BASKETBALL It's not just the portal and NIL anymore

[MidTennMtneer]

Super interesting article. Had no idea this place existed. Just makes me wonder how long until the NBA gets rid of that one year out of high school deal.

Kids do this, even if they don't go pro, still get their college paid for.

Worth the long read.

This new school pays teen basketball players $100K to skip the NCAA and train for the NBA

America's most unusual high school has 27 NBA prospects, three basketball courts, millions from Bezos and Drake and world-class teachers. Can it work?

www.yahoo.com

 

[Demsar Fashist]

I hope it works. Anytime the institutions of higher indocrination can be sidestepped, that's a good thing.

 

[sWiley]

Another reason why it was so important to keep college athletics out of the monetization business and an amateur, pure sport.

It is so saddening to me what has happened with players legally taking money now and being allowed to transfer at the drop of a hat, 365 days out of the year. Essentially, it's a highest bidder market now and for a school like MT, there's little to no bidding going on because this program is broke and has no major financial backers.

NIL and pay-for-play is still in it's infancy. I expect it will overtake CFB and start poisoning CBB in short order.

 

[mtfblue]

with these NIL deals how many of these guys and girls have been actually on a commercial endorsing the product? that's how they will get NIL changed

 

[MidTennMtneer]

What has amazed me is the amount of NIL deals I've seen that include ownership in a company. Or a seat on the board. Those twin WBB players. Caleb Williams. I understand wanting new ideas but that part surprises me.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

New trend in software development is to bypass college once you graduate high school…pay about 10 grand for a 3-6 month boot camp and make over 100k in 3-5 years.
Much better career path than the non critical thinking and debt noose young people are getting out of university now.

I hope it works. Anytime the institutions of higher indocrination can be sidestepped, that's a good thing.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

With the above, and trade schools, that is going to kill colleges. Unless you are going for a professional degree...ie doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, etc. College will become a factory for Interdisciplinary Studies for athletes to get paid and move on.

 

[ewglenn]

With the above, and trade schools, that is going to kill colleges. Unless you are going for a professional degree...ie doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, etc. College will become a factory for Interdisciplinary Studies for athletes to get paid and move on.

I know plenty of people with Interdisciplinary Studies degrees doing well. I get what you’re saying but you don’t have to trash the degrees.

 

[MTFNBY5]

All this talk of alternative schools for potential pro athletes, trade schools, boot camps for job training, and our new "friend" calling colleges "institutions of higher indoctrination" brings up a relevant question:

What is the purpose of a college education? I was led to believe that in addition to preparing one for a job or a professional graduate program equally important was the preparation for an enhanced quality of life. A college graduate was to be more refined and cultured, more discerning when receiving information, and able to think in a more complex manner. In essence a college graduate would be able to have a more preferable lifestyle and be a more productive citizen as an educated person. Was this an "elitist" view? Perhaps

Yes, since I entered MTSC back in the day college has changed and more emphasis has been placed on preparation for a "good" job. The effect is seen even in high school where job preparation has become paramount. As an example our Governor's (and I'm not getting political) educational emphasis is on job prep. No wonder, from his perspective owning a large contracting firm he looks at education of the masses from the perspective of an employer of plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians. Understandable, but is the entire purpose of education to prepare one for a job if you're not looking at higher education?

I realize when I write the following that all of us look back on earlier times fondly. Most of my friends who went to college with me believe, as do I, that college was not only much different but much harder in our day. To repeat from a much earlier post: I was told in a freshman assembly that half of us wouldn't be back for the spring semester and they seemed proud of that. (Have to remember that, at the time, most administrators at MT were classically trained and these "new" state supported schools aspired to be thought of as a less expensive alternative to Sewanee or Vanderbilt in our area) There were required courses which were clearly known as "weed out" classes intended to help students decide if college was for them and obviously, no "remedial" courses. Additionally, it's been a decade or so since I examined a College Catalogue but it's my understanding that for most majors the course work requirement is not as broad and many of the fewer electives required today are of the "crip course" variety unless one is attending an "elite" school.

More questions than answers but from what I read recently: "It's more important to know the question than to be sure you have the answer."

 

[dukewayne]

New trend in software development is to bypass college once you graduate high school…pay about 10 grand for a 3-6 month boot camp and make over 100k in 3-5 years.
Much better career path than the non critical thinking and debt noose young people are getting out of university now.

Exactly the path my college aged son has embarked upon.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

I know plenty of people with Interdisciplinary Studies degrees doing well. I get what you’re saying but you don’t have to trash the degrees.

Point taken. My apologies for those who do use that, or any other degree. I simply want students to obtain a degree they will use for their future welfare and not complete a generalization of courses to simply obtain a degree. My approach to saying that just didn't take the correct path.

I do realize there are many positions out there, many well paying, that simply require a degree, study field of no concern.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

All this talk of alternative schools for potential pro athletes, trade schools, boot camps for job training, and our ...........
........ answers but from what I read recently: "It's more important to know the question than to be sure you have the answer."

That is what I was trying to get across, just not in a good way.

I've always thought of K-12 as general studies. Then you go to college for a specific job. I've never thought of college as a general education, but it is becoming more of that. And honestly I'm sad to see that.

