Trying to make sense of NIL and the transfer portal, like it or not
College football has changed with name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. Columnist Rick Cleveland shares his thoughts.
mississippitoday.org
At the risk of sounding like an old fogey...
- Thread starter Rick Cleveland
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mississippitoday.org
You be surprised how many boosters and supporters feel this way.
“I am not about to donate tens of thousands of dollars to a collective so our star running back can go out and buy himself a Porsche and then drive it off next year to Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge for a better deal.”
“I am not about to donate tens of thousands of dollars to a collective so our star running back can go out and buy himself a Porsche and then drive it off next year to Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge for a better deal.”
I feel like NIL is turning us all into Roy Adams, who always sounded a little creepy to be honest.
deadspin.com
Deadspin | Old-Time College Football Booster Gets Wistful About Paying Players
Deadspin | Old-Time College Football Booster Gets Wistful About Paying Players
deadspin.com
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My allegiance to our sports teams is fast becoming about like their allegiance to our university. The athletic dept called and emailed me last week about renewing season football tickets between now and March 15. I haven't called or emailed them back because for the first time in decades, I don't think I am renewing. I've said the same thing for last few years and always ended up renewing anyway but don't think this time I'm going to change my mind. I'll still tailgate, probably contribute to the Bulldog Club and go to baseball games but I believe I'm done w/ football and I've been done w/ basketball since the last 3 seasons of Howland and Pinson ball. I never thought I'd feel this way but things are definitely different now
Without multi year contracts for NIL, I agree with the booster mentioned in Rick's article.
Yeah I've gotten the email and call from MSU athletics. I'll renew season tickets because my kid is in school there. But....
It is ridiculous that we have no idea what kind of team we will have this year or next or the next. Or what coach, etc etc.
Also on top of all that, I don't feel like there any consideration or upgrades for the fan now. Give me a chairback or lower concession prices or free pass to the Gridiron for a game. Something to show appreciation for putting up with all this uncertainty.
It is ridiculous that we have no idea what kind of team we will have this year or next or the next. Or what coach, etc etc.
Also on top of all that, I don't feel like there any consideration or upgrades for the fan now. Give me a chairback or lower concession prices or free pass to the Gridiron for a game. Something to show appreciation for putting up with all this uncertainty.
I’m shocked that to this point, none of this NIL slush fund horseshittery has been contingent to contracts.
I’m still on the fence about renewing as well. I responded back to one of the emails and said it will basically be a last minute decision, that with not knowing parking location plus what changes are potentially coming down regarding tailgating, I wasn’t sure at this time whether I would renew or not.
I agree.
Another gripe: You play in the bowl game. Players on team sports should not decide which games are important for their individual stock to be bolstered and which games are meaningless.
At what point does a potential draft pick decide to “bench” himself in blowout wins, or losses? Current trends point to an entire college division of Kylin Hills.
Someone said that NIL contracts cannot be performance-based for some reason.
Maybe a legal eagle could shed some light on that... @Shmuley
I was thinking more along the lines of something similar to scholarship agreements. Participation minimums must be met or the benefits cease. Coaches get paid bonuses for meeting certain benchmarks, and the players wanted a piece of that pie. Why should they get to have their pie and eat it, too?
I 100% agree. Don't fork over a ton of money to a kid who is going to skip your rivalry game and your bowl game. There needs to be basic expectations on this stuff.
It's against NCAA rules. Oh, you say the NCAA doesn't matter? Well, yes, they still do.
NCAA puts Florida State football on 2-year probation following NIL-related recruiting violation
Florida State agreed to two years of probation, the loss of a total of five football scholarships over the next two seasons and other restrictions on recruiting, including a reduction of official visits. The school was also fined $5,000.
Now, we all know NIL is recruiting inducements. But you can't put it in writing, or do what FSU did and leave an obvious trail.
I wish they cared as much about tampering with State players. And until they do, we ought to be Bernie Mac and turn e'ery mufukka in... "Your honor, he did it. I tried to call you but the line was busy"It's against NCAA rules. Oh, you say the NCAA doesn't matter? Well, yes, they still do.
