The love of the college game for me is gone!

Yes, I understand why name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights were introduced. College athletes help generate enormous revenue, and many people argue that it is only fair for them to share in it. But somewhere in the rush to “fix” the system, we lost what made college sports special in the first place.

Before all this, college sports, in my opinion, were miles above the pros. For me, where we’re at now with all that is going on, it’s ruined the amateur nature of the game, which meant school loyalty, fan passion, players playing for the love of the game, the desire to attend their in-state school or the family's alma mater, or a place that focused on the degree they wanted, while still letting them keep playing. Today, the landscape looks very different. The way teams are structured now has killed all of that. For many players, it’s no longer about which school but about who will pay them more to play. Now it’s basically the professional minor leagues, with a lot more pay for a few.

It’s just not the same in my eyes anymore, and I’ll miss it.

I’m hoping someone, somehow, the game will be reined back in and not get out of control money-wise. Not sure that the beast that was let out can be brought back, but I sure hope it is. It’s going to take the NCAA either regaining control or, hell, even some level of legislation, though the last thing I want is politicians mucking something else up. I’d even settle for some common-sense curbs, like NIL compensation limits, a team salary cap, a clear structure, limits on the number of school transfers, and actually holding to only four years of eligibility without all the redshirt and medical-redshirt nonsense. Something has to set controls, or we’re going to remain in an arms race.

See, when you let teams build these monstrous NIL collectives and garner the favor of some billionaire, all you do is allow schools to buy the very best team. How long the collective stays funded determines how many years you make the playoffs or achieve the holy grail of championships. The flip side is the reality: as we’ve seen, these schools invest in hopes of success or to attract the best talent, and it doesn’t work out. Look at how many schools are now in the red financially, and what happens to the rest of the student population when these schools start going bankrupt, when state governments cut off funding to their state schools, or when the state imposes more control over teams, who’s coaching, or even player rosters because the state is paying the bill.

Yeah, we can all be excited and say, look, we got so-and-so for two million a year… how cool. But what happens when they don’t perform? Are you going to fire the 19-year-old kid? Schools are already demanding NIL funds back from players who enter the portal or are ‘not working out.’ What if John, who isn’t receiving much NIL, outplays Fred, who has millions? Does John get Fred’s NIL money? How does that impact the locker room and the team as John and Fred sit next to each other? Hell, what if Fred blows all his money and has creditors coming after him because he had no clue how to manage his money? Does he get dismissed or penalized in some way?

So I see the Wild West of college sports has become. It’s not collegiate sports anymore; it’s professional in almost every way that matters – except that it currently lacks the controls and monitoring the pros have. The result is a game increasingly driven by money, not loyalty or tradition. For those of us who fell in love with the college game because it felt different from the pros, it’s hard not to feel that something essential has been lost.

I’m not arguing that players shouldn’t be rewarded. I’m arguing that we need to acknowledge what college sports have become and, collectively (ha, couldn’t resist), decide whether firmer guardrails need to be reinstated. Right now, it feels *less* like a proud collegiate institution and more like one more thing we’ve allowed to be swallowed by greed.

It’s out of control and just doesn’t have the same feel I used to love. It’s a shame that everything has to be ruined by greed.

- Cliff