I don’t often write about sports because there’s plenty of people out there already doing that. But the burr under my saddle about this topic has only grown bigger. If you don’t follow college football, this column may not interest you, but if you do, you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
Nearly every high school locker room I’ve been into has words like honor, unity, perseverance, integrity, and family painted on the walls. Inspirational words that are essential to creating a successful team environment.
From my point of view, high school athletics is quickly becoming the final stand for teaching such values to young men and women.
You don’t have to look any further than the world of college football today to see how those words painted on a high school locker room wall are struggling to survive.
I love watching college football, but the current culture engulfing the game is completely foreign to me. I have no issue with athletes getting compensated for participating at the collegiate level, most of them are already getting their school paid for, but that is no longer enough, not even close.
Today, many college football players are getting paid more than the University President, and their requests are only getting wilder. I have read stories about players walking into their coach’s office demanding cars, monthly income, playing time, and even a starting position…. or else.
I was lucky enough to go to Texas Tech to play baseball. My freshman year, I did not even get a locker. I got a nail that was hammered into a board bolted to a cinder block wall. I had a strip of athletic tape with my name on it along with a wire basket to toss in my personal belongings. Let me assure you, I was happy to get it!
The thought of me walking into my coach’s office and demanding anything, especially playing time, is unimaginable. I have no doubt if I’d have done that, my coach would have helped me pack my bags and called a cab to get me out of there. He would have said, “good riddance,” and he would have been right. That was something you did not do, or even consider doing.
When I played, the coach was the most powerful person in the room, and that’s how it should be. Today, the player is the most powerful person in the room, and everything is out of order and it’s only going to get worse unless things change.
I don’t believe all of this NIL stuff in ruining the game of football, because the game has only gotten better. However, what it has ruined is the culture surrounding college football. I intend to watch the college football playoffs this weekend because there are going to be some great games, but I’m going to watch them with the volume turned off. It angers me to hear about all the greed and the selfishness that is consuming the game right now. I don’t blame the kids because the adults in charge made the rules, and besides, I might do the same thing if I was playing today.
The student aspect of the student/athlete has become comical. Kids are no longer choosing a path for a degree, but a path to get rich quickly. A majority of college football players will get their degrees and pursue a career outside of football, but what about all the athletes that have gotten caught up in auctioneering of their talent? I believe the current culture is harming kids’ long term more than it’s helping kids.
Unfortunately, college football is developing into the NFL minor league, and I am certain you will see more NFL coaches enter the collegiate level. The game is becoming less about educating young minds and molding character, and more about purchasing the best athletes on the market and winning games…just like the NFL. I do not feel that is going to end well for a lot of kids. But the beast must be fed, and the beast is college football and money is its meal. Regrettably, while feeding the beast a lot of kids will be left behind without a degree or a clear future outside of football.
The mindset dominating college football today is that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The idea of sticking it out and persevering through tough times is an unpopular approach. One of the greatest lessons one can learn through athletics is perseverance and commitment. It’s hard to develop a family atmosphere in a program when half of the team enters the transfer portal during the season.
Don’t think for a second that this mindset is not going to trickle down to the high school level. Currently in the state of Texas, it is illegal to transfer schools for athletic purposes. But with school choice allowing kids to leave an underperforming academic school for a higher performing academic school, it’s only a matter of time until that applies to athletics as well. It will only take a parent with a great athlete and a slick lawyer to make that happen. I can easily hear their case; “Hey, wait a minute, my son is being denied opportunities at the Division 1 level because he’s in a program that is not winning. By not allowing him to transfer, he is being denied opportunities to secure endorsements and make money at the collegiate level.” It’s gonna happen, just wait and see.
A college football coach can talk to his team about those words painted on the walls in high school locker rooms, but it is becoming increasingly evident that fewer and fewer kids are listening, and the coaches are realizing that.
The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, but unfortunately in today’s world of college football it is, and that green is the color of money.
There was a time when playing for your school was a privilege, but somehow it has turned into a right …. with lucrative benefits.
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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].