Embrace the Portal

[algotrader]

The transfer portal is pure capitalism plain and simple. Why shouldn't these kids move on and try to better their situation? You can't have your cake and eat it too. Same thing with scalping tickets or any other kind of arbitrage. Its a healthy and normal part of the economy. These kids have a product we want.

The question is whether or not we're going to start getting these kids more money through NIL and other means or not? You want them to stay? Open your wallet, plain and simple.

 

[Da Coach]

True, but it's not all capitalism that drives the transfers, but it is part of a free market system that the portal provides. Athletes in every sport, even the non-revenue sports, and in D2 utilize the transfer portal. And many of the football and basketball transfers have reasons other than capitalizing on the monetary worth. Players transfer to be closer to home, to study something that they can get a better education in at another school, to seek a bigger challenge, because of coaching changes, or because they just don't get along with their coaches or teammates, and many other reasons. The biggest reason for transfer, it appears, is the desire to get more playing time. But I agree it is something that should be allowed and not restricted as the NCAA had done for many decades.

 

[bradleyfan124]

Do I like the Portal..NO... but I think we have to accept it. I do think they need to put limits on it but that will evolve over time. I think we have to accept it and work it to our advantage. Find an advantage. The way I see it all the Power teams are loading up on transfers. I see good high school and Juco kids being left out. Go after them. Get them to our program for a couple years. Maybe by the time they have an opportunity to leave they just might say I like it here and I am staying. Can it happen? Yes.. ala Jashon Henry and Malevy Leons

 

[Stryker]

True, but it's not all capitalism that drives the transfers, but it is part of a free market system that the portal provides. Athletes in every sport, even the non-revenue sports, and in D2 utilize the transfer portal. And many of the football and basketball transfers have reasons other than capitalizing on the monetary worth. Players transfer to be closer to home, to study something that they can get a better education in at another school, to seek a bigger challenge, because of coaching changes, or because they just don't get along with their coaches or teammates, and many other reasons. The biggest reason for transfer, it appears, is the desire to get more playing time. But I agree it is something that should be allowed and not restricted as the NCAA had done for many decades.

It is a hard situation since the freedom for the players is justified and good imo. Historically college basketball has been restrictive and the schools basically had a level of control over the players that was not always very ethical. On the flip side, now it seems that whatever school has the most money will just buy the best team available on the court. Just like in the corporate world, the big boys get bigger and nothing can ever stop it, and the inequality between teams and product in mens college basketball just gets worse.

There just doesn't seem to be a solution. It's either player freedom/rights or completely unfair competitive landscape due to unequal resources.

As many have noted before, the new rules basically turn D-1 players into professionals. The pro leagues found a solution for inequality between programs a long time ago, and that is revenue sharing. I think the only way to get D1 athletics back to a more relatively competitive place would be to have some form of TV revenue sharing to all D1 programs over the entire season. The only way to get this would be government intervention though and it would like be unconstitutional as well, and of course all the big schools would fight it tooth and nail.

My prediction is over the next 10 years college basketball becomes even more top-heavy until the sport just starts shrinking, eventually non-power teams may all have to drop down to D2 essentially, and there will just be 60-80 "power teams". It will be forever changed unfortunately.

 

[Tommy]

The transfer portal is pure capitalism plain and simple. Why shouldn't these kids move on and try to better their situation? You can't have your cake and eat it too. Same thing with scalping tickets or any other kind of arbitrage. Its a healthy and normal part of the economy. These kids have a product we want.

The question is whether or not we're going to start getting these kids more money through NIL and other means or not? You want them to stay? Open your wallet, plain and simple.

It's a little different than pure capitalism. The NCAA is a collective unit that sets rules for it's members, much like the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. The difference with the NCAA is that they cater what they do to a group of their members (but that's a different discussion). Also, students only have 4 years of eligibility and in a purely capitalistic system there wouldn't be any restriction like this. Basically, what has been created is a system where 3rd parties are paying players who have a limited lifespan of earning potential, so they are not making life long decisions, but short term decisions in order to cash in while they can.

Not sure how we got to the current system, but it's a real clever deal the NCAA and the colleges have worked out conning 3rd party NIL's into paying players while they continue to collect all the profits from all the work the players put out.

No idea what the solution is, but this current system is certainly far from perfect.

 

[Mikovio]

Gotta adapt or die. The way I see it, if Bradley can have the best Valley NIL collective, this brave new world can help cement us at the top of the MVC by giving us an advantage that Creighton, Wichita, and Loyola never were able to realize. It will cement the haves and have-nots in our conference like never before, and we'll be one of the have's, so to that extent it's something I think we should embrace. I see a lot more winning and titles in our future.

The flip side of this landscape of course is we're more vulnerable to lower P5 squads poaching our players, but even there they've had mixed success doing so (see Leons). Just my opinion but I would take more advantage of our ability to raid low-major teams like we did with Duke Deen. I think kids from the leagues below the Valley are hungrier so I would try to do to those programs what the Georgia's are doing to us. Our success with disgruntled P5 players is mixed at best.

 

[bradleyfan124]

Let me add.I am going to miss Connor Hickman. Yes he was my favorite (Almar Atlason is my next favorite) but I re-watched the Utah State game. He was instrumental in us winning that game with his court savvy and basketball court sense. That will be hard to replace.

 

[Stryker]

Let me add.I am going to miss Connor Hickman. Yes he was my favorite (Almar Atlason is my next favorite) but I re-watched the Utah State game. He was instrumental in us winning that game with his court savvy and basketball court sense. That will be hard to replace.

Yep, he was a really good player with high IQ and ability to do tons of small things correct. He was consistent and excellent in a lot of areas. He was one of my favorites as well.

 

[Canton BU fan]

It's a little different than pure capitalism. The NCAA is a collective unit that sets rules for it's members, much like the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. The difference with the NCAA is that they cater what they do to a group of their members (but that's a different discussion). Also, students only have 4 years of eligibility and in a purely capitalistic system there wouldn't be any restriction like this. Basically, what has been created is a system where 3rd parties are paying players who have a limited lifespan of earning potential, so they are not making life long decisions, but short term decisions in order to cash in while they can.

Not sure how we got to the current system, but it's a real clever deal the NCAA and the colleges have worked out conning 3rd party NIL's into paying players while they continue to collect all the profits from all the work the players put out.

No idea what the solution is, but this current system is certainly far from perfect.

Where the money should be going is bring down tuition costs. Instead tax money still funds schools plus on top of that there is the tuition forgiveness. Double whammy on the taxpayers.