I also think NIL will be a disaster--not so much for non-rev sports, but for rev sports it is already just exacerbating the corrupt professionalism of college athletics. I hear these idiot sports-talk guys say that NIL is here, it's the reality--and everyone has to deal with it. Maybe, but it is already creating a lot of problems. The original idea was to just allow some athletes to make a bit of cash off of t-shirts with their names on it or maybe the odd TV spot for the local lumber yard, whatever. Now, already, it's being used to bribe kids and their families to attend a certain college--or to bribe kids to switch from one college to another via the portal, because they've been offered a better NIL deal. There are no rules. And certainly soccer players are being offered NIL deals as well. Sports pundits also never mention that revenue student-athletes are getting a free college education that is worth at least $200K, not to mention free tutoring, counseling, medical care and all the rest. We're told that student-athletes should be allowed to market themselves. Maybe---but what happened to the student part of the equation; after all, this IS supposed to be college athletics. It's big business run amok. And another point: If a couple of athletes on a team, whether it's football or volleyball/soccer have NIL and are making money, certain of their teammates are bound to be resentful and thus it hurts team unity. Call me old school, and as a former D1 athlete I am, but I've never subscribed to this notion that student-athletes are being exploited by schools making millions of their play. You're getting a college education for free, or a big discount on it, and that's a big deal nowadays--if you take advantage of it. Finally, while revenue coaches are overpaid, most all the money generated by football and basketball games and TV contracts--and it IS a lot--is poured back into athletic programs, the upgrading of facilities, etc. This whole thing seemed to be started by activists who are always looking for another handout.
Tough balancing act. I know players that left major mids because they were undervalued, not given the accolades deserved, landed in better programs and doing well. Coaches want to be recognized for hard work and contribution; so do players getting it done. And the motivation is it is deserved and earned.
https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaab/nil-transfer-portal-college-coaches-retire-jay-wright Just tip of iceberg re NIL and coaches leaving. Agree with some of your thoughts. Hard to prevent it affecting team chemistry and hurt feelings. Wild times in college athletics.
I think an easy way to look at it is that the players now have the kind of mobility that coaches have always had. If you want to keep your good players, do things that make good players want to stay. Work hard, be honest and fair, scout and prepare well, train the team smartly, and don't over-recruit your roster! Coaches that don't do these things and admins who don't handle coaches or their ws program well - are now exposed via the portal exodus. Well run programs with stable coaches don't have lots of roster openings anyway though so many kids learn the grass is not always greener. Many transfers don't keep as much money and don't often transfer up or even at the same level. (As the ncaa noted and was posted earlier here) I think a lot of kids have thought transferring was like admitting you failed or 'couldn't hack it' at the first school. Now it seems 'everyone is doing it', so it's almost cool to be recruited again, so any stigma is really gone. Of course it makes sense to have shorter transfer 'windows' at the end of each semester since that corresponds with enrollment. It is the credits and grades that keep these kids eligible after all. Basketball stretching over both semesters may need another solution for their calendar. (Edit - and let them eat Pop-Tarts for God's sake!)
Struggling through adversity? Get out of here with that crap. Nothing wrong with transferring or changing jobs. Period. It is possible to "struggle through some adversity" and still transfer. How long must one "struggle through some adversity" before it is acceptable to move on? A well-rounded adult knows when it is time to move on and not "struggle through some adversity" anymore because it just isn't healthy. Good for people changing scenery or even making the conscientious decision to move on to wherever they can figure life out.
Did I say that? No. I said 'struggling through some adversity ... are qualities that develop well rounded adults'. I did not say players should not be allowed to transfer. A little adversity versus a lot of adversity are two different situations. Should student-athletes be able to go to four different schools in four years? Should this student-athletes be allowed to do this? This is supposed to be amateur athletics. It is not anymore. If you want to get paid, go pro. Miami Star Isaiah Wong Threatening Transfer Over NIL Compensation “If Isaiah and his family don’t feel that the NIL number meets their expectations they will be entering the transfer portal tomorrow while maintaining his eligibility in the NBA draft and going through the draft process,” Papas said.
NIL is a different story. No one knows what these transfers have faced before school, during school, and through a potential transfer. Nor does it really matter. People should be in control of their own decisions. These mandates from "adults" on an 18-21 year old in where they choose to study/play is absurd.
