NWSL - Signing Players Directly From College - No Draft (1 Viewer)

[ChiefD]

Link

So, the National Women's Soccer League collectively bargained no draft, so teams can sign players directly out of college. How soon before someone sue's the other professional leagues for this option? You would think the players would want this.

Thoughts?

 

[matttyl]

The nfl draft is collectively bargained, and part of the CBA until 2030. As the CBA is bargained by those who are already in the NFL, what reason do they have to change how they got there?

 

[BassNBrew]

Link

So, the National Women's Soccer League collectively bargained no draft, so teams can sign players directly out of college. How soon before someone sue's the other professional leagues for this option? You would think the players would want this.

Thoughts?

I would assume any of the good players would be signed as teens so that the clubs so sell them like they are cattle later.

 

[Gally]

This is a terrible idea. Unlike most businesses you need your opponents to actually be competent to good because the entertainment thrives on competitiveness. If one team becomes the Globetrotters and all other teams are the Generals the overall product suffers and the league will be worse for it.

You need competitive balance in sports leagues to some degree. The best way is through the draft process.

 

[Eephus]

Do any of the NWSL clubs have junior programs to serve as a pipeline?

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is a terrible idea. Unlike most businesses you need your opponents to actually be competent to good because the entertainment thrives on competitiveness. If one team becomes the Globetrotters and all other teams are the Generals the overall product suffers and the league will be worse for it.

You need competitive balance in sports leagues to some degree. The best way is through the draft process.

this is a more complicated issue than may meet the eye.

Soccer, world wide, does not use a draft system. College players make up an infinitesimally small % of pro players world wide.

Soccer players for the most part are all developed by the pro teams themselves from the time they are ~12 years old.

From what little reading I have done, the NWSL is hoping to join the global market place in which women's soccer has made a large leap these past 5 years. All women's teams overseas develop their players the same way the men do. Eventually the NWSL will almost certainly move to that same development model and college players will slowly over time become less and less important.

This is just one small step in that direction.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Do any of the NWSL clubs have junior programs to serve as a pipeline?

I believe 5 NWSL teams now have their own academies.

However, it is clear their goal is to eventually be able to develop the vast majority of their own players and marginalize college players. This will take many years but it is one of the reasons the NWSL agreed to this CBA request because I think their hope is that eventually the college players will not have a big impact on the league.

It took MLS 25ish years to get to this point so it won't happen tomorrow for the NWSL.

 

[ChiefD]

The nfl draft is collectively bargained, and part of the CBA until 2030. As the CBA is bargained by those who are already in the NFL, what reason do they have to change how they got there?

The NWSL’s was collectively bargained too.

You don’t think Caleb Williams would have rather chosen his team? I do.

 

[BassNBrew]

The nfl draft is collectively bargained, and part of the CBA until 2030. As the CBA is bargained by those who are already in the NFL, what reason do they have to change how they got there?

The NWSL’s was collectively bargained too.

You don’t think Caleb Williams would have rather chosen his team? I do.

Caleb Williams would have been owned by USC after they purchased him from Gonzaga College High School. His options would have been to agree to play for whoever would pay USC what they wanted or to return to USC and play for his existing NIL.

 

[Gally]

this is a more complicated issue than may meet the eye.

My comments were more directed to the OP's question about other sports going to this system. Soccer has it's own pitfalls, considerations etc. My comments were geared only towards the major US sports.

 

[pollardsvision]

This is a terrible idea. Unlike most businesses you need your opponents to actually be competent to good because the entertainment thrives on competitiveness. If one team becomes the Globetrotters and all other teams are the Generals the overall product suffers and the league will be worse for it.

You need competitive balance in sports leagues to some degree. The best way is through the draft process.

I don't watch soccer or international sports, so I'm not experienced with professional sports not having a draft. I have no idea what's right or wrong for each league.

My question is, are you a college football fan?

If you are like many people, they still find college football compelling despite the lack of a draft and real competitive balance.

 

[Gally]

If you are like many people, they still find college football compelling despite the lack of a draft and real competitive balance.

College sports hit different because generally you have a tie due to a personal connection. And while there may not be true competitive balance there are so many levels and conferences that competition is there somewhere for you to find. Not truly and apples to apples comparison

 

[NewlyRetired]

A draft can make sense in closed leagues like the US uses.

I do wish though that tanking would be less obvious as that one factor completely goes against the idea of competitive balance.

 

[pollardsvision]

If you are like many people, they still find college football compelling despite the lack of a draft and real competitive balance.

