THINK ABOUT THIS ….

[press-on]

Think about this for a minute my friends… a commentary about today’s Collegiate Football.

In the blink of an eye The University of Utah (and all other college football institutions) have transformed themselves from HAVING football ‘teams’ that represented their respective schools, to SPONSORING Minor League Professional Football Franchises centered around professional athletes. And accordingly, these so-called collegiate football players are, in fact, professional athletes who may or may not be actually attending classes at these sponsoring institutions. Here today, gone tomorrow, literally. Grab the money and run.

The speed of this transformation has been breathtaking!

Obviously BIG $$$$ is the driver of this change. But, the one HUGE intangible here that must be asked is, ‘how will the fans react?’ I’m not so sure the fans are going to buy in! Personally, I’m turned off by this whole thing. I used to feel a bond and attachment to the players, coaches and team as a whole as I’m sure nearly every one of you did. As the players went through the system, in a way, I ‘got to know them’. Cheered each of them on as they developed and matured and always felt bitter-sweet to see them graduate and move on.

Those days are gone. Today I’m finding myself simply cheering for ‘Red Colored Laundry (as someone put it). Go RED! Don’t get me wrong, I like red, but truth is there are a lot of great colors out there if that’s all that’s driving my allegiance.

So, for now I’ll leave it at that, except to say I think as the future goes I’d like to wish ‘My Utes” well …but will likely be spending a lot more quality time enjoying other activities with my family on Saturdays.

And just maybe, at least I can hope that one day the SPORT I/we have all loved will come to it’s senses and once again be College Football!

[chinngiskhaan]

No thanks

[J.Valdez]

This appears contradictory, perhaps even self-absorbed. Criticizing young men for prioritizing financial gain seems unjust. I understand the frustration; however, abandoning a cherished passion is not the solution. Circumstances evolve; team uniforms, personnel, and even personal perspectives change, but perseverance is key. This is merely the beginning; self-belief and commitment to the Utes are paramount. Where is the dedication? Maintain the same standards you expect from these athletes; your identity as a Ute was earned, not innate. This is my perspective. A Ute from the outset, regardless of victory or defeat. A lifelong Jazz fan, deeply rooted in local sports. For some of us, unwavering support is inherent; our loyalty is unwavering, a lifestyle commitment. Best of luck.

[EagleMountainUte]

It is just jealousy. If Utah had a billionaire contributing money to get talent for a sport we wouldn’t care that USU couldn’t do the same thing.

[krindor]

100%… which isn’t unusual. I’m active in a few places and I’ll say that in the offseason, I saw a lot of BYU fans whining about the $$$ and NIL and how it was the end of college sports and they weren’t sure if they’d stick around (basically the same thing you see here).

Weirdly, after BYU just gave AJ Dybantsa $7M dollars, there’s a LOT less complaining and more excitement.

[enigami344]

ya no one complaint when we got Logan Fano from BYU

[jshame17]

Oh, did we tamper and just throw buckets of money at Fano while he was a starter at BYU?

Or did he have time to sit with his injury and decide he wanted to play elsewhere with his brother and then transferred normally?

Transfers are one thing, unlimited transfers that are being negotiated mid-season or just turning into bidding wars every offseason is something totally different.

I say again, why not have every player forced into the portal each season, and let’s just have a bidding war to see who plays where next season? Because we are damn close to that now.

[EagleMountainUte]

“Decide to play with his brother”. You just need a narrative.

Calhoun realized he will have to play a s**t ton of snaps for a team that has zero offense and decided to leave. See just frame it correctly and it totally doesn’t become tampering.

[UTE98]

“Where is the dedication? Maintain the same standards you expect from these athletes; your identity as a Ute was earned, not innate.”

Why should fans who pay to watch the athletes be held to the same standard as what we expect from the athletes? We pay they “earn” if you can call it earning. $7 mil for one year of college basketball is grotesque. I the consumer go where I can buy value. Why should we be forced to buy what they are selling? If it is about money they likely don’t need mine cause I am not getting the value I pay. Tickets, hotels, gas, merchandise. The price is exceeding my demand. Basic economics.

[Ute Dub]

YOU GUYS WANTED THIS! F**K! Pay the players, pay the players, pay the players. I bet you didn’t realize this would send all the best players up to the biggest schools. Sheesh. How could you not have seen this coming?

[Utegator]

I think when people were saying “pay the players” they were expecting some sort of contract or that teams would have salary caps. I was never the one to say “pay the players”. Not because I didn’t want it, but I knew it would change the sport I loved drastically.

[Ute Dub]

YOU GUYS WANTED THIS! F**K! Pay the players, pay the players, pay the players. I bet you didn’t realize this would send all the best players up to the biggest schools. Sheesh. How could you not have seen this coming?

[AlohaUte]

Well, yes big $$$ has played a role, but what really drove it were impactful court decisions that basically neutered the NCAA. Those court rulings had a far bigger impact on the current state of college sports than anything else.

[The Miami Ute]

The answer is really simple. If you as a fan don’t like the current product on display or the ecosystem it’s in, then opt out. I haven’t watched an NBA or MLB game in over half a decade, and I’ve been a huge fan of baseball and basketball for almost my entire life. Once some time passes, you realize that you don’t miss the sport and you’re better off for it.

If universities feel like their core missions are being hijacked to subsidize professional leagues, then they should also opt out. Go to Division 3 rules where there are no athletic scholarships, meaning schools cannot offer financial aid specifically for athletic ability; instead, D3 student-athletes can receive merit-based or need-based financial aid based on academics, leadership, and other factors. Once you get used to it, the product there isn’t that bad, seeing as most schools are at the same level.

[press-on]

I guess, to distill the issue, my point is if you’re turned on by MINOR LEAGUE Professional baseball, football, soccer, whatever … go for it! Not going to criticize anyone if that’s your thing. For others, …they’re done.

Fact: Utah football doesn’t exist anymore! Utah SPONSORED Professional Minor league football is the
replacement for the game we all knew. They may end up being good at it, or they may not. $$$$ will probably rule. It is what it is. Not weighing in on that.

But for those who want to try to turn back the clock …good luck.

[Author]

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