STEINER SYMPOSIUM & MARCH MADNESS
With the continuation of March Madness and nearing the end of the NHL and NBA seasons- there seems to be a lull in sports dramatics. Taking that as a note, I have decided that I am going to talk about the Steiner Symposium that took place at the Charley Steiner School of Sports Communications and the panel on NIL and the transfer portal. Since I have been talking a lot about NCAA basketball and the growth of the portal- I felt this would be interesting and tie into my earlier posts.
Panelists: Janna Blais, Dr. Kenon Brown, Dr. Joshua Dickhaus, Dr. Paul Gullifor
Moderator: Dr. Sitong Guo
This panel talked about the overarching themes of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and the transfer portal. Janna Blais, who is the Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Northwestern, talked in depth about how the ruling in NCAA v. Alston has taken away the student in student-athlete. There was much discussion on how there needs to be regulations on the type of money that athletes make and how the transfer portal has turned into 'free-agency.'
I found this panel to be fascinating because this is a topic that I find interesting and wonder where the NCAA will go from here. This is obviously a very controversial topic and everyone has their opinions, so I am going to give mine based on the research and information that I have gained. I think that student-athletes deserve to be compensated for all of the work that they put into their sport, however I think that college sports should remain amateur, because this is the stepping stone to the professional leagues. I think that there is a happy medium that can be met for college athletes to gain that compensation but still maintain their college status and not become paid as high as Bryce Young did in NIL money ($3.5 million). That payment to athletes allow those students to neglect their academics and that is what the NCAA claims to be rooted in. On top of that schools are now not having to scout as much, it is just about what school gives them the most money and that also takes away from the genuine nature of college sports.
This coincides with the transfer portal, again I am ALL for student athletes leaving organizations that they do not feel comfortable or connected to, but since the implementation of the transfer portal it's just become a free for all. Janna Blais mentioned in the panel that only 60% of athletes actually find a school from the portal. This means that 40% of student athletes do not find a school to go to and therefore are not able to finish their education, which is what the NCAA prides itself. The transfer portal also makes coaches on edge with everything they do or say because they do not know what their players are planning on doing at the end of the year. I think we will see a huge influx of coaches retiring or resining because they are unable to do their job to the best of their abilities because of the fear of losing their team.
Overall, this panel was SO engaging and I was able to gain information on the topic that I had no idea and was able to conform my personal opinion based on the facts that they presented to me.
IN OTHER SPORTING NEWS...
- No. 1 Indiana State defeated No. 2 Cincinnati in the Elite 8 to make it to the semi-finals of the NIT
- Bradley softball completed their first series sweep since 2022 and pitcher Sydney Kennedy recorded her first no-hitter in a Braves uniform and was named the MVC Pitcher and Newcomer of the week. Check out my story on the Bradley Athletics website!
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What are your opinions on the implementation of NIL and the transfer portal in the NCAA?
That only 60% of athletes find another school is shocking and very sad. I think there are reasons for athletes to move on, but I also think there's a whole "grass is greener" mentality that is very unlikely to be true.
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