Coach

If we allow terrorists to stop us from living, they have already won.

Jim Ferguson

By Dr. Jim Ferguson
I’m writing this essay on New Year’s Eve, a traditional time for change or at least resolutions for diet, exercise, etc. America voted for change in November, 2024. Some make personal resolutions like Elon Musk who slimmed down with diet and “help.” And a new survey of Americans found that the legacy media, if they are to survive, must resolve to report the story rather than a story. But even in these contentious times, most will be glad to see the end of 2024; it’s time to move on.

At year’s end, Becky and I are watching a lot of playoff football. And there’s certainly no shortage of bowl games, the college championship series and NFL teams struggling to get a postseason playoff spot. I actually prefer watching professional football because I don’t have a favorite. It’s less stressful than watching the Tennessee Vols.

I’m not a big guy so I never played football. Baseball and ice hockey were the sports where I learned the valuable lessons of teamwork and loyalty. Although I am not a football expert, I am a fan of the game and I am what you might call an armchair quarterback.

I never know where my stories will come from, but surprisingly this week’s essay began with the Pop-Tarts Bowl between Iowa State and the Miami Hurricanes. Many wanted to see if Miami quarterback Cam Ward would break the Division I passing record for career touchdowns. He did so by throwing three touchdowns in the first half. He then decided not to play the second half for fear he might be injured and risk his NFL draft status. His team lost by one point.

Football is a rough sport and there are risks. But where is the notion of loyalty to your team or teammates, let alone your school? Cam Ward was already receiving several million dollars through the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) arrangement and reportedly had an injury insurance policy. When he was a no-show after halftime, this armchair quarterback got to thinking about loyalty, student-athletes, NIL arrangements and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). I have even been wondering whether I can still “cheer” for a Volunteer team whose ranks may shuffle like deck chairs because of the Transfer Portal.

I am out on a limb with this essay because I’m ill equipped to write about the politics and nuances of professional and semi-professional collegiate sports. And make no mistake, college football and basketball have been the minor leagues for the NFL and NBA for decades.

When I practiced medicine, I often asked the opinion of experts as I managed my patient’s medical care. And I frequently served as a consultant to doctors in other specialties. So I concluded that I needed a sports consultant for this column.

The author Phillip Yancey observed that “writing is a solitary enterprise,” and he’s right. But for this essay, I am writing in collaboration with “Coach,” my friend, a former Division I basketball coach, athletic director, and sports writer.

I’m sure there are some good people in the NCAA, but I’ve never heard a kind word about this organization which threatens boosters, coaches and schools if an athlete receives even a home cooked meal, let alone a Big Mac. But now in the era of NIL and the Transfer Portal, is criticism of a gifted Big Mac relevant?

The NIL concept originated in California with the “Fair Pay to Play Act (SB 306) and was expanded by Gavin Newsom (what could go wrong?). The NCAA has incorporated the NIL and the Transfer Portal in its bylaws. Both have produced drastic changes in college sports and arguably significant harm.

The NIL was developed as a way to monetarily reward an athlete whose picture or number appeared on a jersey. I’m a capitalist and people should be rewarded for their accomplishments. But the NIL genie is now out of the bottle and, along with the Transfer Portal that enables athletes to change teams seemingly at will, is now endangering college sports. There may be extenuating circumstances, but as an example, West Virginia’s Marshall College had to cancel a bowl bid when so many players entered the portal in December that they couldn’t field a team.

There may be NCAA policies that I don’t understand. However, it’s a new year and perhaps it is time to change things that aren’t working. I am a consumer of college sports which, along with ad revenue, make athletics financially feasible. Ergo, the opinions of fans for issues like the Portal, NIL and Title IX women’s sports should be heeded by the NCAA. Ignoring John Q. Public recently cost the Democrats dearly. Policies that make “teams” meaningless (Portal) or those that make “some animals more equal than others” (NIL) may be the death knell for college sports. Perhaps both the NCAA and Kamala Harris need to follow the path of the dodo.

There are college students and there are college athletes, but these days there are fewer student-athletes because many are actually semi-professional athletes. Of course, there are exceptional people who can pursue both relevant degrees and excel at sports. UT’s Josh Dobbs earned a degree in aeronautical engineering and Pat Head Summitt’s Lady Vols were both focused students and athletes.

Unfortunately, the veneer of “student athlete” has been profoundly changed by the NIL and the Portal. Again, there are exceptions. The University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning quelled rumors that he will be entering the portal despite the fact he was second string all this year.

Bob Dylan once sang that “the times they are a changin’.” I’m not sure how the mess can be fixed, but I suspect that the next step will be contracts between student-athletes and colleges mediated by lawyers. What could possibly go wrong?

I am a product of and believe in higher education, but many younglings are now questioning the expense and the benefit of college. I’ve read that college enrollment is declining, even though it doesn’t seem so at UT Knoxville.

I can’t predict the future, but the NFL and NBA better hope that their talent pipeline doesn’t dry up.