[Farm93]

Mixed feelings.  Not crazy about college free agency.  But I also think kids should be able to go where they want.

Stanford will inevitably lose in a world in which all commitment on the part of student athletes is obliterated.  Stanford will never be able to compete in the free agent game, because its academic standards sharply restrict "freedom of movement" between universities.  Complete free agency will ultimately make it impossible for Stanford to be competitive in revenue sports.  Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

Then there is the other matter.  Personally, I would not enjoy backing a team composed of carpetbaggers who did not share the Stanford experience with me and who come and go too quickly for me to become attached to them.  It is for this reason that I completely lost interest in professional sports.  Now I see college sports importing the same interest-killing innovation.

Fortunately, Stanford is good at a lot of non revenue sports, so there will still be teams for me to root for, since Stanford will retain its advantages in sports that were never about a payday.  But I fear deeply for football and MBB.

FWIW - I hope it does go that far.   The exploitation of student athletes in parts of the USA is very hard to watch.    These attempts to exploit the workforce will continue, but at least the athletes can get compensation for risking their bodies, and in some cases minds.

Even with the current use of the transfer portal it is hard to imagine Stanford thriving.   When there are even more organized NILs, substantial university salaries or potentially ticket revenue sharing from their gate, and it will be even harder for Stanford to stay competitive.

Still, I can't support the exploitation of student-athletes nationwide just for Stanford to do a bit better in football.  If the athletes can obtain economic benefit from their activities then that's what they should be allowed to do in our free market economy even if my alma mater ends up as a net loser in this more open compensation model.

[Farm93]

Mixed feelings.  Not crazy about college free agency.  But I also think kids should be able to go where they want.

Stanford will inevitably lose in a world in which all commitment on the part of student athletes is obliterated.  Stanford will never be able to compete in the free agent game, because its academic standards sharply restrict "freedom of movement" between universities.  Complete free agency will ultimately make it impossible for Stanford to be competitive in revenue sports.  Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

Then there is the other matter.  Personally, I would not enjoy backing a team composed of carpetbaggers who did not share the Stanford experience with me and who come and go too quickly for me to become attached to them.  It is for this reason that I completely lost interest in professional sports.  Now I see college sports importing the same interest-killing innovation.

Fortunately, Stanford is good at a lot of non revenue sports, so there will still be teams for me to root for, since Stanford will retain its advantages in sports that were never about a payday.  But I fear deeply for football and MBB.

FWIW - I hope it does go that far.   The exploitation of student athletes in parts of the USA is very hard to watch.    These attempts to exploit the workforce will continue, but at least the athletes can get compensation for risking their bodies, and in some cases minds.

Even with the current use of the transfer portal it is hard to imagine Stanford thriving.   When there are even more organized NILs, substantial university salaries or potentially ticket revenue sharing from their gate, and it will be even harder for Stanford to stay competitive.

Still, I can't support the exploitation of student-athletes nationwide just for Stanford to do a bit better in football.  If the athletes can obtain economic benefit from their activities then that's what they should be allowed to do in our free market economy even if my alma mater ends up as a net loser in this more open compensation model.