Are sports’ drafts fair to the players?

[Tipster19]

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

[JaCrispy]

These players are CHOOSING to enter a sports draft to make millions of dollars...it’s not like they are being forced into slave labor at gun point...I’d say being drafted is a privilege...👍

Edited April 26, 2021 by JaCrispy

[atlbillsfan1975]

3 minutes ago, Tipster19 said:

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

That this is even being discussed is a sign of the times. 

[CaptnCoke11]

Probably will get eliminated along with everything else these days.  Everyone is offended 

[Warcodered]

3 hours ago, Tipster19 said:

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

It's an important aspect to keep the league competitive and it's an agreed on rule to enter the league. Agreeing to play in the NFL is agreeing to work within rules and restrictions that are also in place for the betterment of the league itself. I mean the job itself is so very different than other jobs I mean the whole thing is designed for them to work in one place while both playing there and all across the country.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Warcodered

[Don Otreply]

Those very same guys can also enter the real world job hunting market place to find out that its really no different, sure you can apply where you want to work, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean they want to hire you, your name goes into a pool of potential employees and the company chooses/drafts you, then you accept employment or try elsewhere if that company/team doesn’t suit you, of course in the real world your not starting out at several hundred thousands of dollars and more annually... all I can say is, fair my azs, ya get to play a game for a living, what you hear now is the world’s smallest violin playing my heart bleeds for you... okay I’m done for a now... 😂

[Augie]

1 hour ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

That this is even being discussed is a sign of the times. 

 

The existing system protects the league, which protects the ability of players to earn huge sums of money. They can go off to Canada or play rugby if they prefer. They can use the free degree they hopefully attained to go into ANY other field of work.  Nobody is forcing them to go to work for the team that drafts them.  If they chose to sign that contract, they play by CBA rules. NOBODY is forcing them to play in the NFL. 

 

It is collectively bargained by a “private club” they can choose to join, or choose to pass upon. Up to them. 

 

IF they choose to join this “club”, they can later earn the right to go wherever they like via free agency. They just have to wait until it’s their time. 

 

 

.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Augie

[mikemac2001]

I mean this is basic rules for sports stuff 
 

they are not forced to play they are eligible to be drafted then can sit a year and re enter 

[frostbitmic]

If the players don't like it, they can always use their college education to secure employment wherever they want.

[Punching Bag]

Team only gets rights and  player can choose to not sign with team.

A player can also choose not to play for team chosen and choose to go into draft following year. 

The player will get lots of opportunities to hear which teams they will be willing to sign for.

 

Players also are required to abide by union bargained pay scale.

I am surprised some talking head has not spoken against players being required to be represented by union even in right-to-work states.

[costrovs]

I've always wondered what teams would look like if there wasn't a draft, and players could choose to play on their favorite teams or have a choice of the 3 closest teams to their hometown.

On a side note and a little off topic, the argument that you guys are using is the same argument I was using when players/people complained about players not getting enough money, salary cap stuff... etc..  It's part of the game, if you don't like it, get a normal job.

[RangerDave]

Employees of the federal government can be transferred anywhere in the country (or for some, anywhere in the world) for the "benefit of the government."

 

Military personnel get transferred all the time.

 

Companies downsize or close one location and move jobs elsewhere (even outside the US).

 

Back when I applied for my first permanent job, I had to apply to a central office which would send a stack of applications to an office that had an opening.  I had no idea where I could be hired.

 

Of course, all of us could choose to decline the job offer or transfer and look for another job.

 

Boo freaking hoo for a football player who decides to declare for the NFL draft, gets drafted, then opts to sign a huge contract with the team that drafted them.

[Virgil]

While I understand the point, what’s the solution?

 

How do you maintain competitive integrity and let’s the players have more say in where they go?

[Mc1320]

Let them quit professional sports and they can get a regular job wherever they want.

 

 I was recently laid off after 17 years with a company because the private equity group that bought it, loaded it up with debt and canned the senior people when their horribly unrealistic revenue projections did not pan out and they needed to cut costs.

 

So if a pro athlete wants to complain about anything, they can cry me a river.

[Doc]

It's the NFL's rules.  If they don't like it, they don't have to participate.  There's no law saying they have a right to choose.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

It's pure socialism

[costrovs]

2 minutes ago, Virgil said:

While I understand the point, what’s the solution?

 

How do you maintain competitive integrity and let’s the players have more say in where they go?

 

Instead of the draft being the way it is, have the teams with the top 5 picks collectively choose the top 5 prospects, then let those players choose which of those teams they want to play for? idk...

Anyone know of any good players that grew up Bills fans? I would like an idea of who would have chosen to be on the bills, if the draft wasn't the way it is.

[Bferra13]

Leave it to Florio to bring up this junk. 

[Cheektowaga Chad]

I always figured its because they are technically NFL employees not the individual franchise employee

 

 

[FireChans]

1 hour ago, Tipster19 said:

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

It’s a horrible idiotic point.  They are being hired to play in a league with arbitrary rules.  One of those rules is that they have to wear pads. Another is that they aren’t allowed to hold. And another is that they have to enter the selection meeting.

