I was just looking at a list of wealthy Cal alums, including ten billionaires. There are a large number of business people on this list, including a number of female alums. But I am wondering if the new professionalism of college sports will actually make it even harder to get donations. Instead of asking for money for scholarships for young student-athletes, we will now be asking for funding for NIL bonuses and salaries for many people who are just passing through and who may not even stay to get a Cal degree. We should probably instead pursue corporate donors who will simply want some kind of naming and marketing opportunity.
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Last: 20 days ago by bearchamp
I agree. As has already happened with football and men's basketball, women's college basketball is fast becoming essentially a semi-pro league where college mascots and team colors are widely licensed and marketed for profit. Thus is makes sense to extend that to actual corporate sponsorships...sell ad placements on jerseys, basketball courts, buildings etc. Why not?
What's an individual donor to do in this environment then? My choice is to simply continue to donate to women's sports programs at Cal (my grad school), my undergrad alma mater, and my daughter's alma mater (even though she didn't play on a team). Having come of age on the cusp of Title IX, I really value what participation in team sports at the college level can offer young women across the board. The intangible benefits extend far beyond the court or playing fields...While I understand it how/why it evolved into its current state, I admit to not being keen on the NIL eco-system and will continue to focus my donations in ways that support entire program infrastructure, rather than individual athletes....
Sure the NIL money many are receiving is nice, but I really hope these young athletes are being provided guidance as to how to best invest these funds since the vast, vast majority will not be making a living as pro athletes down the line.
Perhaps one's choice of degree and/or school won't matter much in the grand scheme of things, but I'd still like to believe that it still does. I treasure my 4 years as a college athlete at one institution, the close friendships I developed with teammates, and the support (and the escape) athletics provided as I made my way through the rigors of academia. I can't imagine hopping from one school to the next...one team to the next....but each to her own.
What's an individual donor to do in this environment then? My choice is to simply continue to donate to women's sports programs at Cal (my grad school), my undergrad alma mater, and my daughter's alma mater (even though she didn't play on a team). Having come of age on the cusp of Title IX, I really value what participation in team sports at the college level can offer young women across the board. The intangible benefits extend far beyond the court or playing fields...While I understand it how/why it evolved into its current state, I admit to not being keen on the NIL eco-system and will continue to focus my donations in ways that support entire program infrastructure, rather than individual athletes....
Sure the NIL money many are receiving is nice, but I really hope these young athletes are being provided guidance as to how to best invest these funds since the vast, vast majority will not be making a living as pro athletes down the line.
Perhaps one's choice of degree and/or school won't matter much in the grand scheme of things, but I'd still like to believe that it still does. I treasure my 4 years as a college athlete at one institution, the close friendships I developed with teammates, and the support (and the escape) athletics provided as I made my way through the rigors of academia. I can't imagine hopping from one school to the next...one team to the next....but each to her own.
As we saw with the two freshmen who are transferring out of Cal, and even all the UCLA freshmen transferring out. More and more, degrees don't seem to matter to people anymore.
And the question is "Why should they?" What exactly is the advantage of a Cal degree over an Oregon degree, especially in the majors most athletes choose? What employer looks at the school rather than the person?
Well, there is no shortage of 18 year olds who decide during college that grad school, post undergraduate work, is a good path for them. Going out on a limb, but there might be one or two schools who might give a Cal undergrad degree, just a smidge of an advantage....ClayK said:
And the question is "Why should they?" What exactly is the advantage of a Cal degree over an Oregon degree, especially in the majors most athletes choose? What employer looks at the school rather than the person?
I still believe the continuity of four years at one institution, whatever one they choose, can be of value to most (not all) in terms of how they recall their college experience(s) and relationships. I say this looking back in time as to what I treasure most today, but each to her own eh?
CalWSportsFan said:
I still believe the continuity of four years at one institution, whatever one they choose, can be of value to most (not all) in terms of how they recall their college experience(s) and relationships. I say this looking back in time as to what I treasure most today, but each to her own eh?
Clay,
I had a stellar resume with several prestigious stints in government and when I went to my first private practice interview the first question was "why didn't you go to Harvard?" There are organizations that will not even interview you if you don't have certain prestigious credentials. School identity doesn't mean much for many "jobs", but school identity is determinative in others. Not being able to discern a difference between Oregon and Cal is naive.
I had a stellar resume with several prestigious stints in government and when I went to my first private practice interview the first question was "why didn't you go to Harvard?" There are organizations that will not even interview you if you don't have certain prestigious credentials. School identity doesn't mean much for many "jobs", but school identity is determinative in others. Not being able to discern a difference between Oregon and Cal is naive.