NCAA puts Florida State football on 2-year probation following NIL-related recruiting violation
Florida State agreed to two years of probation, the loss of a total of five football scholarships over the next two seasons and other restrictions on recruiting, including a reduction of official visits. The school was also fined $5,000.www.fox35orlando.com
Now, we all know NIL is recruiting inducements. But you can't put it in writing, or do what FSU did and leave an obvious trail.
I'm with you, and the rich dude you quoted, except the rich part; scratch that part and keep the sentiment.Trying to make sense of NIL and the transfer portal, like it or not
College football has changed with name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. Columnist Rick Cleveland shares his thoughts.
Rick, I probably make you look "progressive" on this subject . The very thought of having a bunch of professional athletes who, no longer even masquerade as "student athletes" living the "good life" with their money and their bling on the same campus as kids who are busting their asses to get and pay for their education is just sickening to me . Shame on everyone who had a hand in allowing this to happen to college football.
When the "other kids who are busting their asses" generate MILLIONS of dollars for the school and then by rules setup by the university can't receive any of those dollars, then you have a point. If one of those kids has a job as an influencer or wrote an app they get to keep that money even if they are on scholarship. Should be same for the student-athlete.
Gonna say this one last time NIL money by law must have ZERO to due with the university. If that contract has in it where the person must go, they can't go to that university. There can be no inference to pay for play.
Personally I hate both the nil and the transfer portal. When I first heard of the nil I knew this was going to be a bad deal and never understood why anyone thought that it would be good. I’m 57 and go way back with football and right now my give a crap is close to disappearing.
This may be rambling but it's early in the morning. I'm a msu graduate as is my wife, SIL, mom, and several cousins. I have/had family members that worked for the university. Ever since I was old enough to not **** in a diaper I've loved msu with the same passion I hate ole miss. I have developed a lifetime loyalty to the school due to my many ties to it. I remember back in the day (I turn 50 March) it felt like the players in our sports teams did, too. You'd hear then saying they grew up dreaming of wearing the maroon and white or if they were out of state fell in love with the school when they came to visit. It was like family. It was easy to relate to and pull for those players. That's completely gone now for the most part. It's now a team basically of hired gun employees going to the highest bidder. They couldn't give a wet fart about the school or anything else. It's nothing more than a job to them and if they think they can make a dollar more somewhere else they're gone. It's hard to rally behind and give a 17 about players like that for me. Especially to break down and spend money on season tickets, and then spend another fortune on parking and concessions and fighting the crowds when I can sit on my couch and watch it on a high def flat screen and go get a beer or food out of the kitchen and take a whiz all in a two minute commercial break. Then when the game is over I'm already home. When I was going to watch players like Moulds, Dak, Dicenzo, and Keiffer play it was different. You knew they were there for at least three years. Now you don't know if a player will be here next week.
The general student population does generate more revenue than the athletes. Compare athletic department revenue to Academic revenue.
That's a twisted way of looking at it. The students are the source of the academic revenue. The student-athlete brings in money from another source. That's why at the base of it they don't pay to go to school.
Plus I don't really want to get into how ridiculous university cost is to what people earn afterwards. Just look at the outstanding student loan situation.
Bruce, I love ya man and I don't know what you do for a living but if you can say this with a straight face, you ought to be in politics.
Agreed, this has been lost forever, and it's not coming back. But you can look at it this way - paying players has been going on since the 70s, it just wasn't in plain sight. Our boosters will still do it, NIL or no NIL.
You have to try and see the positive, which is that the players who DO stay will endear themselves even more to the fanbase. And that's where I see the BI - taking care of our current players, not making them rich. Which is reasonable.
AND.....keep in mind we are now dealing with the last of the COVID super seniors (hopefully) who are desperately trying to hold on to the last bit of leverage they likely will ever have. Many of them are decent college players but not NFL material. And the recrootin back during 2020-2021 was weird too.
It's just a strange time. I personally am ready for things to normalize.
The only problem I have here is the fact that the NCAA is still operating under the hilarious premise that we’re experiencing around the country with NIL isn’t pay for play. When they can come to grips with the fact that it is, we can establish a rule set to move forward. Until then, it’s just a jokeIt's against NCAA rules. Oh, you say the NCAA doesn't matter? Well, yes, they still do.
NCAA puts Florida State football on 2-year probation following NIL-related recruiting violation
Florida State agreed to two years of probation, the loss of a total of five football scholarships over the next two seasons and other restrictions on recruiting, including a reduction of official visits. The school was also fined $5,000.
