Is there anybody else who has seen all the news about Harbaugh packing up the Wolverines and taking them on a tour of Italy for spring ball? Going to see the Pope and giving him gifts, etc.
How is this NOT an NCAA violation of improper benefits? Somebody said it wasn't illegal because the school didn't spend a dime on the trip, it came from a booster instead. Isn't that actually worse?
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Yea, I don't get it.
Nightmarish
I believe the rules this would be breaking aren't effective until 8/31.
Detroit Free Press Article Link
Paging JUGS. We need a ruling on improper benefits, register 9. Paging JUGS!!
Man I read your title and I thought something had happened and the NCAA had actually cracked the whip.
NCAA actually crack the whip?
Do the math here...
85 scholarship athletes, 8 coaches and lets be generous and say 10 grad assistants. Figure all the coaching significant others are included with the trip.
Round trip flights at this time of the year, you're looking at $1k per ticket, easy. For the coaches flying business and first, figure those are $5k each. Hotels for the players in Rome in the Spring, is likely $200 per room per night for the players doubled up, and $500 per night for the coaches. Figure $50 per person per day in tours of the city, and factor in a budget of $100 per person per day for food.
Round trip tickets - $95k for the players and assistants, $80k for coaches and sig others
Hotels - $66.5k for players and assitants, $28k for coaches
Tours - $38.85k
Food - $77.7k
Estimated Total cost of the trip - $386k
For the publicity they're getting out of this, seems like that is a rather cheap expense. Wish we could have done something similar.
Tech donors can't even fund all the scholarships, much less a trip to Europe.
If my donation were paying for trips to Europe, it would be for me.
ESPN: Wolverines' Italy trip will cost anonymous donor up to $800K
Welp, there it is.
"Education Experience"
I bet they think that paying for a hooker is an "education experience" too.
Could very well be
I'll say it is definitely an educational experience.
It's also a perk.
Wasn't there another team that did this? I don't think it's a big deal.
If this isn't a big deal, why is it a big deal to give any benefits to student athletes?
I'm just saying that I remember hearing about some other team that did this, and there wasn't any uproar about it then?
The only reason this is getting so much publicity is because it's Michigan. Is it a shitty loophole? Yeah. But they aren't breaking any rules.
Giving benefits to student athletes breaks NCAA rules. This trip doesn't because it's a private donor. Therefore this shouldn't be a big deal.
I always thought private donors giving benefits to student athletes was against NCAA rules.
So you can't give an athlete a car or a tattoo, but you can send the entire team to Europe?
Just seems odd to me.
Then again, I do know that basketball teams go to "tournaments" overseas (or the Bahamas, for instance). The VT basketball team did this a couple of years ago. I don't know how that gets paid for.
Harbaugh seems to make a point of pushing the envelop and then the NCAA reacts when other schools call fowl. Look at what he did with "satellite camps" as an example. I get he wants every edge he can; but at some point he needs to get slapped and learn that rules lawyering doesn't work.
AS long as we beat tSUN every year I will simply wait until the booster get tired of shelling out cash with no return...
I call goose
"We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan!" Both my parents are Buckeyes... I think those were my first words.
Michigan Basketball and the Fab 5 did a similar trip a couple decades ago.
This turns out to be a pretty big loophole.
So a booster can send the whole team to Europe?
So does the time come out of their spring training schedule? Is this instead of training at their home field?
This headline really summed it up the best, though:
Michigan's trip to Rome isn't exactly a stunt, but it's not gonna help 'em beat Ohio State
I think its pretty straight forward. They want to take a trip that will cost XXX dollars.
Booster volunteers to donate XXX dollars to the athletic department.
That's basically how the whole system works anyways, right? Football program costs YYY dollars to operate. Donors agree to donate YYY dollars.
Sure that's over simplified, but would you say its different than raising money to pay for these ridiculous on campus facilities? All of it is just to show recruits that the school is willing to spend money on them.
A capital project for the school like facilities or equipment is significantly different than a vacation to Italy
We're not talking about Louisville here....
How is it even a good thing for Michigan. I can't believe that recruits are going to commit to Michigan because they get to go to Rome. I also can't believe coaches would want to waste precious practice time at a place that will present major distractions. Lastly, if you have that much money to blow as a booster, there has to be a more valuable place to put it.
Also, they won't be able to go again for at least another four years, right?
All I know is that I'll likely be pulling for Ohio State to beat Michigan this year.
Mi piace molto Italia!
I'm okay with Mich doing this, wish VT could too. I think it's a great experience to take your players to another culture (some of these guys have never left their region of the country, or even their state for anything other than football games).
My biggest regret of college was not studying abroad. These kids don't have that opportunity with football. This is the closest thing they can get. I'm okay with it.
Ah I'm a player take me to jJamica for jerked goat!
This isn't a big deal, let's not be that fanbase. I'm glad these guys are getting to experience some new culture, should be a memorable trip for them.
Anybody look at Vegas to see what the line is on a player getting arrested while on the trip?
Did someone get arrested?
Is the Pope a Nike or Under Armour guy?
I don't know. You tell me...
Edit: I'm going to vote NIKE.