Is your degree and career path one that many div 1 athletes in basketball/football aspire to? I think Clay said something related to majors most athletes choose. Seems like that was an important caveat.bearchamp said:
Clay,
I had a stellar resume with several prestigious stints in government and when I went to my first private practice interview the first question was "why didn't you go to Harvard?" There are organizations that will not even interview you if you don't have certain prestigious credentials. School identity doesn't mean much for many "jobs", but school identity is determinative in others. Not being able to discern a difference between Oregon and Cal is naive.
I think this board clearly overvalues the Cal degree relative to the weight that student athletes place on it. This has been proven time and time again, when we examine recruiting battles lost and transfer locations chosen. Very rarely do those choices appear to be upgrades based on overall school reputation vs. Cal. So the sound advice likely is pick the best school, but in practice it appears to register about as well as when I ask my kids to eat their vegetables.
Just to say, I grew up in a rural area in Massachusetts, close to esteemed colleges: Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and UMASS, and highly regarded Prep(Boarding Schools).... Cal was and is known as Berkeley to many living in the Northeast, having an oustanding reputation with prestige similar to Ivy League schools.
I am on Tik Tok, and Calif. highschool seniors post about their dismay not getting accepted to Cal or UCLA. If I were a parent, and my daughter had no chance of being in the WNBA, I would tell her to stay at Cal or UCLA. I imagine some student athletes transfer because the academics are too difficult for them. Of course, I have many years of life experience, unlike 18-22 year old young women! I am partial to Cal, and the WBB Program. GO BEARS!!!!
I am on Tik Tok, and Calif. highschool seniors post about their dismay not getting accepted to Cal or UCLA. If I were a parent, and my daughter had no chance of being in the WNBA, I would tell her to stay at Cal or UCLA. I imagine some student athletes transfer because the academics are too difficult for them. Of course, I have many years of life experience, unlike 18-22 year old young women! I am partial to Cal, and the WBB Program. GO BEARS!!!!
Well said. I'm worried that not enough of the leadership of young women are warning how unlikely it is that they will have a chance to play and make money.Ashfield63 said:
Just to say, I grew up in a rural area in Massachusetts, close to esteemed colleges: Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and UMASS, and highly regarded Prep(Boarding Schools).... Cal was and is known as Berkeley to many living in the Northeast, having an oustanding reputation with prestige similar to Ivy League schools.
I am on Tik Tok, and Calif. highschool seniors post about their dismay not getting accepted to Cal or UCLA. If I were a parent, and my daughter had no chance of being in the WNBA, I would tell her to stay at Cal or UCLA. I imagine some student athletes transfer because the academics are too difficult for them. Of course, I have many years of life experience, unlike 18-22 year old young women! I am partial to Cal, and the WBB Program. GO BEARS!!!!
It's so great that the college opportunity has expanded for basketball playing women over the years....
I'd guess most of the starters on NCAA Tournament teams will be able to make money playing overseas. But that's certainly a small minority of all college WBB players, I think it's great that so many others get the chance to play and to get a degree.mbBear said:
I'm worried that not enough of the leadership of young women are warning how unlikely it is that they will have a chance to play and make money.
It's so great that the college opportunity has expanded for basketball playing women over the years....
Speaking of playing in Europe...a former coach's daughter..
https://www.marinij.com/2025/04/19/womens-basketball-former-redwood-standout-horstmeyer-looking-to-play-abroad/
https://www.marinij.com/2025/04/19/womens-basketball-former-redwood-standout-horstmeyer-looking-to-play-abroad/
stu said:I'd guess most of the starters on NCAA Tournament teams will be able to make money playing overseas. But that's certainly a small minority of all college WBB players, I think it's great that so many others get the chance to play and to get a degree.mbBear said:
I'm worried that not enough of the leadership of young women are warning how unlikely it is that they will have a chance to play and make money.
It's so great that the college opportunity has expanded for basketball playing women over the years....
did you mean Final 4 teams? Is your math 5x4? You can't possibly mean 5x32 or 5x62?
I was an NCAA champion when at Cal. I have teammates who are doctors, professors and successful businessmen, who were also NCAA champi0ons and medalists. When one say the kind of majors most athletes pursue, you are assuming most athletes are not serious about their educations, which is more than a little patronizing. If athletes appropriate to Cal are recruited, they will benefit from the Cal experience more than they would from the Oregon experience. Cal does open doors.
bearchamp said:
I was an NCAA champion when at Cal. I have teammates who are doctors, professors and successful businessmen, who were also NCAA champi0ons and medalists. When one say the kind of majors most athletes pursue, you are assuming most athletes are not serious about their educations, which is more than a little patronizing. If athletes appropriate to Cal are recruited, they will benefit from the Cal experience more than they would from the Oregon experience. Cal does open doors.
