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“I just try to focus on keeping my teammates calm and see that we all have the same energy and mindset. We try to keep it as fun as possible because that’s when we all play our best.” ― A Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse junior midfielder and draw control specialist).
Absolutely right. And that’s at least part of what makes college athletics what it is – or is supposed to be: fun.
But so much learning takes place here: competitiveness, responsibility, discipline. And somehow working all of that into a harrowing schedule of classes, social life, family. These years leave them breathless, full of fantastic memories and trained in the arts of becoming an adult.
NIL, the transfer portal – in short, money – is graphically changing the way college sports work; and is assaulting both its purpose and its meaning to those who participate.
The NIL and the spawning of new and chaotic rules have wreaked havoc on the Platonic education model: “mind, body, spirit” (in presumably equal parts). It has remade the geography in ways with which none of us – except the grim gamblers and “sports agent”-types – should feel comfortable.
High school athletes dream of the day they can play – their skills still developing – under a talented and dedicated mentor/coach at the “next” level of competition. But now those above them, with the five-year rule, no age limit and financial incentives to stay, are clogging entry to the fray.
The greatest effect has been on NCAA Division I, of course, where money, and the scandals that wrack the division because of money, are old news. There is a proposal on deck for Division I that would set an age cap, with a strict five-year playing term. It's a start, except for the fact that a) it has not yet become official, and there is a possible “grandfather” clause in the wording to allow current players to continue, and b) no one seems to be seriously talking about applying it in Division II or III.
The other immediate effect NIL and related enterprises have is actually reducing the number of sports even offered. Gaining the most attention is Arkansas cutting their redoubtable (and very longstanding) tennis programs. That program was reinstated last week after public and alumni outcry. But they were joined by eight more at the Division I level, with 13 more in other divisions … and that’s only tennis.
We all have a stake in this. But first and most importantly, the students have a stake in this. Athletic directors are not to blame – nor are the institutions. Hard decisions are being made because of vicious market forces.
I had the pleasure of running the broadcast camera during the Florida Southern women’s lacrosse match against archrival University of Tampa. Through four quarters, the game hung in the balance – both teams played with incredible heart, guts, skill and determination, neither giving an inch until an overtime goal won it for FSC.
I left the cheering stadium for the quick ride home, hoping to be able to catch at least part of the very last FSC softball game this year – my morning sunburn kept me from the field itself, so I flipped on the digital stream to what had to be the best softball game I’d seen in several seasons. The Mocs had been on a losing streak, but as I tuned in, they were suddenly back in this game ― a grand slam ― bringing them even. A walk-off run in the 10th inning sorted it. Electricity.
Two “walk offs.” Both were huge wins, but different outcomes. One team was headed to the regional championships, and the other was going home for the summer. In the moment, it did not matter which ― both sent the athletes home with a sense of confidence and value.
And it was fun.
Slashing programs, stalking dollars and disfranchising the student experience is an incredibly damaging rewrite of the education handbook – that’s the real “bottom line.” And it threatens to send us all home, losers.
R. Bruce Anderson is the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. Endowed Chair in American History, Government, and Civics and Miller Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. He is also a columnist for The Ledger and political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: NIL is bleeding college athletics, and maybe college itself | Anderson
Continue reading...
Absolutely right. And that’s at least part of what makes college athletics what it is – or is supposed to be: fun.
But so much learning takes place here: competitiveness, responsibility, discipline. And somehow working all of that into a harrowing schedule of classes, social life, family. These years leave them breathless, full of fantastic memories and trained in the arts of becoming an adult.
NIL, the transfer portal – in short, money – is graphically changing the way college sports work; and is assaulting both its purpose and its meaning to those who participate.
The NIL and the spawning of new and chaotic rules have wreaked havoc on the Platonic education model: “mind, body, spirit” (in presumably equal parts). It has remade the geography in ways with which none of us – except the grim gamblers and “sports agent”-types – should feel comfortable.
High school athletes dream of the day they can play – their skills still developing – under a talented and dedicated mentor/coach at the “next” level of competition. But now those above them, with the five-year rule, no age limit and financial incentives to stay, are clogging entry to the fray.
The greatest effect has been on NCAA Division I, of course, where money, and the scandals that wrack the division because of money, are old news. There is a proposal on deck for Division I that would set an age cap, with a strict five-year playing term. It's a start, except for the fact that a) it has not yet become official, and there is a possible “grandfather” clause in the wording to allow current players to continue, and b) no one seems to be seriously talking about applying it in Division II or III.
The other immediate effect NIL and related enterprises have is actually reducing the number of sports even offered. Gaining the most attention is Arkansas cutting their redoubtable (and very longstanding) tennis programs. That program was reinstated last week after public and alumni outcry. But they were joined by eight more at the Division I level, with 13 more in other divisions … and that’s only tennis.
We all have a stake in this. But first and most importantly, the students have a stake in this. Athletic directors are not to blame – nor are the institutions. Hard decisions are being made because of vicious market forces.
I had the pleasure of running the broadcast camera during the Florida Southern women’s lacrosse match against archrival University of Tampa. Through four quarters, the game hung in the balance – both teams played with incredible heart, guts, skill and determination, neither giving an inch until an overtime goal won it for FSC.
I left the cheering stadium for the quick ride home, hoping to be able to catch at least part of the very last FSC softball game this year – my morning sunburn kept me from the field itself, so I flipped on the digital stream to what had to be the best softball game I’d seen in several seasons. The Mocs had been on a losing streak, but as I tuned in, they were suddenly back in this game ― a grand slam ― bringing them even. A walk-off run in the 10th inning sorted it. Electricity.
Two “walk offs.” Both were huge wins, but different outcomes. One team was headed to the regional championships, and the other was going home for the summer. In the moment, it did not matter which ― both sent the athletes home with a sense of confidence and value.
And it was fun.
Slashing programs, stalking dollars and disfranchising the student experience is an incredibly damaging rewrite of the education handbook – that’s the real “bottom line.” And it threatens to send us all home, losers.
R. Bruce Anderson is the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. Endowed Chair in American History, Government, and Civics and Miller Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. He is also a columnist for The Ledger and political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: NIL is bleeding college athletics, and maybe college itself | Anderson
Continue reading...
