[RuralFan]

I for one became disillusioned with Stanford sports and largely stopped posting here when the three women's basketball players transferred out after the season. Although it was the last straw, it looks like it wasn't an anomaly, and we are now in an era where many athletes view Stanford as broadly interchangeable with any other school. In contrast, the outbound transfer rate among all students is 1% (and a large share of that is outbound athletes). 

It was not because I think athletes should not transfer, and it is not because I'm worried that Stanford athletics will struggle in a future with NIL and relaxed transfer rules (though I think it will).  Rather, it is because it has become clear that too many athletes are enrolling in Stanford for reasons completely unrelated to the opportunities they will get from Stanford's primary mission (education), and in a world where the admission rate is under 4% (and even lower for non-atheletes), I just can't get enthusiastic about a system built upon athletes who don't recognize the value of what Stanford offers.  Yes, it has always been a very transactional and I will fully admit that there has been some willful ignorance on my part.  But I can no longer believe that the majority of the athletes at Stanford are pursuing their sport primarily to further their education and that makes me sad.   The NCAA reports that fewer than 2% of NCAA athletes become pros (it is likely higher at a place like Stanford, but still a minority, and those who have a cup of coffee as pros will still have to depend on more than their athletic talent), so it really pains me to see us recruit athletes disregard what so many non-athletes work so hard to have such a tiny chance to get.  It's too bad, because I really thought that the prospect of not getting a Stanford degree would be a substantial barrier to outbound transfer, particularly for the vast majority of athletes who won't be able to support themselves as pros.  Oh well.  The original idea behind intercollegiate athletics was a competition between students in different schools.  That is not what the system has become.  So, while some people hope that a wealthy alum buys the school athletics success, that's not what why I was a fan, and now that it is the reality of collegiate sports, it is not something that interests me.

BC

BC - I have read many of your past WBB posts with much interest and appreciation.  With that said, I think your most recent post was the most insightful.

[RuralFan]

I for one became disillusioned with Stanford sports and largely stopped posting here when the three women's basketball players transferred out after the season. Although it was the last straw, it looks like it wasn't an anomaly, and we are now in an era where many athletes view Stanford as broadly interchangeable with any other school. In contrast, the outbound transfer rate among all students is 1% (and a large share of that is outbound athletes). 

It was not because I think athletes should not transfer, and it is not because I'm worried that Stanford athletics will struggle in a future with NIL and relaxed transfer rules (though I think it will).  Rather, it is because it has become clear that too many athletes are enrolling in Stanford for reasons completely unrelated to the opportunities they will get from Stanford's primary mission (education), and in a world where the admission rate is under 4% (and even lower for non-atheletes), I just can't get enthusiastic about a system built upon athletes who don't recognize the value of what Stanford offers.  Yes, it has always been a very transactional and I will fully admit that there has been some willful ignorance on my part.  But I can no longer believe that the majority of the athletes at Stanford are pursuing their sport primarily to further their education and that makes me sad.   The NCAA reports that fewer than 2% of NCAA athletes become pros (it is likely higher at a place like Stanford, but still a minority, and those who have a cup of coffee as pros will still have to depend on more than their athletic talent), so it really pains me to see us recruit athletes disregard what so many non-athletes work so hard to have such a tiny chance to get.  It's too bad, because I really thought that the prospect of not getting a Stanford degree would be a substantial barrier to outbound transfer, particularly for the vast majority of athletes who won't be able to support themselves as pros.  Oh well.  The original idea behind intercollegiate athletics was a competition between students in different schools.  That is not what the system has become.  So, while some people hope that a wealthy alum buys the school athletics success, that's not what why I was a fan, and now that it is the reality of collegiate sports, it is not something that interests me.

BC

BC - I have read many of your past WBB posts with much interest and appreciation.  With that said, I think your most recent post was the most insightful.