Latest ruling, money, transfers dismantling the NCAA

Corey Costelloe.

There is no corner of this country where one can honestly look at the last several years of changes within intercollegiate athletics and claim things are better off. It started with NIL (name, image, likeness) payments, spearheaded by our brilliant state of California. What was intended to be honest compensation for an athlete when a school profits from their name, image, likeness and endorsement, has turned into all-out payments to student-athletes paid by large funds often associated with, or closely with athletic departments.

Then there was the transfer portal, a failed social experiment, which now coupled with NIL money, is allowing student-athletes, many of which are already compensated with free room and board, tuition and more, to become free agents every season and look to improve both their playing time and financial situations based on what institution might be offering them more money. Years ago, this was taboo, with transfers being forced to sit out a season and payments to athletes being illegal. But here we are entering 2025 with the college athletics landscape simply ruined. Watch many of the non-playoff college football bowl games and you will see second and third-string players taking the field since their starting counterparts were allowed to enter the transfer portal prior to Bowl season, aren't you glad you donated to your alma mater's athletic fund?

Then a few weeks ago, all of this money, transferring and greed from players, parents, coaches and administrators came to a head with the quarterback from Vanderbilt University winning a federal lawsuit against the NCAA in which he claimed the two years he spent at junior college should not count toward his NCAA eligibility because it unfairly limited athletes' opportunities to compete and benefit from NIL earnings. While the NCAA plans to appeal this ruling, in response they have already issued a one-year blanket waiver for any Division I players that are currently about to lose their eligibility if they previously played in the junior college ranks. All of this because now it is an "antitrust" issue for the NCAA to adhere to the decades-old practice of actually encouraging student-athletes to finish school and not hang around campus for additional sponsorship revenue.

If the NCAA is unsuccessful in their appeal, high school students will be further harmed, as not only will there be a backlog of student-athletes in Division I programs using extra years of eligibility, the likelihood of being recruited to any four-year school will be even smaller, and junior colleges will become prep academies for four-year institutions. It's the COVID-19 college waiver debacle all over again, one that recruiting has still not recovered from.

I know what many will say, "these schools make so much money, they should pay their players!" The reality is few actually make money. Did you know in 2022, the last full year of available data from the NCAA, only 28 NCAA Division I programs showed a surplus in revenue? By the way, there are 320 Division I institutions, meaning 92% operated at a deficit, the median negative income of just FBS schools was $19 million. Even Ohio State, who generated over $251 million in revenue in 2022, reported $225 million in expenses. I never worked for an institution that actually made money because college athletics is expensive. Programs are used as a marketing tool to raise awareness for the educational institution hoping more kids will apply once they see success on TV. There are facilities to maintain, scholarships to award, administrators, coaches and support staff to pay. Most of the deficit are covered via the taxpayer, so keep advocating for paying student-athletes, and watch both state taxes for "education" and costs at the ticket window to increase. The average cost to attend a college football game in 2024 was 10% higher than 2023, now that 20-year-old on the field can buy a Ferrari while the rest of us drive home in our Toyotas.

Something has to give, between the outrageous NIL payments and the wild transfer portal which does nothing but encourage kids to "quit" on their program because "the situation is just not right." What happened to dedication, earning one's spot and working for a better situation? Those days are long gone. Throw in the Federal Court ruling on junior college eligibility and we are seeing the unravelling of intercollegiate athletics that eventually will impact every NCAA program in this country.

For now, the one remaining beacon of amateurism is high school sports, but that too will soon be overtaken by greed. Last week, a bill was proposed in the Texas State Legislature that is calling to allow high school students to transfer to another school district one time without penalty to, "improve their athletic situation." I guess the one thing not big in Texas is proper foresight. If this bill passes, watch other states, including ours, to do the same thing.

We still have not even scratched the surface of all the chaos and damage that is yet to come. High school student-athletes at this point, especially in small towns like ours will have an even longer line before they can play collegiately. That is if they even have an opportunity at all, with programs losing millions of dollars, the only solution will be to cut sports, especially those that generate little revenue such as golf, tennis, wrestling, water polo, swimming, track and field, cross country and a few others. With Title IX under attack due to conflicting stances on gender, protections for equitable funding are being stripped away, and with that comes more sports and scholarships on the chopping block.

A short-sighted approach based on the greed of a few is ruining intercollegiate athletics and I hope those that started this mess are happy. It began with their inability to make money professionally, they retroactively sought compensation from their colleges, after they received their free education, free rent, free food and other perks. What a shame.

I predict the NCAA has about five years remaining at this current pace, before another split, or potentially another sanctioning body, truly dedicated to amateurism and education takes shape. Maybe the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA, which is older than the NCAA), should start a new recruiting pitch, open their ranks to more members seeking to escape the nonsensical, unsustainable model of the NCAA, in favor of you know, "wild" concepts like competition and education.

Now there's a "new" thought for a new year, and it was absolutely free, unlike your college's former quarterback currently in the transfer portal.

Corey Costelloe has covered NCAA, professional and local sports for more than 20 years as a reporter, broadcaster and athletics administrator. He advocates for the value of athletic competition and serves as the President of the Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club. He can be reached at [email protected].