College athletics has changed significantly throughout the years, whether it be the introduction of the NIL or the changes to the transfer portal, making it more like a free agency rather than a chance to show out elsewhere.
It is more comparable to leagues such as the NFL or the NBA, where players can sign brand name deals for extra use of their likeness or having the chance to sign with another team in their league’s offseason.
For college athletes, they still follow the same “student athlete” motto that has stuck with them since high school, not being able to keep up with school work can risk their chances to not only play for their school, but lose a chance to transfer elsewhere or sign a potential NIL deal.
While professional athletes don’t have to worry about their next in class assignment, they have other major responsibilities as they grow into a more mature stage of their life.
Juggling between not only their sport, some professionals also have the responsibility of taking care of their family if they choose to have one, their property of major fortune and having to stay financially smart as a long career is not guaranteed.
Shying away from school work and family care, the viewership atmosphere between both departments can have their strengths and weaknesses, especially when looking at schools in the big state towns like Columbus or professional teams in major U.S. cities like New York.
Most professional teams, for example like the LA Dodgers or the New England Patriots can have fans that span across the globe because of their popularity or star players that appear in media like Tom Brady or Shohei Ohtani.
While collegiate teams like Duke basketball can bring in more of an in person viewership because of past alma maters and the size of the school, along with their long term success.
Taking a look at what the venues have to offer, they can very much differ based on location and popularity, most universities are located in outside areas of what can be considered the “popular” part of the state.
The University of Michigan, which is home to one of the largest stadiums in the world, is not located in downtown Detroit which makes it isolated from the main city, which holds teams like the Lions, which bring in a huge amount of fan pulse.
The venues themselves can make up for their long distances between major cities.
Beaver Stadium and Kyle Field hold well over 100,000 fans every week, around 15,000-20,000 more than their professional outsiders like Lincoln Financial Field and AT&T Stadium.
These massive stadiums at these big state schools can hold over 85,000 on average, while professonial counter parts hold around 40,000 when looking at all the four major sports in the United States.
Money again plays a huge factor into the difference of what fans get to witness every week, collegiate teams do not have the fear of losing a player for money issues as they can give “scholarships” to athletes and call it financial aid.
Professional clubs do not have the luxury of paid tuition, amongst the four major sports in the United States, each team is given around $200 million to spend on their roster, which may sound like a lot, but is very little when it comes to building championship teams.
The level of competetion also varies among these levels.
For example in college, a majority of teams start kids who enter their early 20’s and have the chance to beat up on kids fresh out of highschool. Making championships and dynastys easier to reach.
In major league athletics, the players are the best in the world and have multiple years of experience, meaning college success is not likely to translate quickly barring unique circumstances or performances.
While student athletes have the pressure of playing in front of a 100,000 people weekly and keeping up with their econ assignment, when comparing their lives to professional athletes, it is much more to juggle because of the responsibilities they hold when they become older.