Exactly. MONEY. I'm going to tell you why.
They could have more. More money. There are roughly 119 D1 schools that have football right now. If you take 32 teams from the NFL and each as a three-tier "minor league" like baseball (A, AA, AAA) that's an additional 96 teams. More development, more players to choose from. MORE MONEY. Why does it make money in baseball but wouldn't in football?
Wrong. Again, look at baseball and many other collegiate sports where there is a professional aspect. You go to college or you go pro; you can't do both. Once you go pro, you can't go back. College will get the quality players that want a free education, the development league will get the "ringers" that don't care about education.
Wrong. Right now those same networks show college on Saturday and pro on Sunday. Now you have the development league during a different time of the year and it equates to MORE revenue stream for the networks. Nothing sells ad space or makes money for TV better than sports. So why not add more sports?
Now private would never work a la the USFL. But if the NFL and NCAA develop it themselves it's guaranteed to work.
I'm going to ignore your political remark and ask you don't do it again. Live for the moment, enjoy what there is, but don't ever be closed-minded.
I like grits too, do you like instant grits?
An American High School BASEBALL player has choices. An American HS FOOTBALL player does NOT. Besides, no one really cares about College Baseball as it does not make any money. It is not even a revenue generating sport. Most likely women's college basketball makes more than NCAA Baseball. The only ones that care about college baseball are the players. In baseball, few top tier players chose the College Route, if they do, they only do it only because they think they can get their stock higher in college, therefore get a bigger signing bonus. You would think baseball players would graduate more than football players, nope! Something only like 5% graduate.
Who is going to front the cost for all this minor league NFL system? You? Can you guarantee a profit?
The NFL, NCAAF, and Networks all have a business model that works fine. Why change it? You are projecting they will make more money with your system, however, they already know how to make money. NFL and NCAAF have grown over the years, huge now. I am sure 50 years ago, no one could ever imagine one 14 team conference getting paid out $5 Billion by one Network. The NFL is projected to make $15 Billion this year alone after making about $13 Billion last year. The NFL and NCAAF already knows what works for them. Why change it? You telling me you know better than them how to make money for them???
MLB is not NFL. Minor League Baseball is NOT minor league football. A lot of the Minor League Teams were in existence even before their MLB counterpart. A lot of the A, AA, AAA leagues were also in existence before MLB. The minor leagues are self sustaining leagues, and for the most part can support themselves. MLB teams do support their minor league affiliation financially, but it's not that much. Minor League teams are really just affiliates, Teams do lose affiliations for whatever reason. So basically, MLB did not even have to set up a Minor League, it was already in place. All they had to do was make a team an affiliate, and send out their poor performing and developing players to these affiliates (A, AA, AAA).
There is no need for the Networks to support the hand that feeds them, so most likely they will not push for any junior development minor league system. Both the NCAA and the Networks want the best playsers out of HS to go to the NCAA. They do not want it any other way. Also the NCAA conferences contract with NCAA and NFL are all long term deals. The SEC deal was a 15 year contract. So if change does come it will be at least 15 years. However, after 15 years, you will just find out that the Conferences will just renew for the same thing for the next 15, but only get more money from it. you think the Networks are going to piss off the hands that feeds them and send the best HS players to a Developmental League?
In addition to all this, there is also the fact that Minor League Football League already in existence. It's called the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League, and many other "x" league. The major networks do not really support these leagues, and if they do, the games are rarely on TV, and if they are they are extremely low rating. The NFL also does not have to finance these leagues so therefore the NFL get the developed players from these leagues for free. Unlike Basketball, it has been proven that a Football player needs to be developed right out of HS to succeed. Those who try to make the jump to the CFL right away fail miserably. Therefore, the player has to go to NCAAF to develop, this is his only choice. NCAAF is the FREE NFL Developmental league.
I understand you want true student athletes, and those who want to stay in school, play college football.. while those who do NOT want to stay in school should go to the minor leagues. But it's not going to happen. The people who has the revenue stream coming in are going to make sure they keep it. In their eyes, there is no need for any of this to change now. Only thing that will change is they (the NCAA) will relax the rules for the "slaves" aka football players, just a little, they might let these guys "work" but I am sure they keep all the endorsement deals, and all the TV money for themselves.
NCAAF is big business, with a business model that works. There is no need for them to drastically change things. That is why things will stay the same. I don't like it either! The real world is tough man, I wish I too could join your fantasy world.