[Goose]

I've never rooted for laundry. I've rooted for great athletes doing great things, but I've always felt a much deeper, much more personal commitment to players with whom I've shared an academic space. I took an advanced calculus class that I had no business taking, and pulled out a passing grade through intense work over the last three weeks. The guy who gave me that news was the power forward on our basketball team, we shared a number of classes. He was a seven-foot high jumper in high school, I jumped against him (he didn't even start jumping until I had long bowed out, quite a humbling experience). 

A guy I played basketball and football against in high school was a wide receiver on our crummy little D2 team. He was a very smart guy who became a GC of one of the largest technology companies in the world. My frosh year girlfriend, who later coached D1 basketball, was the best basketball player on the women's team. I have two dozen other connections with athletes from my school, many of whom I kept in contact with...which is the same for everyone else on this board, I suspect.

I felt that way about Steve Nash, four year basketball player at my college, and along those lines, I really enjoyed watching him play against Brevin Knight and Jason Kidd. They stuck it out, went to class. Nash was SCU's last NBA 1st round pick until Jalen Williams, who played and attended class there for three years. Paid for tickets to see both of those players and countless others.

I don't feel as strongly about Brandin Podziemski. Yes, he's a good player. He rode the bench for his frosh year at Illinois, played a mercenary year at Santa Clara then jumped to the NBA and has enjoyed a measure of success with the Warriors. He's not in my top five favorite players on that team. He's not even my favorite rookie, that would be Trayce Jackson-Davis, a four year player at Indiana who graduated.

It's fine by me, I don't care if McEnroe plays for a year or Tiger plays for two and makes millions. Good for them. I'm just a lot less interested in supporting the mercenaries than I am in the guy who never played in the pros but helped me celebrate a 99 on a calculus final that everyone else has forgotten by now.

Couldn't agree more. The people wearing the laundry matter, at least to many of us. In many cases, we can't know them personally. They are several generations after us. However, if they stand for the same type of "student athletics" that we personally experienced, it is pretty easy to generate enthusiasm for their efforts. If they are "employees" they have little in common with our experience. Some may be fine with that and root for the "laundry" as one may for the 49ers or the Warriors. However, while I might pay through the nose to watch a game, in no way do I "care" about them. They are entertainment, nothing more. I certainly won't donate any money to them.

[Goose]

I've never rooted for laundry. I've rooted for great athletes doing great things, but I've always felt a much deeper, much more personal commitment to players with whom I've shared an academic space. I took an advanced calculus class that I had no business taking, and pulled out a passing grade through intense work over the last three weeks. The guy who gave me that news was the power forward on our basketball team, we shared a number of classes. He was a seven-foot high jumper in high school, I jumped against him (he didn't even start jumping until I had long bowed out, quite a humbling experience). 

A guy I played basketball and football against in high school was a wide receiver on our crummy little D2 team. He was a very smart guy who became a GC of one of the largest technology companies in the world. My frosh year girlfriend, who later coached D1 basketball, was the best basketball player on the women's team. I have two dozen other connections with athletes from my school, many of whom I kept in contact with...which is the same for everyone else on this board, I suspect.

I felt that way about Steve Nash, four year basketball player at my college, and along those lines, I really enjoyed watching him play against Brevin Knight and Jason Kidd. They stuck it out, went to class. Nash was SCU's last NBA 1st round pick until Jalen Williams, who played and attended class there for three years. Paid for tickets to see both of those players and countless others.

I don't feel as strongly about Brandin Podziemski. Yes, he's a good player. He rode the bench for his frosh year at Illinois, played a mercenary year at Santa Clara then jumped to the NBA and has enjoyed a measure of success with the Warriors. He's not in my top five favorite players on that team. He's not even my favorite rookie, that would be Trayce Jackson-Davis, a four year player at Indiana who graduated.

It's fine by me, I don't care if McEnroe plays for a year or Tiger plays for two and makes millions. Good for them. I'm just a lot less interested in supporting the mercenaries than I am in the guy who never played in the pros but helped me celebrate a 99 on a calculus final that everyone else has forgotten by now.

Couldn't agree more. The people wearing the laundry matter, at least to many of us. In many cases, we can't know them personally. They are several generations after us. However, if they stand for the same type of "student athletics" that we personally experienced, it is pretty easy to generate enthusiasm for their efforts. If they are "employees" they have little in common with our experience. Some may be fine with that and root for the "laundry" as one may for the 49ers or the Warriors. However, while I might pay through the nose to watch a game, in no way do I "care" about them. They are entertainment, nothing more. I certainly won't donate any money to them.