The Exodus: College Sports and the Transfer Portal

As the college basketball and football offseason get started, there is a real hot button issue that has drawn both ire and praise depending on who you ask. That issue is the transfer portal. Now more than ever it seems like college players are hopping from school to school trying to get big minutes and starting positions, which is all well and good, however (at least in my opinion) I think the system has broken. Players are leaving programs after 1 or 2 years rather than grad transferring or waiting to see if they can work their way into the spot they want to be in, and it's getting somewhat ridiculous. While I understand a school not being the right fit, there are two common themes that I've seen with some transfers that I want to discuss. Firstly, players who play for less than successful institutions are not loyal to their promises of wanting to build the program into what it can be. A prime example is Kansas football, today ALONE I saw 4 players enter the transfer portal. This has been a common theme for Kansas as it has struggled for the last decade to get their program back to what it once was, not all of it has to do with coaches or ADs. This is another problem smaller and struggling institutions face. Another common theme I recognize with other more successful institutions is that a guy doesn't get a starting role coming out of high school and has to ride the bench a year or two before any significant playing time, which is more of a theme for institutions that have blue chip players come in on a yearly basis. This theme rings especially true in college basketball. Players aren't in a role where they get big minutes and get frustrated when it isn't immediately handed to them.

What exactly is my opinion on both of these? In a way I do sympathize with some of the players, but at the same time as an athlete you have to recognize that you may not be the star of the show at all times, especially in team sports. What I see when I see players leaving for either of these reasons that I've listed is a selfish, narcissistic guy who can't stand that he's not in the spotlight frankly. I get it, you're trying to make it to the next level, but on one hand it looks almost better if you bring up a program that was struggling, and on the other you HAVE TO prove yourself to pro scouts. Less than 2% of student athletes make it to the pro level, and no matter how good you were in high school or think you are there is zero exception to the rule of proving that you are going to be capable at the next level and not whine and cry if you have to develop your career. If I'm a pro scout, and I see that you've transferred a handful of times, I think that looks really bad personally. It shows me you're not a program guy, so why would I want you on my team? Again, this is my opinion, but I truly believe there is a narcissism problem in college athletes, and the transfer portal as it stands now as well as things like the one and done rules further extenuate that problem. If you are transferring for family reasons or for the program not treating you right, I am not talking about you, but if you're transferring for the two reasons given above I.E. really the two MAJOR reasons I've seen college athletes transfer then you don't deserve a shot at the next level. You have to work and grind sometimes in life, and no matter how good you WERE or THINK YOU ARE that means nothing to pro scouts/other institutions. As a former student athlete myself (Not at the same level of NCAA Division 1 but similar song and dance), it's tough, but working through it shows resiliency and with the new rules in place now the NCAA looks like it's relaxing on it's blatant and irrational discrepancies against student athletes that they struggled with in years' past (I happen to be a proponent of student athletes getting paid and being able to afford room and board)

There's no excuse. Do better and work through trials and tribulations. It shows character.

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