Just so you know I always appreciate your insight/opinions.
Then something changed. It felt more….mercenary. But I don’t feel comfortable vocalizing that when I’m just some guy with zero insight into the program.
I like team sports because they are team sports. There is something missing in the enjoyment when it’s just a bunch of individuals doing their thing.
It feels more mercenary because it is more mercenary and CNS contributed to that attitude with his "create value for yourself" pitch on top of his "Alabama provides the best preparation for the NFL" pitch. Not that either was wrong but it creates a certain atmosphere. Much of the fanbase chimes in with reference after reference to the number of first-round picks, etc. Now we have NIL and the TP, created by the adults. What do we think kids are going to think?
I admire and applaud players who want to be part of a "team" and appreciate and prefer that attitude, but just have a hard time being too critical of a kid who maximizes money or status - because we, i.e., college football, have created that atmosphere. (The team environment can still exist but it is harder and harder to create and maintain, especially with coaches often moving on after success enables them.)
Though it feels like Alabama is being raped, and I too am sickened, what is going to be Alabama's response? It is going to go to the portal and take as many players as they think they need to upgrade their roster. And there will be at least a few, if not more, fans who will delight in taking players from some unfortunate program that will diminish their roster, in some cases may cripple them. Washington fans are crushed that Alabama took their coach and will now cherry-pick some of their best players from their depleted roster. Taking coaches has been around forever, now it's players too. It's part of the even more vicious dog-eat-dog world of college football.
What college football has done to itself is criminal and has debased most of us, coaches, players and fans, or maybe just revealed what we are by nature.
But college football is a microcosm of our country - dominated by cowards and fools. Hopefully, there's some help on the way for football, assuming we don't wind up in the wrong court.
But in Alabama's case, things will likely turn out OK, just more unpleasant than we prefer

.