Can someone define "professional"?

Therein lies the problem. The lines have been blurred far too much.

I have no problem with college athletes getting extra money for their likeness being used by schools. But where NIL is and everything are bridges too far.

Also apparently appearing in an NFL minicamp is totally fine no issues at all but appearing in a preseason game is an absolutely travesty and the final straw ending college sports

It’s all semantics and technicalities.

By their logic, Daequan Wright is more of a professional than Jordan Seaton.

One wasn’t drafted or rostered by an NFL team. The other would have been a 1st round pick and on an NFL roster right now if not for an arbitrary rule that you can’t enter the NFL until your 3rd year out of HS.

It’s the epitome of getting upset about something because you decided you wanted to be upset by it.

A professional- Someone who tried out for an NFL and wants to play for LSU.

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Can someone define "professional"?

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Easy peezy.

The definition of "professional" is the group of people against whom the media and conference can take a stand because it attacks a tiny target supported by a mindless label.

College players who got paid to play a different sport are NOT professionals. [The media and conferences cannot be adversarial to athletes who get paid in other sports. They could never get the public angry about that issue.]

College players who get paid to play football are NOT professionals. [You cannot make an enemy of every college team. Nobody would take that kind of adversary seriously.]

College football is NOT a professional sport even though the players get paid millions of dollars to play. [Again, you cannot attack every college team. Nobody would take that kind of adversary seriously. Plus, the more money in the sport means the media and conferences make more money. "We have to protect our phony baloney high-paying jobs."]

College players who get paid to play college football for five years are NOT professionals. [Too many athletes and schools. Besides, the NCAA made this rule.]

College football players who opted to tryout for an NFL team because the NCAA did not announce they had another year of eligibility before the players made the choice to tryout. Even though they got cut, those athletes are PROFESSIONALS. [This is a tiny target to attack. It's just a few schools, and the main violator already wears the blackest hat. Besides, this argument is supported by a mindlessly simple label that the media and conferences don't have to explain:

"PRO teams have PRO players, and college teams have . . . well, they have . . . well, it's not "pay for play." Only PRO teams have PRO players, so let's keep PROS in the PROS because college teams don't have . . . well, let's keep college pure for amateur athletes like the way it was when we were young."

You sign a professional league contract.

Someone who is paid to play, do a service. College players are pros now

I agree the lines are extremely blurred in this situration. While I have been against all the other players going back to college after playing on a professional team, I think a one time exception to the 2022 class players who weren't major pro prospects and likely would have returned if they had known they were going to get the extra year. They odds are, many of these players made less than their NIL money and will have very little NIL bargaining power this year.

We should settle it on the field and have the Best College team play the worst NFL team and see what happens