Phd in . . . Football?

by texitect on Apr 10, 2025 12:22 AM CDT

The New York Times has an interesting opinion piece up on Football and the NCAA. Yeah, I know, if you're like me you would never expect the fat old grey lady to say anything interesting about Football and the NCAA. Particularly on the opinion pages where the "talent" tends to believe that 80 scholarship athletes is excessive for a sport that generates millions of dollars to the university. Far better to offer (subsidized) athletic scholarships to women whose athletic talent consists of riding horses or playing ping pong err table tennis.

Link:

Football and Swahili

I started reading the piece ready to strike out at the clearly ill-informed opinion of the writer when something startling happened. In fact, something as unprecedented as a law being struck down by the supreme court. Mid-way through I thought to myself, holy shit this guy stumbled upon a pretty fucking decent idea, and he backed it up with a line about college dance majors. After punching myself in the face to ensure I was not having some sort of nightmare that could only terminate in a Hobson's choice coyote moment with Nancy Pelosi laying on my right arm, I have decided that this is real.

So the question is, should football players be allowed to major in football? Given that a major college coach can make a cool 5 mill per year and even high school coaches can make over 100k, one could easily argue that football is a better major than say Architecture.

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i say yes. even offer classes in coaching too. or they could be two sides of the same coin so to speak.

If You See Kay, Oh You

by texfan23 on Apr 10, 2025 2:00 AM CDT reply actions

As a major?...I would say no.

The rule of unintended consequences comes to mind. One, just off the top of my head: is that there are potential issues with transfers. Additionally, Title IX could be a significant problem - unless you made it a general athletics major and allowed all varsity athletes to sign up.

I would, however, be in favor of two things: (1) giving credit hours to football players (hell, you can extend it to all athletes) for practice time like we do with the band - this could be tied with an expanded course selection for player-relevant classes; and (2) creation of a Masters-level coaching course through the school of education (promotes graduated-student transfer possibilities and allows GAs to get a better foundation in what they hope to do for the rest of their lives).

"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~ Aaron Levenstein
twitter - @aaronbrotman

by Elm City Horn on Apr 10, 2025 9:32 AM CDT reply actions

I’m not sure what you mean by “potential issues with transfers”.

I would assume that if you really did have a major in football, other students could elect to major in it as well, you wouldn’t necessarily have to play the sport. Any potential credits for practice, could also be earned by being on the film crew, or training staff or the ball boy/girl etc. (I would not imagine credit would be available for banging the head coach and crashing motorcycles though). I could see a double major with journalism and football, or a major in say accounting with a minor in football for prospective sports agents. One could argue that ethics is probably more appropriate for sports agents, but I digress.

by texitect on Apr 10, 2025 9:59 AM CDT reply actions

You're idea seems a lot like a modified "sport management" major

Which, I think, Texas already has. If it is designed, as the columnist suggests, like a dance program, then other student’s probably won’t get in as these programs (like a football team) have stringent, yet highly subjective, admissions criteria. I always assumed banging the head coach was how you got into certain positions in the program. With regards to credits, I think a good decision is to give elective-level, non-graded credits to all football players, ball boys, videographers, trainers, etc…now as compensation for their time for the benefit of the university.

By “potential issues with transfers” I mean that I am one who fervently supports the rights of players to transfer at their will with no penalty (at least so long as the playing field is so sloped against them in dealing with the universities). By creating a football specific major, we run the risk of further binding a player to one school. This is particularly the case if one school has the program but others do not as it can make the transfer feel like even more “lost time” for a player. Even if all schools with football teams had a major (not something the NCAA can enforce), then you have potential issues with credits. I know this all seems minor, but any change should, I believe, make lives easier for the players.

"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~ Aaron Levenstein
twitter - @aaronbrotman

by Elm City Horn on Apr 10, 2025 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions

Your damnit!

"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~ Aaron Levenstein
twitter - @aaronbrotman

by Elm City Horn on Apr 10, 2025 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions

If not a PHD in football

I wish UT or somewhere out there had at least classes in football.
Something that really helps you understand the X’s and O’s of the game.
What to look at for linemen ect… It seems to me so many people get their info from just being hardcore fans of the game but that deeper level of understanding is reserved for a select few.

"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris

by AlDe2356 on Apr 10, 2025 10:57 AM CDT reply actions