[chimera]

The end of our WBB season, all of these transfers, and talk of Tara leaving is just making me sick to my stomach.  I was so excited about SWBB at the start of the season.  Now, I'm mentally exhausted and depressed.

Football is a dumpster fire.  MBB is a dumpster fire.  Madsen hired by Cal.  Mulkey and her 9 mercenaries win the NC.  Now Stanford WBB is falling apart.  It's too much.

Yeah, I think lots of fans are feeling that way.  I keep thinking about the players.  We saw a lot of talk this past season about mental health.  Actually we saw that the past few seasons.  This season there was the thing with the t-shirts as players wanted to make clear that they were about more than basketball.  NIL and transfers might be good for the $$$$, but are they good for the players' mental health?  NIL means negotiating with adult professionals in various fields.  It means keeping up a social media presence.  It means having to consider if you are in the right place, doing the right things to maximize your brand.  

There is now so much uncertainty.  What deals to take, how to build a social media brand, maybe constantly wondering if there are greener pastures somewhere out there.  More choice like being able to transfer at will also means more big decisions and more stress.  Now any little thing that isn't exactly right can cause a player to think maybe somewhere else is better.  Players now also have to worry about the portal for their team.  Will players transfer out such that suddenly a team that looked like it might be very good is now missing key players and won't be?  Will someone with more experience or who is simply a bit better transfer in and take away opportunity for playing time?  How is this good for anyone?  There is no stability.

Playing college sports is clearly very stressful and time consuming.  NIL and the portal add to that.  I have often wondered lately what exactly I am supporting.  If college sports are not fun, if the players are time crunched and stressed out, if they are often unhappy, what the heck am I watching and why should I support this?  College is supposed to be a time to find yourself, to figure out what you want to do in life, to make connections, and to have fun doing all that.  Instead we have players moving all over trying to find...something.  Are they happy?  Is playing basketball fun?  Is it enjoyable to be a professional athlete who has to keep up and image and make deals at age 18?  Is it even fun to play in games anymore with all the banging and physical play?  Sure doesn't look it to me.

[chimera]

The end of our WBB season, all of these transfers, and talk of Tara leaving is just making me sick to my stomach.  I was so excited about SWBB at the start of the season.  Now, I'm mentally exhausted and depressed.

Football is a dumpster fire.  MBB is a dumpster fire.  Madsen hired by Cal.  Mulkey and her 9 mercenaries win the NC.  Now Stanford WBB is falling apart.  It's too much.

Yeah, I think lots of fans are feeling that way.  I keep thinking about the players.  We saw a lot of talk this past season about mental health.  Actually we saw that the past few seasons.  This season there was the thing with the t-shirts as players wanted to make clear that they were about more than basketball.  NIL and transfers might be good for the $$$$, but are they good for the players' mental health?  NIL means negotiating with adult professionals in various fields.  It means keeping up a social media presence.  It means having to consider if you are in the right place, doing the right things to maximize your brand.  

There is now so much uncertainty.  What deals to take, how to build a social media brand, maybe constantly wondering if there are greener pastures somewhere out there.  More choice like being able to transfer at will also means more big decisions and more stress.  Now any little thing that isn't exactly right can cause a player to think maybe somewhere else is better.  Players now also have to worry about the portal for their team.  Will players transfer out such that suddenly a team that looked like it might be very good is now missing key players and won't be?  Will someone with more experience or who is simply a bit better transfer in and take away opportunity for playing time?  How is this good for anyone?  There is no stability.

Playing college sports is clearly very stressful and time consuming.  NIL and the portal add to that.  I have often wondered lately what exactly I am supporting.  If college sports are not fun, if the players are time crunched and stressed out, if they are often unhappy, what the heck am I watching and why should I support this?  College is supposed to be a time to find yourself, to figure out what you want to do in life, to make connections, and to have fun doing all that.  Instead we have players moving all over trying to find...something.  Are they happy?  Is playing basketball fun?  Is it enjoyable to be a professional athlete who has to keep up and image and make deals at age 18?  Is it even fun to play in games anymore with all the banging and physical play?  Sure doesn't look it to me.