CaneSport Message Board Mania: Has NIL Culture Changed Miami Hurricanes and College Sports Forever?

Some message board posts are timeless. And the one we are focusing on today isn’t just relevant as we sit here today … it probably will be relevant for years to come as it pertains to Miami and national sports.

It was started by PH1LLY under the subject “College football and basketball is contributing STRONGLY to what is already precedent being taught /enabled in our youth, teens & young adults today.”

It is a reflection of the still relatively new portal/NIL era, of course, with a wider lens. A reflection of the perception players are having money thrown at them and have no real sense of responsibility to one program … and how different it is now to be a college football fan than even a decade or less ago. For some, as the title of the post indicates, the way things are going in college sports is a reflection of society at large.

So let’s dive right into it.

PH1LLY posts “The issue we have and suffer from Especially amongst our youth is Instant gratification. Today’s youth don’t want to work For anything. Want everything handed to them. Jobs that would teach them character, perseverance and fortitude are being looked at by youth as beneath them. in college athletics it’s not about growing, developing, persevering. It’s about pay me and play me. If you don’t I’ll go somewhere else that will pay me and play me. we are seeing numerous kids bounce around to multiple schools. I hope something changes soon. Not just in college athletics but in our society as a whole.”

As you sit here reading this, let’s start with a simple question: Do you agree with none, part, or all of the above? Because the truth is, the way you view society probably has a lot to do with the way you view the transfer portal and modern-day college football. It is, to some degree, the NFL system in a totally free market. Because players are able to “bounce around” every single year for a new program. They are able to be considered by every single team out there (with the caveat some conferences force an intra-conference transfer to sit out a year).

So, is it fair? Is it wrong?

Well, it’s the system. Can you really blame the college football athlete for taking advantage of it, especially considering the money made off them in the past? And if programs are paying them their market value, then it’s fair for the programs, too (we will save the argument of the college athletic program’s haves vs. the have-nots for another day when it comes to NIL budgets).

Fans? Well, they pay the price of trying to follow a team full of mercenaries vs. the days when players chose a program they simply loved, a fan base they adored (perhaps) and coaches with whom they bonded. That’s part of the issue, the sudden 180 going from rooting for college students vs. what is now essentially pro athletes.

Now, is it really a problem of “youth don’t want to work for anything,” as the OP says? Absolutely not, at least according to this reporter. You can make that broad argument about society’s youth, perhaps to some degree, but these college football youth work, work, work to get where they are. They don’t just show up as elite athletes. There are 4 a.m. wakeup calls, 5 a.m. weight room sessions, training in the heat, etc., etc. etc. They have been training since youth football days, for the most part.

So go ahead and make the argument you don’t like the system, but don’t make the argument the players (“youth”) should be blamed. That is not a reflection of any issue in the outside world, real or imagined.

However, you see a lot of CaneSport message board posters are fed up overall. Some of their responses to Ph1lly:

vivijane: $$$$$$$$$$$ POST…….

Canes4eva: Sad but true. It is more noticeable in college sports due to the publicity and dollar values but the problem exists throughout society.

Dr Mike: 100%. The pursuit of the dollar above everything else from our politicians to the common person is destroying this country from within.

ridsy87: YEP this will be our downfall- see roman empire

The above “Roman empire” one doesn’t make much sense as it pertains to Rome vs. the current day college system … unless perhaps Mario Cristobal and other college coaches are equated to Nero. But the poster’s point is about the political differences in the world being a potential downfall. We won’t go there.

Getting back to the matter at hand, it’s a fact that not one response to the OP points to the system working. Not one response is about society’s youth working hard. Not one is about how the players are benefiting from people throwing money at them.

And that’s a mini-reflection of what is going on with the Miami Hurricanes teams we all love.

So here’s to hoping something changes.

Without needing Rome to fall.