Now, we all know NIL is recruiting inducements. But you can't put it in writing, or do what FSU did and leave an obvious trail.
I respect you Rick and agree on a lot of this, but these points got me because they seem kind of pollyannaish:
"Sports participation teaches many life lessons, one of which is that perseverance and hard work in the face of disappointment will pay off in the end."
Sports movies? Sure. Actual sports? No. Sports very rarely pay off in the end for all but a select few. Most sports participants never win a championship. Most sports participants never get a scholarship offer. Most sports participants will never go pro. A good portion of sports participants never start and a good chunk never play, no matter how much 'perseverance and hard work' they put in. Even those that go pro don't necessarily see the pay off. There are more NFL retirees with life-altering injuries than there are Super Bowl winners or Hall of Famers. I would argue that sports participation teaches the opposite, that sometimes no matter how hard you work or persevere, you lose in the end and maybe sports help teach you how to deal with that disappointment.
"Used to be that if you were a second teamer and weren’t getting on the field or court as much as you desired, you buckled down and worked harder."
When was this exactly? I feel like transfers for playing time have happened my entire life. The only difference was that they had to sit out a year or go JUCO. Sure, it's easier to transfer now, but that transfer mindset has been around since at least the 90's.
"Sports participation teaches many life lessons, one of which is that perseverance and hard work in the face of disappointment will pay off in the end."
Sports movies? Sure. Actual sports? No. Sports very rarely pay off in the end for all but a select few. Most sports participants never win a championship. Most sports participants never get a scholarship offer. Most sports participants will never go pro. A good portion of sports participants never start and a good chunk never play, no matter how much 'perseverance and hard work' they put in. Even those that go pro don't necessarily see the pay off. There are more NFL retirees with life-altering injuries than there are Super Bowl winners or Hall of Famers. I would argue that sports participation teaches the opposite, that sometimes no matter how hard you work or persevere, you lose in the end and maybe sports help teach you how to deal with that disappointment.
"Used to be that if you were a second teamer and weren’t getting on the field or court as much as you desired, you buckled down and worked harder."
When was this exactly? I feel like transfers for playing time have happened my entire life. The only difference was that they had to sit out a year or go JUCO. Sure, it's easier to transfer now, but that transfer mindset has been around since at least the 90's.
I always want State to win, but this environment is not to its benefit. I think it puts the University at an even more disadvantage that it was already. For me, I love to watch football, the game management and details of offense vs defense. Probably from coaching a lot of teams. I find that now I'll watch any teams games and am not "tied" to caring about State football any more or less than anyone else. It's a lot like watching NFL. I'd like for State to win, but probably not going to happen so why get too emotionally involved. And now the players are all free agents. I'd love for them to stick around and put down some roots at State so they can call it a home so I could get behind them and support them, but that's going to be a rare player these days. I don't think they are aware of what they are losing out on by moving so often. I also wonder how NFL talent evaluators see in a player that is willing to jump ship so quickly. Seems like it'd affect their draft stock. I know when I am reviewing resumes, one of the first things I look at is how long they have been willing to stay at each job.
We've always been an underdog. We have a losing record all time and rank 95 out of 131 in all time winning percentage. We have 1 conference championship that occurred when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President and 0 national championships. We've won just over half the number of SEC games we've lost and have a losing record against all but 3 SEC schools.
You picked now to detach?
Like many others have stated its not about the winning and losing, its about loyalty, respect for the school and fan base. If it was about winning/losing, I would have stopped being a fan decades ago
The post I responded to said "It's a lot like watching NFL. I'd like for State to win, but probably not going to happen so why get too emotionally involved."
My point is... that's literally what it's been like my entire life. My entire life has been "I'd like for State to win, but probably not going to happen." Hasn't stopped me from getting emotionally involved and hoping (and in rare cases even allowing myself to go so far as believing) that State can win at whatever State-related sport I'm watching, listening to, or following a stat-tracker for.
To live as a State fan is to live with the spectre of assured disappointment. Not everyone is built for it. It's been that way forever. What's different now? Sure, an athlete leaves after 1-2 seasons instead of 3-4 seasons, but is that really that different? Because with the NIL/Transfer rules, it's hard to win at Mississippi State? It's always been hard to win at Mississippi State.
