Meh.
I'm not going to begin to consider his motivations. I could really care less and I'd be speculating. For all I know, or care, he missed the warmer weather. Fair enough. I mean, I think given the choice...what athlete wouldn't want to play for Alabama over Iowa? Take the black and gold glasses off, and answer genuinely. You know the answer.
But I will consider the state of affairs that allows this to happen. The money (comprehensively) is a paradigm shifter.
And not for the good.
1. The TV $$ for, and ever growing importance of, "playoffs and a championship".
2. The TV money for superconferences (see 1)
3. The NIL money (there is good in it, I can feel it) is overall going to be bad. I can understand switching programs because they're not happy in their program. Good for them. They should have ease in doing that. But the idea of switching schools explicitly because of money? Good for the kid, I guess. It's no longer amateur sports. And now the schools have to manage essentially a professional sport, inside the confines and under the umbrella of an organization that also manages any number of sports that simply only cost them money.
Fine, so split football and basketball out of the NCAA into some new organization. What now? Do we get "owners" in college football? Does Stan Kroenke come in, offer Michigan $5 million a year to subcontract out the Michigan football team? And he gets to keep whatever's left of the $40 million they generate? Maybe shares some percentage of revenue growth beyond $40 million?
It seems somewhat inequitable when you can outright pay college athletes. Are we gonna see salary caps? I mean, sh$t. If I'm any team other than 10 or so teams that are constantly vying for the title, I'm thinking it's time to start pushing for a draft. Free agency, I think would begin what junior year? Not sure how red shirting would play into that. Of course, how are we going to handle trades? Seems like this is all gonna shake out great.
I'm not going to begin to consider his motivations. I could really care less and I'd be speculating. For all I know, or care, he missed the warmer weather. Fair enough. I mean, I think given the choice...what athlete wouldn't want to play for Alabama over Iowa? Take the black and gold glasses off, and answer genuinely. You know the answer.
But I will consider the state of affairs that allows this to happen. The money (comprehensively) is a paradigm shifter.
And not for the good.
1. The TV $$ for, and ever growing importance of, "playoffs and a championship".
2. The TV money for superconferences (see 1)
3. The NIL money (there is good in it, I can feel it) is overall going to be bad. I can understand switching programs because they're not happy in their program. Good for them. They should have ease in doing that. But the idea of switching schools explicitly because of money? Good for the kid, I guess. It's no longer amateur sports. And now the schools have to manage essentially a professional sport, inside the confines and under the umbrella of an organization that also manages any number of sports that simply only cost them money.
Fine, so split football and basketball out of the NCAA into some new organization. What now? Do we get "owners" in college football? Does Stan Kroenke come in, offer Michigan $5 million a year to subcontract out the Michigan football team? And he gets to keep whatever's left of the $40 million they generate? Maybe shares some percentage of revenue growth beyond $40 million?
It seems somewhat inequitable when you can outright pay college athletes. Are we gonna see salary caps? I mean, sh$t. If I'm any team other than 10 or so teams that are constantly vying for the title, I'm thinking it's time to start pushing for a draft. Free agency, I think would begin what junior year? Not sure how red shirting would play into that. Of course, how are we going to handle trades? Seems like this is all gonna shake out great.