(03-01-2018 07:28 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 01:01 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 11:44 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 10:04 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 08:11 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Even if the G League paid a good enough wage, it would be hard to replicate the media attention a star college athlete currently receives. Intangibles like that are hard to quantify.

Unless fans figure out the next NBA superstar is playing in the G League instead of the next career journeyman. Won't be the same media level but it would do wonders for the G League tv deal.

Maybe. I think a successful minor league with the best talent would still pale in comparison to collegiate sports. G League teams aren't going to get the attendance and passionate fanbases that truly care like collegiate athletics have. You take the current UNC tarheel lineup and put them in Greensboro G League jerseys. They won't draw like the Tar heels do. The jersey matters

Take the UNC Miami game last night. Same rosters same exact game. G League Greensboro losing to G League Tampa doesn't mean squat and no one would care outside basketball diehards

I agree. College basketball and college football have a combination of (a) the top talent at *their* level and (b) the ingrained passion of people with their respective colleges. That combination creates a "1 + 1 = 3" scenario where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In contrast, minor league baseball provides (a) but doesn't provide (b). College baseball is the opposite where it has (b) on paper but doesn't provide (a). That's why a large portion of SportsCenter every night is taken up by talking about college basketball and football... and there typically isn't a single mention of minor league baseball outside of when a MLB star does a rehab stint.

Minor league basketball and football simply will NOT have any more interest compared to minor league baseball or hockey. It just won't happen and we shouldn't even pretend that it's possible. What college basketball and football have is that special combination of talent plus fan passion that makes them special and that will never be replicated at a minor league level.

The 1+1=3 truly gets to the heart of the matter. These kids aren't interested in really going to a minor league unless the money is substantial (+150K). Since there isn't a minor league system that generates that income, they want to extract that salary from an organization that does monetize minor league sports effectively. $100K while hanging around a college campus is IMO the deal they are looking for.

NBA teams are subsidizing G League salaries and players in baseball often get million+ signing bonuses before heading to rookie league ball.
Spending $3 million of NBA money to sign the 20 best high school prospects to play a year of G League ball and weed out the weak and identify the stars is a cheap investment.