I can't imagine that any of their families were impressed with that classless display of "sportsmanship". I hope it gave them one last thing to reflect on before signing on the dotted line.
I wonder how Messieurs Olesh, Gompers, and Porter felt about the post-game antics in the MI-OSU game.
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This incident will not make a difference to for various reasons. Spotsmanship over money, very unlikely.
Seems a touch blanketed. Every player in this environment is chasing this to some degree. Not all of them are making teams compete dollar for dollar, but they are all getting something.
It's just reality now. The coaches who don't like it are getting our (for different reasons). The coaches who are staying are getting more money than ever to deal with it and teams are even hiring GMs to oversee a big portion of it.
At the end of the day, the kids still have to perform. The ability to come and go for them is just as easy and transparent as it is for coaches to cut underperformers. No more "medical retirements" for a 3rd year guy who couldn't break the 2 deep and you want to recruit over him. At the same time, you have players getting paid for potential and for results. If they don't get their degree while in school, that's on them.
It probably has something to do with Gesicki, Friermuth, Strange, Johnson and soon Warren.
Unfortunstely, you're probably correct to some extent. Money obviously plays a big role. However, in the most important decisions throughout one's life, if money is your primary focus/goal/end all, you are often going to be making bad decisions for yourself. It should be a factor, but not the factor.
I think players (and families) who have the money 💰 first mindset can often prove to be poor teammates and difficult and selfish and not invested. Not always, but enough so, that a team of them (I'm thinking of certain schools who consistently "succeed" in having a team full of these guys but don't succeed where it counts) usually just don't put it together.
Maybe I'm dreaming, but I'd hope not.
I think we're one of those schools though but one of them will put it all together. Maybe more. Most are doing very well this year as expected. If Boise wins or even Indiana then maybe it's not about the money. The rest all got paid. Even SMU and Clemson.
Truthfully Indiana's a heavy portal transfer school so I'm not sure who can win it that will make purists happy.
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I agree and also wonder what the best formula will be moving forward.
It started with the USA Today coverage and high school rankings. Quicker than you could say Quintus McDonald we learned that accolades don't ensure productivity.
Then the star system created an industry which continues to grow. There have been many debates about the actual value of these players to win championships on this board. I think the consensus is that you cannot win without at least a few of the right ones- but identifying, recruiting, assuaging their egos and developing them isn't easy nor a guarantee.
So now that contributing players are being assigned monetary values and men's basketball/football are developing pro sports type General Managers and staffs- how does a "university" best procure its'" student athletes?"
I get the Underwood kid taking the $ at Michigan- best of both worlds- stays home and gets paid lifechanging cash- all before taking a snap. But with donors willing to pay for the best NIL qbs in the Portal- how "committted" are the Wolves to Bryce?
I understand that every player earns their spot every practice and game. Dom DeLuca and Ryan Barker are examples of under the radar kids maturing into important contributors. What is the balance of mercenaries and kids who chose a staff and college for relationships and -God forbid- a program of study?
As this all evolves I think there will be bumps in the roads of many teams and fanbases. All I see is turmoil ahead. Perpetual free agency, players like the BC qb quitting after a benching and not fighting through the adversity. Who cares about the TEAM?
When KC Keeler was at U of Delaware 15 years ago he started bringing in kids from Florida, Georgia, and the Kansas JC league along with D1 re-treads like a wr from USC. The wheels fell off the wagon. The talent factor was increased, but so was the police blotter and transfers out. Team cohesion was lost and so was his job. Deservedly so. Success has returned with their return to recruiting NY through DC and taking in the "right" transfers.
What will we do? I'm interested to see....but honestly it is becoming too much to think about for me. Without some control mechanism this sport will lose many diehard fans.
