the negative nellies out there, yes we're still going to be screwed and won't be able to keep up with the SEC or Big 10 financially, but making the move to the MAC might put us in the room and give us a seat at the table, even if it's only the kids table.

Part 1: https://www.gazettenet.com/Part-1-How-w ... l-55484476
Part 2: https://www.gazettenet.com/Part-2-How-i ... l-55495331