I agree that they love their sport, and at a level that does not have mass market appeal (Like D2 as you mention) there are even less players that have the ability to ever make a living long term at playing their sport. That category of player may indeed "love their school" (though I am skeptical of that). The MW is at the lower end of that continuum of FBS, but players that play FBS football spend waaaayyy more time worrying and planning for their athletic future than their academic future. There are obviously exceptions...always a few academic all-Americans out there...but to the extent that they will ever make the NBA or NFL...it would be the height of lunacy to put focus on school at the expense of whatever chance you have to get a professional contract. The fact that there are lower levels of college athletics that may not be experiencing this phenomenon shouldn't convince anybody that there is some latent "school spirit" that is lacking from the better players. Look at the comments made by Brandon Ewing...He's been a fan and promoter of UW...but he's also honest and when he put's himself back in that place when he was in the trenches....he realizes.."yeah, I probably make different decisions if other factors are going on like they are today".OrediggerPoke wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 7:11 amDespite what you think, the student athlete still exists. There are guys that play for the school and the love of the sport who do realize that they will never make much (if any) money from the sport they play.307bball wrote: ↑Sun Apr 23, 2023 6:46 am
This is the part that all of the people who harbor resentment towards players transferring are missing. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY.
This is how every player in the modern era has felt...the transfer rules just kept it from manifesting. If you think Larry Nance, Josh Adams, Josh Allen, Brandon Ewing, etc... would have stayed if they had mid 6 figures and no penalty to transfer....you are just naive. Players who are playing men's college basketball and football are professionals, full stop. These guys are not student athletes. They are not loyal to their school. On the hardwood and on the gridiron they are often consummate team players that want to win but once the game ends, every one of these guys are making business decisions and school loyalty doesn't factor in. This is not a moral issue. The hate towards the players is just asinine.
While the dynamic has now changed at the D1 level; go watch a Colorado Mines game (they are elite in D2 in both football and basketball). Then go talk to those players and ask them why they play and how much time they spend on school work compared to athletics.
But yes - guys like Josh Allen would definitely have left in today’s environment. If someone is going to pay that kind of money, every person in their right mind would take the money and secure their financial future.
This conversation is inherently not about D2 athletes or academic all-Americans though...it is about players that have at least a glimmer of hope to be professional athletes. Those guys are loyal to their future even if they harbor no resentment at all towards the school that recruited them (and I bet most don't). And even if the glimmer of hope they have is very dim...they all have unbelievable confidence in themselves or they wouldn't have put in the work to even get to the college level. Those are the players that are transferring, those are the players that are getting the personal hate....it's dumb.
**edit**
I think my opinion on this topic is informed because I'm old enough that I was brought up with all the loyalty and team first stuff that a lot of posters on here are saying is gone .... but have also had personal connection to the world of college athletics that have made the grind and the "business" of it very obvious to me....for everybody, coaches, players, administration...whatever. The only people that seem to be unable or unwilling to acknowledge that is the fans (particularly the older generations). And look...it's fine to be old...I'm old. But things change.