How I Learned to Love The Transfer Portal
Starting a 2023 entry with a cultural reference from 1964 is probably not the best idea. However in regards to this particular subject it is both appropriate and in an odd way timely. Dr. Strangelove was a satirical Stanley Kubrick film whose tagline read “How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.” As the date and title suggests. The film is a black comedy that plays off of Cold War paranoia regarding nuclear war.
In modern college basketball the dreaded “bomb” is the two headed monster of the transfer portal and NIL (a players ability to compensate from their name image and likeness for the uninitiated). Pardon the poor pun— but if you believe popular sentiment. This combined bomb is responsible for completely blowing up the fabric of the college basketball landscape. Insiders frequently cite frustration among coaches with changes these beasts have brought. The monster has supposedly played a role in the recent rash of retirements among big name coaches.
A lot of ink has been spilled on this phenomenon. Varying think pieces analyzing the positives and negatives. The legal reasoning behind its creation. The “morality” of giving players rights in an exploitative system. I’m going to spare you the high minded intellectualism and provide a healthy does of common sense. I hope this approach helps the average fan take a sober approach to these changes. Learn to accept or even “love” them. They are not going anywhere. More importantly in a paradoxical way. It moves these well compensated “student athletes” closer to a true collegiate existence and experience.
Why might that be? The forces behind these decisions have nothing to do with a Supreme Court case or recent legislation. The motivations and drivers of these decisions are old and more importantly specific to the college generation. Millennials have had enough mud thrown at their expense. As a 40 something writer. I’m going to try and personalize these arguments so I am not piling on. I’ll focus in on three universal truths
1. Not Playing Really Stinks
As this website is a testament to. I love the game of basketball. Unfortunately I wasn’t very good at it. Don’t worry I’m not going go all Skip Bayless on you. However I was a competent ball handler and passer with decent speed. But I topped out below 5-8 and couldn’t shoot to save my life. Despite these shortcomings I was probably good enough to play at most schools.
Unfortunately the two high school I attended were not most schools. At one, my senior class went 19-1 and won a district championship. The one I moved to later sent multiple players to the next level (including Division 1) in the grades below me.
So what did I do? Did I suck it up and build “character” riding the end of the bench? Nope I focused on music (which I better at) and joined a band. It was the right decision for me at the time and it opened a lot doors for me post high school. I’m not going to lie. I still attended and cheered at many of the games of both teams. There was a part of me that missed the camaraderie of a team. However not enough to endure the wind sprints and litany of early morning practices.
If that is how a minimally talented basketball player feels at a small high school. I could imagine the feeling would be exponentially higher at the college level. If you are going to subject yourself to time demands placed upon a college athlete. You’re going to want to play.
I don’t want to completely dismiss the “lessons” an athlete can learn from riding the bench. You can develop and grow fighting for playing time. However for every Stetson Bennett IV or Max Duggan. There are countless players whose opportunity never arrives. Why are these stories untold? Let me break this down nice and easy once again. THEY NEVER PLAYED….
People can blame the kid, helicopter parents, or the dreaded “handler” all they want. The fact remains. If a coach cannot convince a player that he is a valued member of the team. Or that playing time is a realistic upcoming possibility. Frankly that falls on the person who sold the player on coming to campus in the first place— the head coach. Does it stink for the coach who has to re-recruit his team every year? Do opposing coaches do shady things to entice players from other programs?
The answer is an undoubtedly yes. However let’s not kid ourselves here. That has been the case for a long time. The transfer portal is simply a magnifying lens for annual roster maintenance. Blaming the player or extrapolating this phenomenon to the development of a “soft” society is a bit over the top. At its elemental core. The transfer portal is group players who just want to play.
2. Money Matters (especially in college)
I mentioned my brief career in music. Like most college kids. I saw this vocation in grandiose terms. I was a self styled sophisticated jazz/blues musician who was going to make the world a better place through art.
After one particular gig. An over served patron decided he wanted to listen to some AC/DC. My equipment was already in my car and let’s just say the stylings of Angus Young were not in my wheelhouse. After initially turning down the request. This gentleman whipped out his wallet and displayed how much he loved AC/DC.
Needless to say within moments I spied a stray mandolin on the stage and I was quickly “Back in Black” I should add that I didn’t know how to play the mandolin. However I learned/faked it rather quickly. The point being. Most college kids will do some pretty impulsive things for money.
Do I look back on this incident with pride? Would I do something similar in my forties? I certainly hope not. Did some great existential crisis happen in me after selling out my artistic soul for a little cash? Nope. I just headed across the street and got some good pizza for the ride home. While also paying a portion of my looming rent.
No statistics here I promise. However an overwhelming portion or college basketball players are never going to get a sniff of the generational wealth an NBA contract provides. If a student-athlete can earn more cash at a different campus. It would be borderline foolish not to at least explore it. I try not to be anecdotal. However let’s analyze this scenario.
As the star player at blue blooded Kentucky. Oscar Tshiebwe has one of the highest NIL valuations in the sport. What is he doing with that money? With a portion he is providing medical care back home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If another deep pocketed program can provide more money. Even perhaps more than various professional options. Should he turn it down in the name of program loyalty? This is not an isolated incident. Plenty of college athletes are pursuing noble endeavors with their funds. However that does not generate the same amount of attention as the farcical financial deals. Nor does it incite passion among the fan bases that drive this sport. I’m not naive. There are plenty of nefarious financial dealings going on as well. Which leads to next point….
3. College Kids Will Make Bad Decisions
I can see a hard driving goal oriented person disagreeing with point number one. I can also see a principled person with a trust fund not relating to point two as well. However it is going to take a pretty compelling argument to dissuade me on point number three.
I’ve already laid bare the high school trauma of riding the pine. I’ve sold out whatever artistic credentials I ever had. If you think I’m going to list all the stupid things I did as a college student. Well let’s just say I do have to retain some dignity.
I don’t want to seem too flippant on this one. Can someone do irreparable damage based on a shortsighted decision in this time period? Of course they can. Does a society provide too much rope for these foibles in various ways? I promised to stay off the moral soap box. But the answer unequivocally yes.
That being said. I don’t believe where someone chooses to play the game of basketball falls into this weighty category. In 2035 we are not going to see a wave of 30 for 30 documentaries about a litany of poor life altering decisions in the transfer portal. Let’s not overcomplicate this. Sports history has shown time and again. If you can really play. You are going to get a chance to show it somewhere. If you can’t play or you can’t get out of your own way off the court. That will eventually get exposed. No matter where you are at.
Does it stink for the Michigan fan to cheer for Hunter Dickinson for three years only to watch him leave for Lawrence. If I squint I guess I can see their frustration. However if Dickinson were to come back for a big senior year. Kiss the Block M on his way off the court. Guess what most of these same fans are going to do the second that stirring moment is completed. They are going to begin to wonder if Tarris Reed is good enough to replace him. They will wonder if a prospect like Flory Bidunga or Jon Bol can adjust to the college game quickly. Or…..
If you the fan think the answer is no. You are going to see who is available in the transfer portal. It’s just the new nature of the beast. Ultimately it makes the game more interesting. With corresponding nearly year round coverage. It provides economic opportunities for many players. While also allowing for rapid program rebuilds. I really don’t see the downside. Embrace it, stop worrying, and learn to love the transfer portal.