 

If they don’t want to wear pads, or they want to be allowed to hold or they don’t want to enter the draft, they don’t have to. But those are the job requirements.

 

This is a galaxy brain level take. So freaking stupid. 

Edited April 26, 2021 by FireChans

[Simon Says]

The draft exists to maintain parity,keeping teams,and thereby the NFL,viable. This drives up revenue,which the players share in. Remember, also, the players are represented by a union which negotiates on their behalf.

[BigAl2526]

There are always going to be limits.  The player's initial choice is to attempt to play professionally or not.  To me it's not so different from the person who takes a job with a big corporation, then has to  locate wherever the corporation wants him to, or my own situation.  I'm a retired pastor in a denomination that uses an appointment system.  For 40 years I lived where I was appointed.  I lived in 5 different locations over the years.  Most of the time, I didn't have a choice about the house I lived in.  One difference is they have a contract that may pay them anywhere from 7 times to 800 times what I made per year at the end of my career.  I won't even tell you what I made when I started out in 1979.  Anyway, I'm not that sympathetic toward professional ball players over the draft issue.  If there was no draft, I can't imagine how we could have viable sports leagues.  If we didn't, these guys would be playing semi-pro ball at best.

[Thurman#1]

Of course it's not fair.

 

You're doing this for the good of the industry and the chance for parity so a larger group of players can at some point be on good teams.. The players union has signed on for it.

 

It's not fair. Neither is the system that other people use, the job interviews and agreements system. Not everyone gets job offers at the good companies. Harvard grads have better chances, people with the gift of gab ... on and on.

 

Life isn't fair.

[Mike in Horseheads]

1 hour ago, frostbitmic said:

If the players don't like it, they can always use their college education to secure employment wherever they want.

Most of the "student athletes" can't spell "skool"   or think the CBA is another league.

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Mike in Horseheads

[ColoradoBills]

[Bob in STL]

If the NFL got rid of the draft or the salary cap the league would become like the professional soccer premiership.  Only a few teams  have any chance of success.  

Edited April 27, 2021 by Bob in STL

[djp14150]

2 hours ago, Tipster19 said:

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

 

not true...

 

there are professions where some get in via job placement services.

 

for sports to exist you need to create competitive balance which means the worst teams get first dibs to selects,Ayers.  After I get getting tenure or licensed there are free to find a new employer.

 

remrmber unlike what owners want to say, there is only one nylander 33 teams in it. So to join the nfl you must go through this process.

[machine gun kelly]

You guys took the bait. This is what he does.  I’ve done it too in the past.

 

Have fun tipster trying to rile people up as you know you’re premise is moronic.  Not you, must you’re premise.

 

[BornAgainBillsFan]

[hjnick]

2 hours ago, Tipster19 said:

I watched an a video on ProFootballTalk and Mike Florio brought up a very good point. Sports are the only employment that comes to mind where the employee doesn’t get to choose where he gets employed. I never thought or looked at it that way but that’s a very good point. I wonder if sports’ drafts someday get eliminated. 

that would destroy every sport. you would have a couple of teams w all the talent.

 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Georgie said:

The draft exists to maintain parity,keeping teams,and thereby the NFL,viable. This drives up revenue,which the players share in. Remember, also, the players are represented by a union which negotiates on their behalf.

 

Well stated. One could only argue that the kid coming out of college is not (yet) represented by that union. Having said that, it is their choice to join that union, or to pass because they object for some reason. Feel free to pass, if you don’t like the option presented to you.  

[unbillievable]

The Franchise tag would go before the draft. The Union is trying to get rid of it already.

[QLBillsFan]

2 hours ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

It's pure socialism

Because why ? The payment is equal no matter what employer pays them.. at a bit more than the average college graduate. They are not victims 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

This topic has come and gone dozens of times. It's a league. They make the rules. No one is stopping non contracted members to form another league with different rules. 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, machine gun kelly said:

You guys took the bait. This is what he does.  I’ve done it too in the past.

 

Have fun tipster trying to rile people up as you know you’re premise is moronic.  Not you, must you’re premise.

 

 

Some people just crave the attention, I suppose? 

[Malazan]

Sigh

Edited April 26, 2021 by jeremy2020

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

Eliminate the draft concept and there will be a few elite teams... and then the rest.  The leagues would get boring and be worth way less or fold.  

[jletha]

I hope it doesnt come to it, but I could see it happening. You could maintain the salary cap and have some structured allotment of money, that increases for the worse teams, that each team has to spend on incoming players and then every player coming out of college is a FA. That way the worst teams would have the most money to sign guys. It would be different though for sure.

 

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

(former) incoming draft class gets football cards made, teams then select players from the cards picked from a rotating drum.  I think 'Bowling for Dollars' isn't using theirs.  Watch out for Kraft and Belichick 'dog earing' their favourites!

*

[HOUSE]

My brother said the same thing when I joined the Army. Why must I go to Nam when Hawaii is so much closer ?