Tremendous post....thank you.
I mean most of 5x64 or whatever it is with play-ins. There are a lot of professional teams (at many levels) outside of the USA. I'm not talking WNBA, which is more like 5x4.mbBear said:stu said:I'd guess most of the starters on NCAA Tournament teams will be able to make money playing overseas. But that's certainly a small minority of all college WBB players, I think it's great that so many others get the chance to play and to get a degree.mbBear said:
I'm worried that not enough of the leadership of young women are warning how unlikely it is that they will have a chance to play and make money.
It's so great that the college opportunity has expanded for basketball playing women over the years....
did you mean Final 4 teams? Is your math 5x4? You can't possibly mean 5x32 or 5x62?
stu said:I mean most of 5x64 or whatever it is with play-ins. There are a lot of professional teams (at many levels) outside of the USA. I'm not talking WNBA, which is more like 5x4.mbBear said:stu said:I'd guess most of the starters on NCAA Tournament teams will be able to make money playing overseas. But that's certainly a small minority of all college WBB players, I think it's great that so many others get the chance to play and to get a degree.mbBear said:
I'm worried that not enough of the leadership of young women are warning how unlikely it is that they will have a chance to play and make money.
It's so great that the college opportunity has expanded for basketball playing women over the years....
did you mean Final 4 teams? Is your math 5x4? You can't possibly mean 5x32 or 5x62?
That's a lot of players... but I am certainly no expert on international women's leagues.
Also, a player from a non tournament SEC team is making it before most of the players from the 16 seeds..
That's true, but the numbers more or less cancel. I'm talking order of magnitude estimates.mbBear said:
Also, a player from a non tournament SEC team is making it before most of the players from the 16 seeds..
stu said:That's true, but the numbers more or less cancel. I'm talking order of magnitude estimates.mbBear said:
Also, a player from a non tournament SEC team is making it before most of the players from the 16 seeds..
Well, as you said, the point is we are talking small numbers.
I would agree. But a B.A. in socioiogy is not going to get you an interview for a prestigious position, no matter where it's from. If you're talking about chemical engineering or a graduate degree, yes, there's a difference.bearchamp said:
Clay,
I had a stellar resume with several prestigious stints in government and when I went to my first private practice interview the first question was "why didn't you go to Harvard?" There are organizations that will not even interview you if you don't have certain prestigious credentials. School identity doesn't mean much for many "jobs", but school identity is determinative in others. Not being able to discern a difference between Oregon and Cal is naive.
But never once have the source of my degrees had any influence on whether I was hired or not hired. History and philosophy degrees don't carry much weight regardless of origin.
So, again, you don't want to discuss what a Cal undergrad degree might lead to in a post grad world, even if it is a liberal arts degree?ClayK said:I would agree. But a B.A. in socioiogy is not going to get you an interview for a prestigious position, no matter where it's from. If you're talking about chemical engineering or a graduate degree, yes, there's a difference.bearchamp said:
Clay,
I had a stellar resume with several prestigious stints in government and when I went to my first private practice interview the first question was "why didn't you go to Harvard?" There are organizations that will not even interview you if you don't have certain prestigious credentials. School identity doesn't mean much for many "jobs", but school identity is determinative in others. Not being able to discern a difference between Oregon and Cal is naive.
But never once have the source of my degrees had any influence on whether I was hired or not hired. History and philosophy degrees don't carry much weight regardless of origin.
And in terms of an undergrad liberal arts degree, you have your experience, I have mine: completely and totally influenced my hire and recognition in my younger days.
Not sure why this trolling by you is all that necessary, and why you feel the need to bring it up multiple times. The Cal brand has incredible influence on an international scale, and, wait, let me check, Cal has international players-what a coincidence. And you, of all people, know plenty of 17-18 year olds don't really have their mind made up as a HS Sr-why would not going to the best school that they can be a positive, and
let that experience grow them intellectually?
You want one of us to say, "yeah, Cal is hard, and even harder if you are doing a D-1 sport?" Are there easier paths? Of course.
Professional sports is a myth. Yes, a few athletes succeed economically, but a very small percentage. Looking at playing overseas as a "gap year" is one thing, but not a likely path to lifetime economic success. Cal shouldn't jump through hoops for such a small population that can find a path elsewhere. Real student athletes should be accommodated, not mercenaries.
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