College sports hit different because generally you have a tie due to a personal connection. And while there may not be true competitive balance there are so many levels and conferences that competition is there somewhere for you to find. Not truly and apples to apples comparison

I don't necessarily disagree.

They are different, but I think it's only because Americans love football, but not soccer.

If we love a sport, we get excited to watch 100's of teams that have absolutely no shot of ever being the best. Because of regional pride and love the of the sport.

College football and international soccer have that in common. Middle Tennessee State University can easily sell out a completely pointless football game the same way some random European city has a raucous sell out for a soccer team that nobody else has ever/will ever hear of.

Whether the NWSL is in that category is up for debate, but it's an interesting spot. As an American, getting rid of the draft doesn't seem like a good idea. But it puts the players and the league more on par with the rest of the world that loves soccer.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

The nfl draft is collectively bargained, and part of the CBA until 2030. As the CBA is bargained by those who are already in the NFL, what reason do they have to change how they got there?

Of course NFL players and owners - the two parties to the CBA - are not going to change anything to benefit non-members. The question relates to a college player suing.

Maurice Clarett challenged the NFL draft rules 20 years ago on anti-trust grounds and won in federal district court but the NFL won on appeal in a bizarre ruling that I'm amazed hasn't been challenged since. Essentially, the Ct of Appeals held that college players are subject to the negotiations of the union even prior to their joining the union. In Maurice's case that meant he was found to be a party to a CBA that was negotiated and signed while he was in grade school playing touch football during recess.

 

[pollardsvision]

Dear Lord, much of th

The nfl draft is collectively bargained, and part of the CBA until 2030. As the CBA is bargained by those who are already in the NFL, what reason do they have to change how they got there?

Of course NFL players and owners - the two parties to the CBA - are not going to change anything to benefit non-members. The question relates to a college player suing.

Maurice Clarett challenged the NFL draft rules 20 years ago on anti-trust grounds and won in federal district court but the NFL won on appeal in a bizarre ruling that I'm amazed hasn't been challenged since. Essentially, the Ct of Appeals held that college players are subject to the negotiations of the union even prior to their joining the union. In Maurice's case that meant he was found to be a party to a CBA that was negotiated and signed while he was in grade school playing touch football during recess.

The term gets overused, but the NFL really does have "#### you" money.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Link

So, the National Women's Soccer League collectively bargained no draft, so teams can sign players directly out of college. How soon before someone sue's the other professional leagues for this option? You would think the players would want this.

Thoughts?

I would assume any of the good players would be signed as teens so that the clubs so sell them like they are cattle later.

One issue is that generally speaking, a minor can't sign a legally binding contract. In most soccer leagues, the club that trained the player in his youth is entitled to compensation if he later signs a professional contract elsewhere, but that's something imposed by FIFA or the confederation, not a contractual legal right.

 

[Spartans Rule]

I don’t think drafts are necessary for competitive balance if you have a hard salary cap. Make all the rookies free agents and teams would still need cap space to pay for them, plus there would be no incentive to tank.

It will never happen because drafts are so ingrained in our sports culture and are big events themselves, but I would actually like to see the major US pro sports leagues do this.

 

[NewlyRetired]

It will never happen because drafts are so ingrained in our sports culture and are big events themselves

I think the NFL draft certainly fits this description.

But I don’t think the NHL or MLB drafts make even the smallest dent in the sports calendar for your average American. Not coincidentally, these are two leagues that do a great job developing players themselves outside of the college path.

The NBA does an excellent job getting people interested in the lottery, but general interest plummet's once you get past the lottery picks. The significant lowering of the number of rounds and the rise of the international players being drafted also has changed the feel over the years.

 

[Eephus]

The NBA does an excellent job getting people interested in the lottery, but general interest plummet's once you get past the lottery picks. The significant lowering of the number of rounds and the rise of the international players being drafted also has changed the feel over the years.

The NBA should do a redraft every year using @Yo Mama rules and dice.

It'll be bigger than the Mid-Season Tournament.

 

[Yo Mama]

The NBA does an excellent job getting people interested in the lottery, but general interest plummet's once you get past the lottery picks. The significant lowering of the number of rounds and the rise of the international players being drafted also has changed the feel over the years.

The NBA should do a redraft every year using @Yo Mama rules and dice.

It'll be bigger than the Mid-Season Tournament.

That would be awesome. They would just need a commish less lazy than me.

Wait until there is an expansion draft in the NBA in a couple years - you know we’ll be doing some sort of pool/draft for that.