Let's not forget, there's a group of kids that got recruited very quickly and mostly through video during COVID. Recruits not allowed on campus, coaches not allowed to meet players or watch players in person and vice versa. If that's not a recipe for a lot of potentially bad decisions, I don't know what is. I think once the kids that COVID affected drastically are through their college years we may see this get closer to "normal" (whatever that is).
There are restrictions in everything we do. Competing in collegiate athletics is a choice. No one is required to do it. If you don't like their rules, don't play. This is what has always bothered me about the complaints of lack of pay for athletes in college sports. If you don't want to be an amateur, go pro. Simple stuff really. And, if they want to be paid athletes, lets be sure to tax them on that tuition, room and board. Do you honestly beleive a player should be allowed to play for four different schools in four years? You are preaching freedom.
Wow. As surprising as this is I completely agree with everything that is said here. Hit the nail on the head entirely. You don’t like the system then don’t play. These athletes are choosing to play college athletics they don’t have to. If athletes want paid, then pay taxes on everything like an employee. But I personally think it should remain amateur and people that don’t like the system don’t need to be involved in it.
If I want a job, I get a job. If I don't like my job, I get another job. I don't really care why or how a kid decides to transfer. I don't think there's any issues with the academic requirements. Now...you are trying to add more to it. Why is it you continue to move the goalposts? On a discussion that brought up the transfer portal, you moved it to men's basketball NIL. Now, you are saying "play four different schools in four years" which is probably never been done in the last 20-30 years. Funny how this is the theme, yet both of you are trying to change the system to fit your own opinion on how you want it to be.
I brought up the NIL because it was 100% transfer related (he demanded more pay or he would transfer). Read the headline and article. It was directly related. The four time transfer in fours years was brought up, because you keep saying 'freedom'. So I asked you a question, I did not move the goalposts. Your job changes are not the same thing. The NCAA is a single entity. They create rules. If you do not like them, go pro or to NAIA (if you are ok with their rules). If you are referring to coaching job changes, no college administration would hire you if you changed jobs every year. I am not sure why you are so hot over this. Some of us just have different opinions than you of what amateur athletics should look like.
All entitled to opinions that’s a part of being on this discussion. Right now it seems like the inmates are running the asylum in college sports. I’m bored of hearing these kids whining that they don’t have what they deserve when they don’t realize how good they have it. Again, if they don’t like how things are then don’t sign up for it in the first place. Anyway I think I’m a touch off thread here and am talking more collegiate sports in general than simply the womens transfer portal it seems.
The NCAA has changed the rules allowing players to transfer though so why should the athlete not take advantage of that? Using your words, if you dont like it, then follow something else?
I never said they should not transfer. Never once. In fact, one of my posts said that they should be allowed to transfer. Also, the rules were not changed to allow transfers. They have always been allowed to transfer. The addition of the Portal has just turned it into the wild west. I have just been discussing why I do not like the mass free agency, and I think there should be 'some' restrictions. I also think coaches should be held to their coaching contract just like schools are. Sure I will give you a 5 year contract, but if you leave early, you pay the school for every year you do not fulfill. Oh wait, now you only want a 3 year contract? Grand! Works better for both of us. Same with scholarships. If you want a 4 year guaranteed scholarship, shouldn't you be required to honor all four years too? Just thoughts to throw out there.
That can make sense for college soccer but doesn’t hold up for the revenue sports. It could if there weren’t age restrictions for pro players in those sports as well. As it stands, an 18 year old elite football player’s only option to bank the millions their skills are worth is to work for free for years while putting their long term career at risk from injury.
They aren’t working for free. They are getting an education, training in their field, access to services to their field and academic career. Gear, equipment, medical care, marketing, meals on top of their meal plan, cash in their pocket and exposure in their field. Plus they can take a life insurance policy out on future earnings. that is not “working for free.” and transfers have always been allowed. But with rules and guidelines. To go from that no no rules is ridiculous and hurting the kids, the teams and college sports. Reigning it back in would be a good thing.
Is this a general comment on College athletics or are we talking about Women's soccer? The revenue sports are a totally different proposition to the others.
