Clemson’s Dabo Swinney says unionization “devalues” education

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is not in favor of college football players being able to unionize because he believes to do so “devalues” education.

Seriously.

Here’s what Swinney had to say to The Post and Courier:

"“We’ve got enough entitlement in this country as it is. To say these guys get nothing totally devalues an education. It just blows my mind people don’t even want to quantify an education. “I didn’t get into coaching to make money – coaches weren’t making any money when I got into coaching. It’s what I wanted to do with my life, and I was able to do it because of my education. That’s what changed my life. That’s what changes everybody’s life.”"

Yeah…nobody in favor of unionization was arguing that players “get nothing,” only that current “compensation,” in the form of a scholarship, is not adequate when you consider a) potential long-term medical problems and b) the inability of players to truly devote themselves to receiving the best possible educations — UNC term papers, anyone? — when so much time must be allocated to football. These are pretty rational points, and to dismiss them as mere cries for “entitlement” is absurd and gross.

Oh, but Swinney wasn’t done:

"“Tajh Boyd could quit football right now, and they’d be lined up from here to California to hire that guy. You know why? Because he took advantage of his opportunity and his platform and marketing and the brand. These guys are trained, they’ve got great expertise and great resources. There’s so many things that go into the college experience and college education, more importantly.”"

Yes, Tajh Boyd would indeed generate a transcontinental line of employers because Tajh Boyd was a major star at Clemson. His “brand” has little to do with the actual degree he received — sociology — and far more to do with the fact he was the starting quarterback for a big-name program consistently on national television. Not to disparage Tajh Boyd at all, but if he did just “quit football right now,” he’d be in a far better position with regards to potential employment than some no-name second-string linebacker from a school in a non-AQ conference. With that in mind, using Boyd as an example isn’t exactly sensible.

Of course, I’m just a dirty communist who doesn’t understand the value of own-bootstrap-pulling, so what do I know?

[Source: The Post and Courier]