[Softball Fan]

The NIL is less of a problem than the grad transfer issue in my mind. NIL is money, and the University could find it if they wanted to. Finding an appealing grad program that players could get accepted to and stay is harder. Too many good students on the team can get a portion of grad school paid somewhere else.

Maybe Stanford should start a new graduate program just for athletes.  It could be something like sports management.  It would be a real academic program with classes to assist athletes in their careers during and after they retire from their sport.  I could envision classes in coaching, sports agency, financial management, nutrition, training, etc.

It wouldn't water down the prestige of Stanford's undergraduate program and it could set its own standards for admission.  This would allow both men's and women's sports to bring in grad transfers.  Maybe the only way you could get into the graduate program is if a Stanford coach made the recommendation.

This might also allow us to retain some of our seniors with remaining eligibility rather than have them grad transfer to another school.

While your idea is well-intentioned and would be helpful for the football program it could be the start of a slippery slope. Why not transition this major into a grad program with little rigor so everyone passes?  Why not give everyone an A for attending a few classes and writing a one page paper?  Open it up to athletes from every sport?  

I'm against anything that has the smell of football factory.  Stanford is first and foremost an academic institution.   Sports along with all other extra-curricular activities should have to exist with the primary mission of the university.

[Softball Fan]

The NIL is less of a problem than the grad transfer issue in my mind. NIL is money, and the University could find it if they wanted to. Finding an appealing grad program that players could get accepted to and stay is harder. Too many good students on the team can get a portion of grad school paid somewhere else.

Maybe Stanford should start a new graduate program just for athletes.  It could be something like sports management.  It would be a real academic program with classes to assist athletes in their careers during and after they retire from their sport.  I could envision classes in coaching, sports agency, financial management, nutrition, training, etc.

It wouldn't water down the prestige of Stanford's undergraduate program and it could set its own standards for admission.  This would allow both men's and women's sports to bring in grad transfers.  Maybe the only way you could get into the graduate program is if a Stanford coach made the recommendation.

This might also allow us to retain some of our seniors with remaining eligibility rather than have them grad transfer to another school.

While your idea is well-intentioned and would be helpful for the football program it could be the start of a slippery slope. Why not transition this major into a grad program with little rigor so everyone passes?  Why not give everyone an A for attending a few classes and writing a one page paper?  Open it up to athletes from every sport?  

I'm against anything that has the smell of football factory.  Stanford is first and foremost an academic institution.   Sports along with all other extra-curricular activities should have to exist with the primary mission of the university.