1) they don’t work for free they get a lot of benefits from college athletics 2) they are choosing to do this
I read a blog from TheHiddenOpponent, its basically a group that promotes mental health among student athletes and uses actual student-athlete's writing posting comments. Just read one yesterday. The young lady was a graduate of the University of Arizona (yes, played under the guy that was just let go from Florida) and one thing that stuck out to me... her and teammates were talking about ways to 'blow their acls'. I mentioned that to my girl and she said- yes, absolutely, a bunch of girls talk about stuff like that (also including pink-shirting which was a new term for me) to get out of having to deal with crap. Yeah, some kids feelings get hurt and complain about everything and take offense to everything. Other kids bust their rears and are just crapped on. While I think the transfer portal needs to be reformed, I don't know how one does that after opening pandora's box. Bottom line, coaches lie, schools lie (as do athletes), if a kid wants to move, they should have the option to do so but also it shouldn't be so easy.
I usually tend to lean towards the protect the program side in these things but I really come out more towards letting them transfer. 1. Most conferences seem to be changing the rule about transferring in conference. I wish this had stayed the same. This seems to open up a whole box of problems to me. 2. To some degree I simply agree with Big Bear that if coaches are able to leave late in the process the players should be as well but having said that I think there are practical problems with doing it another way. 3. I like the idea of the transfer windows in theory but the more i think about it the more problems I have with it. My first is that when you talk about a winter transfer window being Dec 15-Jan 15th, which are the dates I keep hearing being thrown around, half of that is during a dead period. That means you have about a week and a half to get players on campus if you want them in for the spring semester. My second problem is I think it can lead to hurried thinking. The season ends and things are emotional. I think sometimes it takes a little time to get your mind around things. I spent 5 years at my school and would have gone on the transfer portal after my freshman year if somebody had told me it was my only chance to do so before May. The third is that I think May 1st is too early of a deadline in the spring. (I know it's the deadline now. I think it's too early) Some players are still playing spring games on May 1. I think if we want to set deadlines we need a system where kids can finish the spring, assess and then make a decision. A week isn't enough time for this. This screams "The NCAA made a rule that works for basketball and football" My last problem is that I worry the short winter transfer window will have players making mistakes for a second time. Programs needs change throughout the spring. Sometimes you can't control the timing of things but I think giving people time to make the right decision is fair. I'm curious whether the month is the time you can enter the portal or transfer. If you go on the portal in December can you keep visiting schools once the window closes under the proposed transfer window rule? 4. My last problem with all this stuff is I don't want players on a team that doesn't want to be there. It's as simple as that. It always ends up miserable for everyone. For the coaches, for the players in question, for the other players on the team. Because of that I tend to think that if a player finishes their summer and decides they can't go back to school, but wants to play closer to home, everyone should probably just let them. I don't care if it's 2 days before pre-season. Most of these programs have 25-30 players (or more anyway) 5. One clarification to the current rule that I think is true. Players have to go onto the portal by May 1 for fall and spring sports but there are two written exceptions to this. 1. If the coach leaves 2. If a players scholarship is cancelled or reduced. Sorry for the rambling. I'm not really decided on this. I know everyone has their own line in the sand. Honestly just trying to figure out where mine is.
Nothing in men's basketball and women's soccer is directly related. They are both student-athletes, that is really the only thing in common between the two.
They know what they have, they also know what they should/could get more. If anyone thinks it is okay that coaches can make millions and sign their own endorsement deals while athletes cannot even make a dollar off their own name? That is a ridiculous concept. I have my own complaints and issues with athletes, coaches, college sports, etc. But, a person should be able to get paid if there is an endorsement or sponsorship. If their jersey is getting sold, with their name/number/etc. then t hey should get compensated. Only in America do people support billionaires and millionaires over the little people who are just trying to get some form of income. It is shocking.
I want to partially rep this. Its not only in America. If we are talking women's soccer, many players on a team are not getting full rides and the benefits some list above. That aside, If a player feels that she can get a "better" experience elsewhere and she follows the current rules to achieve it, more power to her. Who "loses" in the current scenario?
Soccer players (male and female) can threaten to leave for NLI money too. Two women's basketball players just left Fresno State for lucrative NLI deals at Miami.