Written by John Conroy
When a good athlete goes to a bigger college for some sort of athletic, the attention usually falls all over them. They get fame, and all they seem to hear about is if they jump to the professional level, money is waiting on the table. What many people don’t know is that while the athlete isn’t making any money, the school he or she attends is rolling in every single dollar that athlete can bring.
Johnny Manziel, everyone knows the name. He is one of the greatest players statistically in college football and one of the most exciting college football players to ever step on the field. The two years while Johnny Manziel was at the University of Texas A&M, through donations, the school was able to get just around $740 million dollars, which crushes the previous record of $300 million dollars. Why someone may ask? All just to see number 2 in the maroon scramble around the field making spectacular plays.
When it comes to merchandise, Texas A&M was really able to cash in on having Johnny Manziel on their side. When Texas A&M made the move from the Big 12 conference to the SEC, and also having the emerging star of Johnny Manziel, the school was able to increase the licensed merchandise sales by 23 percent. That 23 percent includes shirts, jerseys, and hats, pretty much anything that had anything to do with the star quarterback. After “Johnny Football” brought Texas A&M its first 11 win season in football, a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma, and a Heisman Trophy among other major awards, the only direction this college kid and this school seemed to being going was up, but not all fairytales have a happy ending.
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After the 2012-2013 football season, the Johnny Manziel fan base grew to a nationwide thing. Everyone was following his every move to see what magic would happen next. Well, let’s just say what happened next wasn’t really what someone would consider magical. It first started when Johnny Manziel was a teacher at the Peyton Manning passing academy. He went out one night, got intoxicated and over slept, making him late to the camp the next day, ultimately causing his dismissal from the camp. From this point on Johnny Manziel was viewed as a, “young college student who just can’t handle the fame, and can’t make the right choices.” Texas A&M didn’t take a huge hit from this situation, but when Johnny Manziel was accused of signing autographs for money, it was a different story.
Over the summer, Johnny Manziel was accused of signing autographs on footballs and helmets for just around $7,500 dollars, but can you really blame him? Sure, signing autographs for money when you’re in college is a big no-no, but according to collegeconfidental.com, the average college student makes about 1,500 to 2,000 dollars while in school. Ignoring the fact the Manziel comes from a wealthy family, the amount of money a college student makes isn’t a lot when there is a lot to pay for, so how could you really blame Manziel for trying to make some extra money? Some view this as a kid just trying to make money, but others thought Manziel was just a “piece of trash.” Texas A&M tried to resolve the situation, but it was starting to lose some of their fans and boosters, which is where a good chunk of the University’s money is made.
The greatest question that is still left unanswered is if Johnny Manziel is good for Texas A&M and yes, I believe he is. Forgetting all the drama that happened, Johnny Manziel posted one of the best college football seasons by a freshman, and then in his sophomore year, he posted one of the best seasons EVER by a college quarterback. Although he is now pursuing his dream of being an NFL quarterback, Texas A&M should be nothing but thankful for Manziel was able to do for that university.
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I never would have thought that a school can make so much off of donations just because of one player, that's crazy. I also agree with you that Texas A&M should be thankful to have an athlete like that. Without him all of the donation money, merchandise sales and ticket sales would be way down.
ReplyDeleteI think college athletes, including Manziel should get something out of the ordeal. He is the one who raised the amount of money the university was making off football, how is it far that he doesn't get anything besides a scholarship for that. The school is raking in money just because he wears their uniform. How can you deny him the money he is responsible for earning. It doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Johnny was good for Texas A&M as we brought there football team from being bad to being one of the top. He would help people come to Texas to make there football team for years to come which will bring more money. Also when he goes pro and make Millions he will bring money back to Texas to help fund there football team and stadium which is good for Texas A&M so yes he is good for them.
