In the olden days of the year, many of the people you like to follow on social media were upset that three future first-round draft picks were sitting out of a bowl.
Kirk Herbstreit said it was a disturbing trend, and Mike Leach said he couldn't think of a more selfish point of view. The double standard of how teenagers playing a game for free always get held to a higher standard than the adults who make millions is at an all-time high after five years.
The sports world is losing its mind after Brian Kelly sent his team a late-night text about how he was dumping them in the morning. The fact that the Irish have a chance to play in the College Football Playoff for the third time in a row is meaningless. The rumors surrounding the absurdity of Lincoln Riley's deal that got him to leave Oklahoma for USC are so crazy that he is making up his story as he goes.
We can discuss how Riley and Kelly executed their moves all day. I am not mad at them for getting their money. When players are not given the same respect as coaches, they are not frowned upon for doing what is best for their careers.
The NCAA granted all college athletes another year of eligibility due to the Pandemic, and the creation of the transfer portal, which is believed to have resulted in over 3000 students changing schools.
The players are getting some power over their futures. They are not seen in the same way as coaches are when they do it. The system is rigged because it allows the NCAA and schools to keep all the profits for themselves while allowing someone else to pay their workers.
Michigan State's Mel Tucker, Penn State's James Franklin, Riley, and Kelly all signed contracts in the last few weeks. The old adage of "we can't pay the players" doesn't exist anymore if boosters and schools keep finding millions to pay coaches during a time in which the Pandemic led to tons of schools shutting down entire programs.
Duke's former athletic director, who just retired in August, dared to say this about NIL in June of 2020.
Kevin White and his colleague and friend, the Athletic Director of the University of North Carolina, are concerned about the implications of NIL legislation. How will it affect recruiting? Will it create an open marketplace in which institutions solicit businesses or boosters to offer ever-increasing endorsement deals to high school athletes? Will resources from equipment, apparel, and shoe companies be diverted to a relatively few individuals rather than being shared equally among the lesser-known, but no less valuable, Olympic sports?
White made a lot of money at Duke. Zion did not.
When you check out your favorite team's roster, you'll see a lot of new faces that have arrived via the transfer portal. Don't be angry if thecontinuity is dissolving in college sports, but be angry if the coaches that benefit from the same trend are dealt with only a small portion of the blowback.