I am proud of those who achieve a degree no matter the field. They put in the work and should be applauded. I just come from the attitude of someone who has a degree I don't use. One of my biggest regrets is not changing majors like I wanted because I was a dumb 21 year old who didn't want to stay in school one more year and I was afraid to tell my parents. Who 100% would have supported me. I don't want to see others have degrees they don't use.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

That’s it right there. That’s the answer in my opinion MTFNBY5. If high schools and universities adapted a classical education in the liberal arts, it could produce thinkers and prepare young people for a prosperous life.

Somewhere along the line (even while I was at Middle), it (higher Ed) became a diploma mill…a costly one at that. Man, there is so much to be said about classical education. It will always be relevant.

“most administrators at MT were classically trained”

But here’s the kicker IMO. This is borderline water cooler talk. Classical education and a true university education is NOT for everyone. The opportunity is for everyone but not everyone is geared to earn a degree. It should be difficult.
Trophies should be earned.

Trade schools have their place. Whether it’s software development, HVAC, plumbing, mechanical, etc. and they serve a need. My degree is pretty much a glorified trade school degree in computing and business.

Sounds like this athletic school is another trade school filling a need.

It has served me well and I will never regret my degree. However, I often wonder if it is the degree that has allowed me to do more than I thought I would in life or was it the fact that my first job was cleaning toilets and bagging groceries at a grocery store that pushed me to do better.

 

[Demsar Fashist]

All this talk of alternative schools for potential pro athletes, trade schools, boot camps for job training, and our new "friend" calling colleges "institutions of higher indoctrination" brings up a relevant question:

What is the purpose of a college education? I was led to believe that in addition to preparing one for a job or a professional graduate program equally important was the preparation for an enhanced quality of life. A college graduate was to be more refined and cultured, more discerning when receiving information, and able to think in a more complex manner. In essence a college graduate would be able to have a more preferable lifestyle and be a more productive citizen as an educated person. Was this an "elitist" view? Perhaps

Your second paragraph. How eloquent. Like a speech writer for Hillary Clinton. But college isn't like that anymore. Higher education has largely become higher indoctrination. That's why I hope this basketball experiement works out.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

One thing I have noticed about those going this route is that the younger people have extremely poor communication skills. Just a heads up for when your son starts getting to the fun/hard part of networking. I haven’t seen this with people in their 30s/40s that are making a career change with a degree in a different discipline. It seems to only be with those that are still young (under 20) and know everything. 😆

Passing over several candidates that have gone the route of software school for that very reason.

Exactly the path my college aged son has embarked upon.

 

[altshauf]

It’s sad. I love MT, but my kids will never attend there. Exactly because of what Dimsar is saying. There are only a handful of places I would consider my kids attending. There is so much out there not requiring a degree right now. I will also agree with Mtneer that the only courses that should require degrees honestly should be doctor, lawyer, teacher… If it isn’t those, then it should be trade-type courses.
I won’t send my kids to a university just for “the college experience”, make a bunch of mistakes, and then turn around and rebel against everything they were taught at home… sorry, end of rant.

 

[MTLynn]

There is so much out there not requiring a degree right now.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

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He should just say, “we are here to help increase the school’s graduation rates (GSR) and the (APR) Academic Progress Rate for our student-athletes.” When asked about jobs that the degree actually prepares the 99% who won’t make the NFL, they have a piece of paper that qualifies them to “help people with outdoor sports and their quality of life.”

Dr. Dunlap’s research has generally addressed leisure as a socio-cultural context in which community development and social changes take place. Within this framing, his previous projects have explored volunteer participation in community gardening projects as settings for place connection, solidarity formation, and the exercise of agency. More recently his research has examined urban cycling and the manner in which individuals practice the activity as a means of both connecting to place and re/appropriating urban space. Dr. Dunlap’s scholarship has also explored a diverse range of qualitative research methods, including collective memory work, so-called gonzo ethnography and fiction as a tool for inquiry. Dr. Dunlap regularly teaches courses about community development, qualitative research, outdoor recreation management, and the history and philosophy of leisure and sport.

When not in his office, Dr. Dunlap enjoys riding his mountain bike, hiking, and camping with his family.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

The great thing about the free market is that you can choose to spend thousands of dollars to get a degree in exercising. Just don’t expect me to pay for it more than my tax dollars and occasional lottery ticket purchases already do.

 

[Brew_Raider]

He should just say, “we are here to help increase the school’s graduation rates (GSR) and the (APR) Academic Progress Rate for our student-athletes.” When asked about jobs that the degree actually prepares the 99% who won’t make the NFL, they have a piece of paper that qualifies them to “help people with outdoor sports and their quality of life.”

Dr. Dunlap’s research has generally addressed leisure as a socio-cultural context in which community development and social changes take place. Within this framing, his previous projects have explored volunteer participation in community gardening projects as settings for place connection, solidarity formation, and the exercise of agency. More recently his research has examined urban cycling and the manner in which individuals practice the activity as a means of both connecting to place and re/appropriating urban space. Dr. Dunlap’s scholarship has also explored a diverse range of qualitative research methods, including collective memory work, so-called gonzo ethnography and fiction as a tool for inquiry. Dr. Dunlap regularly teaches courses about community development, qualitative research, outdoor recreation management, and the history and philosophy of leisure and sport.

When not in his office, Dr. Dunlap enjoys riding his mountain bike, hiking, and camping with his family.

I was curious what you can actually do with a degree in leisure sports management. Looks like it qualifies you to be the intramural sports director at colleges, manage recreation parks & facilities or be a concessions operator. How does teaching in a field for jobs that you don’t need a degree to do bring value to MT? I can’t see a lot of grant funding for this.