Brandt’s Corner
In the world of sports, there are things that divide people, often turning to heated arguments full of emotion, void of actual facts: LeBron versus Jordan. The Cowboys existing. Did Tom Brady cheat? All of these, it seems, are now an afterthought compared to the newest argument on the table — are the NIL and transfer portal ruining college athletics?
Generally, you will find two camps for this. One camp — and this is me making a very broad generalization — has many members who are of older generations; those who know what ‘real’ football is. Back when the fullback mattered, facemasks hardly existed, and only one or two good passing quarterbacks could exist at the same time. Some of them might even remember when the forward pass was first introduced to the sport. I’d reckon a small portion even wore leather helmets at one point in their playing careers.
OK, those last two points might be a bit facetious and dramatic, but you get the point of the super broad, wide brush approach I took. No, not everyone that is in the first camp is older than I am. There is going to be a mix, regardless. But generally, I find that those who share the first set of opinions tend to be old-school and set in their ways.
The second camp, which I am in, tends be the younger generations. We millennials and Gen Zers are generally grouped with our common opinion, but again those are nothing more than generalizations and the furthest thing from absolutes that you can get.
Camp number believe the NIL and transfer portal are ruining college sports. Athletes shouldn’t be paid and they should play all four years at the same school is the general belief from this camp. Why people believe in this varies — sometimes it’s because that’s how it was when they were younger, other times it’s because it ruins the amateur aspect of collegiate athletics, and it sometimes can be a combination of either of these reasons (or more).
I understand the premise of their belief. If the athletes are getting paid, that makes them a professional, doesn’t it?
Well, sure. I’ll let you have that argument. It does take away the amateur status of the athlete. But I think these kids deserve to be paid.
Maybe this stems from my beloved EA Sports College Football video game franchise being taken away for 10 years due to a disagreement over the name, image, and likeness of college student-athletes. They couldn’t be paid at that time and, thus, couldn’t be represented. I don’t know why we couldn’t come to a compromise and have the teams with generic players fill the void, but I digress.
Instead, the literal name, image, and likeness of these kids — a majority of whom are 22 years old or younger — generated these schools millions of dollars over this time frame, yet all they received in return was an education.
“They got free travel, uniforms, meals, and a bunch of other stuff, too!” is what I assume a bunch of you are yelling right now. And I’ll tell you that you’re right. But all of that stuff doesn’t replace money in a bank account. Those uniforms are cool for social media clout, but they don’t feed your family (or put tattoos on your body — just ask the Buckeyes). The meals feed them, but what do they do for their families?
These kids, instead of making a place of higher education millions upon millions of dollars due to their skills at a niche product, could be working to support their family. There are hundreds of student-athletes across all divisions. We don’t know all of their stories. We don’t know who had a single parent working three jobs just to make ends meet (like Nashville Predator Ozzy Wiesblatt’s mother, who is also deaf), and just a minimum wage salary could help out tremendously, let alone generational wealth.
We can pass judgement when that 19-year-old who plays on our favorite team drops a wide-open touchdown. But that same kid might have grown up with a very different lifestyle than we’re accustomed to, without many luxuries that we take for granted. You and I will probably never know.
These kids deserve to be paid for their talents, and handsomely so. If the boosters can raise those funds, and the money is all ‘clean’, pay them. I do not care about amateur status at this point. If you can raise millions of dollars to buy a coach out of his contract (looking at you, Jimbo Fisher, with your $76 million), you can pay your players.
And, in that same vein, the transfer portal is not ruining college football. Why can Fisher be bought out of his massive contract by athletic boosters, but a kid wanting to give himself a better opportunity is scrutinized? Why can Urban Meyer step down to take an NFL head coaching job, but a kid wanting more playing time is in the wrong for doing the same thing? Why is there a double standard for coaches and players?
Since very few of us have made it to the professional level in sports — I, for one, can hit a curveball in golf, but not in baseball — we can only compare this to our own professional careers. If I wanted to change jobs (which believe me I don’t), I hope that I wouldn’t be lambasted and called names just for making the right move for myself and my family.
While I agree NIL and the transfer portal are good things, I also know that they are not perfect, much like the first iteration of the expanded playoffs haven’t been. There will be changes along the way — I highly doubt this is the last rendition we see of a necessary, albeit flawed, system.
Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc.com, or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page.