I remember when if an alumni or a coach would buy a meal for an athlete in order to recruit them to the college, there would be big trouble. Well, maybe more than a meal, but not much more.
Now with NIL, some athletes get paid millions of dollars a year to play. And they have no loyalty whatsoever. They will opt out of their contract and go somewhere else if they can get more money. In that way, they have it better than the PROs.
I see now that Tenn quarterback Nico Iamaleava was holding out for more money. He had a deal where he got $2M+ last year and was going to get $2.5M this year, but that wasn't enough. He wants around $4M. He wasn't even that good. He couldn't even beat OSU in the playoffs. So, he wasn't going to practice, until they got him more money. Tenn appears to have given him the boot, and he will move on to another team.
I think this is really getting out of hand. But, I don't know how they will be able to undo it.
Fortunately I don't follow college sports, and have always found it to be...
...nauseating the way major College programs have gotten totally out-of-control, but now? With athletes being paid?
I'm glad I don't care much about it.
They should have set a maximum that any college athlete could be paid. No more than $100,000 or whatever.
I've seen College basketball Coaches almost in tears because, after having a good year, every single player on his team said he wanted to leave to get more money.
Players don't play for the team any longer. They play to position themselves in the draft. Some don't even play in bowl games because they might get hurt and are therefore damaged. And they will leave the team for another that is better, or go pro early.
And of course there is the NIL and that money which makes things even worse. I hear that some get paid starting in their Junior year in HS just so they commit.
College sport is big money for some of the schools.