ReplyDeleteMr. Football should be able to sign autographs. Signing autographs doesn't break any laws, so why does the NCAA enforce that rule. In my mind Johnny's signing business is a form of entrepreneurship. I thought this was a free economy where we could make money anyway possible (within the law). #Murica
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ReplyDeleteJohnny Manziel was great for Texas A&M, despite as you said the drama that was brought amongst the university. He contributed a lot of money to the university from his play on the field and Texas A&M can't deny that he helped the them.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an interesting way to look at economics. To think about the impact of players on a business makes you think who really has all the power. Seems like all fans focus on when thinking of players in terms of Econ is the amount of money they're making every year, and not necessarily how much the players are making the schools and team owners. As well as the city in which they play. Thank you for this unique viewpoint on economics.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I really like the topic that you picked. When looking at Johnny Manziel, he is no doubt one of the biggest names in football, whether that be known for off field issues or his on field production. He brought money into Texas A&M, and like you said college kids have very low income. I think one way that this could be fixed is giving some of the merchandise sales to the player themselves. Johnny brought the revenue of the university way up, and he received no money for it, while they recieved the publicity and money he was bringing in.
ReplyDeleteVery nice topic choice, John. You brought up some really valid points on both perspectives of the story, and really managed to keep your post mostly bias free. i respect that. I would just like to voice my own personal opinion that i do not believe Manziel should be allowed to enter the draft, simply on the grounds that JaDaveon Clowney was not allowed to enter last year. This fact gives bad light to an organization as highly esteemed as the NCAA.
ReplyDeleteThe situation of Johnny Manziel was highly scrutinized over his two years at A and M, and I'm glad you took a closer look at all the good he was doing for the university. You talked about the money the university took in over his two years there, and how that alone was enough to leave Johnny with a positive impact at A and M. It's true that he helped raise money, but he also helped put Texas A and M at a national spotlight never seen to themselves before, which is great publicity for the school, and potential money for the present and future.
ReplyDeleteSteven Mulvey
ReplyDeleteJohnny Football is a great choice for Texas A&M! I think the NCAA needs to look into the whole signing situation. Some of the students really could use the extra money sometimes making me a disbeliever of the signing rule. If a player is good enough that people are wanting their autograph and are willing to pay money for it, what's the big deal? Just like professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, they all will do paid and unpaid signings. Honestly though, with all the hard work that college athletes put in to their sport, school, and other activities, I'm sure it doesn't leave much time to sit down and sign autographs for free. Maybe giving some of the students a little money will interest them to more singing days more often. The NCAA just needs to be sure that athletes are not charging extremely high prices that are completely unaffordable.
In the end, great job John.
Very good article, John. I have to respectfully disagree with you. Although Johnny Manziel was a great football player, his actions on the football field made the public not like him. He was doing money signs(because of signing autographs) on the football field, which made him look very bad. All in all, very good article, but I have to disagree with you because of Johnny Manziel's actions while he was playing.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a interesting topic, you provided both the positive and negative aspect of him being apart of the A and M football team. I agree with you, and what you said because of the amount of money he brought to the program did more positive things for the school than what he was doing on his free time. The negative side that you provided affects him more than the school, there is no way that the amount of money that was brought in because of him can be overlooked by a few mistakes that almost every college student makes.
ReplyDeleteCollege athletes shouldn’t be paid by the university, but they should be able to make a living off their name. Not all college athletes are like Manziel, the majority of the families are middle class family and they don’t always have enough money to support their child, because not everyone gets a full ride. If a college athlete wants to make money off of their name, then the university and the tv networks shouldn’t be able to either.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Johnny Manziel is the most electric college football player in the past quarter century or so. I also feel like, because of his eccentric figure, he should be paid so. The only problem with this, is that if the NCAA starts to pay one player, then they have to pay the rest. Unfortunately because of this, it would not be ethical to pay a student athlete who is a total unknown, because they do not bring anything to the table. It has to work both ways, and Johnny Manziel should be paid, but because of the lack of excitement brought from unknown players, he will not.
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