The root of all evil. Hate that this is where we're at! When it becomes about getting the most money one loses sight (or at least takes their eye off the ball) of other more important things - loyalty, character, being a good teammate, etc. I know many are going to say....get what you can while you can, but I simply disagree.
I'm not against "a little money" for the players. A free education among other freebees is pretty good, then a little money on top makes for a heck of a college experience. Huge NIL figures and the portal are ruining the game.
Here's a thought. How about reserving the NIL money to give to the players after they graduate? For example, if you graduate from our university if you play a minimum number of years at our university we will give you $50k (doesn't have to be this amount - could be less could be more) to kick start your career. And for the record, $50k and no student loan debt would be awesome! I was making $20k/year, granted back in 2004, after graduating from the U of I. I worked my way up through the years and now live a good/financially comfortable life and that was starting from scratch and not making much money out of the gates the first few years. If you had given me $50k to start my career that would've been a game changer as far as buying a vehicle or a downpayment on your first home. Just an idea I haven't even thought through much yet, but the best players will go on to play overseas or in the NBA and will make their money. For those who aren't at that level if they stay and get their free degree they'll get a "bonus" upon graduation. This way we aren't making it all about money w/kids transfering left and right for the biggest bag. We get back to loyalty, continuity, 3-4 year players coming back year after year and quality education.
By the way, I hear 18-23 year olds are REALLY good with a lot of money!!!
This way we are focusing on a good education and getting young people out into the workforce with a nice head start. I'm still here to cheer for my team, but I absolutely hate all this NIL and portal stuff. OK, I digress and will let people pick apart my idea (as I said, I haven't thought through it much, it just came to me so I threw it out there.) ILL
