Opinion: Rule changes in college athletics all about the money
The can of worms we call college athletics will certainly be an interesting study in the near future. Rule changes have turned our college athletes into pros instead of the amateurs they have always claimed to be. However, that fact has been around for a long time. It is just another case of the haves widening the gap from the have nots. Most things happening in the athletic world are all about the money.
For a long time now there have been complaints about how much the athletic programs make off the backs of the athletes and they should get to share in some of those earnings. That part is true and in many ways they do. But the fact is most of the big corporations make their millions off the backs of their workers too. Walmart, Home Depot, etc. limit the hours their people can work, so they do not have to pay insurance, etc. and saving them big time. The wages are not all that great as well.
Again it is a case of haves and have nots. Only the select programs make profits while many of the college programs are stretched to the limit and some operate in the red, having to drop programs to remain solvent. Being an old schooler, it seems to me that one getting their college education paid for is a pretty good deal. One usually goes into this situation with their eyes open as to what is expected of them. Unless, like many, one is going to college for athletics only, then not so much because they are usually squandering their educational, long-term goals for the short-term hopefully athletic gains.
On the other hand, there are only four sports in college that are required to have everyone on full scholarship. All other sports have to divide up scholarships, so each are having to pay for some of their education expenses. There are some college divisions that are not allowed to give scholarships although some students get financial aid through other school sources rather than athletics.
Just recently, the NIL rule was instituted that made it legal for an athlete to make money off of their Name, Image and Likeness. This will be interesting because again it will involve the haves and have nots. Just like the pros, some athletes, depending on fame and position, will draw the big bucks while those lesser known but very important to the success will not get to share equally. That may well cause some locker room problems. May come a time when it may have to work like people who earn tips and have to share with the others that make it possible.
In this short time, the Alabama QB who has not started for them yet said he had already made deals worth a million dollars. Can see alumni getting involved again heavily in the money side of recruiting. Back in the day when college athletes could work during the summer, it was not unusual for an athlete to be hired for thousands and never have to come to work, not to mention, suddenly driving big cars. They finally had to make rules against such actions.
Another recent rule has been the Transfer Portal rule. It opens up a second-chance recruiting season for the coaches. It is much like pros free agency system. It allows students that commit to a school and then realizes it is not what they thought to get a second chance by transferring. More times than not, it is about playing time. It is new but has the possibilities of the pro system in that athletes can get together and all end up going to the same school somewhere else to try and form a super team.
The final rule that is affecting college teams is the Grad Transfer Rule. If a player has completed their Bachelor's degree and still has another year of eligibility left, they can transfer to another school and be eligible to play immediately. This is the opposite end of “one and done” and to me much better. Instead of having to nurse a freshman and hope they can help you for that year, you can get a senior that has already proven what they can do and really help the team that year. Many coaches are starting to recruit their teams from this program.
The last roll of thunder came from the announcement that Texas and Oklahoma were bolting to the SEC. Again follow the money. It is a strange way to go about “if you can't beat them, join them”. Texas has not been able to win in their own conference and Oklahoma hasn't fared that well in the playoffs either and they are choosing to play in the arguably toughest. It is all about money. And part of that is it was the only way that Texas could force A&M to play them.