When I was covering college basketball in the late 1980s, one of the coaches on Te University of Nevada staff was telling me about the greatest story that would never be told.
The story was about basketball and football recruiting and how major universities were using under-the-table donations from rich supporters to purchase athletes to improve their teams.
It was 1989, and he told me a story about one of the major universities in Oklahoma trying to get a point guard to sign. When informed that the cost would be $40,000, one supporter said that was reasonable because that was what they paid for a good defensive back.
UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian used to talk about how some teams were immune in the eyes of the NCAA, that the NCAA would get so angry when they learned of violations at Duke or North Carolina that they would award three years probation to Cleveland State.
Illicit handouts were happening most everywhere, and stories of recruits getting new cars and other payouts seemed to be something everyone knew but no one would admit.
With memories of college athletics as it never was, days of Jack Armstrong the All-American Boy, fans seemed to believe young athletes should be happy with tuition, room and board, fees and a small amount of “laundry money.”
The problem was that there was too much money involved from television contracts, bowl games and what became March Madness. What was millions in receipts turned into billions, but the legitimate money going to athletes remained only tuition, room and board, fees and that laundry money.
Eventually the athletes got the gumption to demand a share of all the money that was coming in. Lawsuits and threats of lawsuits brought it all tumbling down. In 2021, athletes were awarded the right to make money off use of their Name, Image and Likeness.
It started small, but grew rapidly to the point where the richest schools were spending massive sums to build championship teams. Ohio State reportedly spent $20 million in the last offseason to recruit players through the transfer portal.
It’s getting worse, though.
Just this month, Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah agreed to transfer to Duke for his final two years in exchange for $8 million over two years. That’s the most NIL money anyone has made yet, but that won’t last. Basketball player A.J. Dybantsa agreed to sign with Brigham Young University for one year and $5 million.
That money goes to a high school player who is the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025.
Of course there will be many casual fans who will say it doesn’t affect them. They aren’t ticket-holders, so the fact that tickets cost exponentially more than they once did doesn’t bother them.
But they might notice they’re paying more for their cable or streaming packages becase of increased rights fees or that the power drills advertised on the games now cost twice what they did.
When LeBron James was still a senior in high school, he had a car that cost more than $100,000 because of his shoe contract. Imagine what he could have made from Ohio State if NIL had been around then.
NIL and the transfer portal already drove one of the top coaches out of the business. Virginia’s Tpny Bennett retired because moneyball didn’t fit the way he coached.
Want a prediction?
No, well, you’re getting one anyway. Within five years, 10 at the latest, major college sports in Division I will play into NIL leagues and non-NIL leagues. The first group will essentially be a minor league for the pros, the second will be true college ball.
Players will be allowed to transfer from one to the other.
Once.
Maybe we can save college sports.