When he was named head football coach at the University of North Carolina, seven-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick proudly proclaimed that the Tar Heels would become the \u201cNFL\u2019s 33rd team.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been reported that former Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg earned upwards of $28 million in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation and endorsements during his one year with the Blue Devils.<\/p>\n
And new N.C. State basketball coach Will Wade was investigated and subsequently fired for allegedly paying players during his time at LSU. With no trace of irony, his ability to pay players and construct a winning roster, primarily through the transfer portal, was cited as the primary reason for his hire by the Wolfpack.<\/p>\n
To quote the famous line from Bob Dylan: \u201cThe times they are a-changin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NCAA that most of us know is virtually unrecognizable now. Terms like NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment and House settlement have forever altered the landscape of college sports. There is no question that we are looking at the professionalization of college football and basketball at the Division I level. The term \u201cstudent-athlete\u201d is nothing but a quaint reminder from the past, and the reality is that most football and basketball players are now more employees than students, and the whole enterprise has become transactional.<\/p>\n
NIL legislation started with good intentions a few years ago. Student-athletes should be compensated for their name, image and likeness, especially now that college athletics has become a multi-billion-dollar business. However, NIL is a misnomer, as there were few guardrails put in place by the NCAA, and it quickly evolved into a recruiting inducement and pay-for-play system. To be clear, I don\u2019t begrudge the athletes who are capitalizing; I wish NIL had been around in the 80\u2019s when I played basketball at William & Mary. Back then, I was thrilled with an occasional post-game sandwich and maybe a pitcher of beer!<\/p>\n
This new era of college sports is still wildly popular. Stadiums remain full, TV ratings go up every year and donors are spending millions to help build championship-caliber rosters. There is a never-ending chase for more money, and increased spending. And like many of you, I remain a fan and am still captivated by the College Football Playoff and March Madness (both of which are looking to expand, by the way).<\/p>\n
I believe strongly in the power of sports to lift people up, to teach valuable lessons and forge lasting relationships. I know it because I lived it as a college basketball player and coach, and now as an athletic director. I know that coaches are educators, leaders, role models and mentors. I know the incredible value that a college degree holds, and the way it can impact a family for generations.<\/p>\n
At Barton College, we approach athletics from a transformational standpoint, not a transactional one. We offer life-changing opportunities to our 700 student-athletes, and our focus is guiding them down the path of resilience and growth. You\u2019ll see them not only on the field or court, but also serving as orientation leaders, resident assistants and research associates. While we play to win \u2014 and we do it a lot \u2014 the biggest \u201cgame\u201d on the schedule is always graduation day. Athletics supports the mission and business model of the college, providing a positive and nurturing student-athlete experience, and competing to win in the classroom, in competition and in the Wilson community.<\/p>\n
You can root for the Heels, Devils, Pack, or Pirates, but we are Wilson\u2019s hometown college team, and we have no doubt you\u2019ll root for the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
We have great coaches and staff, beautiful facilities, and talented student-athletes who compete at a high level. You know what we are? We\u2019re what college athletics used to be, and what it was meant to be. We may have some navigate the transfer portal and a few Bulldogs dipping their toes into the NIL waters, but most of our student-athletes, including football and basketball players, are here to get a first-class education and to learn and grow as people.<\/p>\n
Our games are affordable and many are free, and you can bring your kids onto the field or court after the game for a photo, no problem.<\/p>\n
I look forward to seeing how Belichick and Wade do, and I\u2019ll be rooting for Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n
But mostly, I\u2019m proud to be part of the team, Wilson\u2019s hometown team, at Barton College, where we still do it the right way.<\/p>\n
Ken Tyler is Vice President and Director of Athletics at Barton College. A former NCAA Division I basketball player and coach in Divisions I, II and III, Tyler has spent over 30 years in college athletics. Prior to Barton, he served as Director of Athletics at the University of Mary Washington and West Virginia Wesleyan College. Tyler resides in Wilson with his wife Dr. Leona Ba Tyler.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When he was named head football coach at the University of North Carolina, seven-time Super Bowl champion Bill…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":53435,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[39769,1339,1369,1073,1317,1337,1338,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-53434","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-barton-sports","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-college-sports","11":"tag-columns","12":"tag-ncaa","13":"tag-ncaa-basketball","14":"tag-ncaabasketball","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114827573878212851","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53434\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}