Pacific Pro Football League: A welcome alternative to the NFL?
The road to professional football is long and financially treacherous. By the time an athlete reaches high school, their families have often footed the bill for thousands of dollars in training expenses.聽
In college, though many athletes receive scholarships, the financial rewards are slim, even as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rakes in billions of dollars from the sport. Now, a new league looks set to change that.
The Pacific Pro Football League plans to begin playing games in summer 2018. Its four teams will each sign 50 players who, because they鈥檝e been out of high school for less than 3 years, are ineligible for the NFL draft. These players will receive an average of $50,000 in salary and benefits for each season (8 games) that they play. Since the games will take place over the summer, players will have the opportunity to attend college during the rest of the year, taking advantage of a 1-year scholarship to community college provided by the league. At the same time, they will work with coaches to hone their skills in preparation for the NFL draft.
Both in terms of finances and education, the new league represents a shift away from the typical NCAA model, which sets strict limits on practice time and limits financial benefits. This approach may provide a welcome alternative to the traditional college path for some players.
鈥泪迟鈥檒濒 and a lot of families,鈥� Pacific Pro Football League co-founder Ed McCaffrey, a former NFL receiver, told USA TODAY Sports. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to provide them with that choice.鈥�
The new league may help bring football in line with sports like baseball and hockey, where that choice already exists. Athletes can choose to play in college, or head straight to professional leagues: juniors in hockey, and minor league or independent league baseball. There鈥檚 also the option to go abroad: the Toronto Maple Leafs鈥� Auston Matthews spent a season in Switzerland before becoming eligible for the NHL draft.
One reason these alternatives don鈥檛 exist in football: The NFL wants players to have the opportunity to develop physically and mentally before starting to compete, according to USA TODAY. To many people, that kind of development requires going to college.
But according to the founders of the Pacific Pro Football League, there鈥檚 another way to achieve even better results. They plan to combine traditional education with professional-level training, geared toward developing these athletes for a future in the NFL.聽
". Every team will have a counselor to help players develop their interests academically and/or vocationally, and assist with coordinating meaningful internships in their fields of interest," Don Yee, a league co-founder who represents New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, said in a statement, according to ESPN.
And because their athletes will be paid and be eligible for sponsorship deals, they鈥檒l have a longer window to cash in on their sporting prowess. That could make all the difference for players and their families. It could bring benefits for the NFL, too.
"Pac Pro Football players will be paid as professionals, treated as professionals, and ," Mr. Yee said in a statement, suggesting that the approach will result in 鈥渉igher quality football players,鈥� CBS Sports reported.
Financing the league remains an issue, with some estimating that it will cost millions of dollars to get the league off the ground. The league is currently looking for sponsors, ESPN reported.