Here's the deal. I agree that players deserve a piece of the pie, but I hate the fact that the fans are expected to foot the bill with cash.Trying to make sense of NIL and the transfer portal, like it or not
College football has changed with name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. Columnist Rick Cleveland shares his thoughts.
Really, it's like the players now have the opportunity to go out and generate their own pie. no one else in the ecosystem is getting a smaller piece.
I question this. I really don't know that they do. MSU (in our case) is the brand, not the players. The only reason 99% the players command anything is because boosters want to win, NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR NAME/IMAGE/LIKENESS. Very few of these players actually have a brand worth paying for. I would argue that Livvy Dunne is about the only one, and she's now appearing on real commercials. The rest is done strictly so boosters can have a winning team. Who da fook is truly paying Jamonta Russell because he helps someone sell a few more hamburgers in Picayune? 17ing nobody in their right mind. True NIL affects very few players - Johnny Football types who truly have breakout crazy seasons as freshmen or sophomores, before they can go pro. Let's get real here. Players come and go, on a 4-5 year rotating basis - they don't deserve shlt unless they earn it on their own, not off my back.
That is the current dilemma. And they aren't school employees either, as they come and go. They are students and that won't change, it's a hurdle we won't ever get over. It's like me trying to organize the conferences to create an equitable system, it's all for naught.
What can we do? To me, you either have NIL or you don't. If you keep it (and you have to now) you have to start busting the hell out of these collectives, just like you would have a booster in the old days. In addition, add bigger stipends, and this has to be equal across the board. If you want to play in FBS, you provide the stipend, which is set by some type of approved rate.
And then, you'll likely see FBS split in half. You'll either have a new division or the remaining FBS teams enter into FCS.
and the schools keep all that tv money, March Madness money, ticket money, bowl money etc. Why do you think its illegal for schools and coaches to contribute to NIL funds? Simple, so they won't have to........
The point is NCAA institutions have always been unable to follow their own rules and they continue to do so. They are the ones who sit down together and make the agreements, but then they just go out and bend and break those rules they just made. They lord over the system and decides who benefits and to what degree. Then, as through all of human history, the ones making the rules somehow manages to get most of the benefits and the ones doing the actual labor should just be happy with what they get. The players are just playing the game that has been setup for them.
That's right, they are. It isn't their game. The system is there because people care about their schools, not the players.
Ya'll pro-player-paid guys don't realize that you have totally taken out the player's passion for college sports (and indirectly many fans' passion as well), and THAT is specifically what made college sports great.
They aren't "labor". Most people would have given their left nut to play college sports (and all the pre-2021 benefits that came with that). Nobody is forcing them to be there.
The NFL really should have stepped in here years ago and allowed these guys to be drafted earlier. That would have increased parity and gotten the big money guys out of the mix (Clowney's, Mike Williams, Johnny Football, etc.).
NIL was originally about revenue sharing. The conferences and universities take in millions of dollars each year and the athletes weren't getting any of it. And due to the ineptitude of Emmert and his band of merry men in Indianapolis they still aren't. Instead, all of the financial load has been placed on the boosters backs. An organization that has an enforcement division for the sole premise of making sure players aren't paid by boosters created a scenario that by their lack of vision and outright stupidity ensures that boosters are openly paying players. Add in unlimited transfer and immediate eligibility and you've hit the trifecta of lunacy. I agree with Rick that players should be paid. But it should come from a percentage of the profits and proceeds of the universities. And then reinstitute the rule requiring transfers to sit for a year. That would cure most of the issues.
NIL was originally about....NIL. Seems to me the NCAA is smart. Players are getting paid, thus they are fat and happy. And the NCAA (and its schools) still get their TV money. I guarantee the schools are happy about this arrangement, and you know dang well they communicated this to the NCAA. I bet their relationship has never been better.
Where they messed up is allowing immediate transfer. But....still a minor inconvenience.
So again, until boosters get fed up, we're stuck with this system. And that will never happen because boosters are more concerned with beating their rivals, than creating a good system that ensures the game lives on.
You don't win in the long term by alienating the customer. Short term maybe the universities are happy. When stadiums are half empty and tv revenues shrink we'll see who's happy.
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