John - thanks for the backstory and such thorough reporting. Having said that, ugh. College football as a "product" for us viewers/consumers is becoming disgusting and disintegrating slowly. Such a turn-off.
Think we need to wait and see what the numbers do in all areas... gift giving... ticket sales... etc. The CFP and NCAA Tournament and big games may be a case of peripheral viewers coming into the fray for big events. What is the core die-hard group of fans doing? I need a bigger sample size and more time.
I agree. Your top schools will still need some little brothers to kick around. At some point the little brothers fan base will tire of the charade, and start tuning out. A large share of younger people only follow the games for their fantasy league. Time will tell how it plays out.
I'll attend my three Beaver games (don't have much more time than that with HS football coaching...A Saturday game nowdays feels like it takes up your whole Saturday), but i won't be watching nationally, and I was about as big a college football fan as there ever was (not anymore).
Jon, you raise an excellent point. As a long-time business person, I'm not sure that things will pan out on the money front as most think. The fact that kids are 100% free agents each year, I think, could significantly impact bowl season (outside of the twelve who make the playoffs). Kids who enter the portal won't play in bowls; the resulting matchups will be lopsided, fans will tune out, and stands will be empty. The top schools will probably always be OK, but it could fall off quickly from there. Working for several F500 companies over the years, whenever decisions were made on behalf of the $, vs value to the consumer, they might pan out for a bit in the short run, but didn't very often in the long run. I think/worry that this might be the case with CFB. I hope I'm wrong.
I think you’re spot on. Especially if it moves to two 20 team super conferences. Unless you’re an alumni or die hard fan of those schools, you will lose interest in college football pretty quickly.
Fandom has different levels. The nut-so's fans for N. Dakota State, Boise State, Fresno State and many others still find joy - when they are winning. I think Oregon State can win and have supportive fans even if they aren't in some construct of Elite 40.
Your prognosis is correct IMHO, so far as it goes, but where it is ultimately going (actual sports fans be damned) is to the objective of maximizing gambling profits. The people that will make those massive profits don't need actual fans or season ticket holders, just gullible gamer bros who are always going to be parted from their cash
As a west coast homer I will not watch any pac 10 team play a crappy big 10 or big 12 schedule. I may watch a couple play a crappy mountain west schedule tho…
As a life long OSU Beaver donor , and GiantKiller ‘67 Class Alumnus, it is very difficult to get excited about OSU sports anymore knowing that the players we all love to watch in Orange and Black will be gone to the Portal in a heartbeat ; “ loyalty” words are meaningless now. The NCAA has lost their minds not policing what is happening now. The Golden Goose of Amateurism, which worked for so long successfully is now a thing of the past . Money rules all decisions now . Gone are the days of Honor and faithfulness.
Greed and Avarice now rule College sports . Goodbye College sports as we used to know it .🥲
Football is going to split away... the system should be designed to reward the schools that want to make the investment. But I hear you on the Golden Goose.
I hear a lot of talk about the days of "loyalty" and "honor" in amateur college athletics. I'm not at all convinced that what is termed "loyalty" didn't simply refer to a model that incentivized staying in one place as opposed to transferring as the best thing for individual players. And there's nothing wrong with that. I returned to grad school this past year, and you can bet that part of my calculation in doing so involved what is best for my long-term financial future. Everyone who enters college or the workforce is entitled to make such calculations and always has. In short, I don't buy the argument that athletes used to be more loyal, only that a system was made that incentivized performing loyalty. I'm also skeptical about the construct of amateurism. I would argue that college sports stopped being amateur the moment that they became something television networks and advertisers(and eventually athletic departments and coaches) could profit from and perhaps before that, whenever they started to resemble what they are now more than they resembled something closer to intramurals. I agree that there is a lot wrong with what is happening now. I don't think a return to old models is either possible or just. I think we're heading toward a future in which even if college athletics remain associated with universities in-name, they are going to function much more like the baseball farm system or the way soccer functions in other parts of the globe. If you want someone like Damien Martinez to stay for four years, sign him to a four-year contract and pay him what the market determines he is worth.
your sentiments are EXACTLY the determining factors in the demise of college football...congratulations.
Honor and loyalty mean nothing to todays youth. Those terms seem to generate disdain and condescension from the X & Z generations. Good luck with that.
Pulleaze....quit riffing on how bad the younger generations are when there's so much dirt that's been done and continues being done by the older and within range of croaking generation. No generation alive today has cornered the market on virtue or vice. See the mote in thine own eye first.
You frankly capture the gut feelings of many long term fans, but after thinking about it, I have taken a different approach.
The players were captive for the most part-they received a scholarship, could be run off fairly easily, but could only leave if they wanted to sit out a year if they qualified for a transfer.
The situation was so egregious that the U.S. Supreme Court, which seemingly cannot agree upon anything, ruled 9-0 that many aspects of the then existing system were blatantly illegal and denied the players the right to fair compensation from the schools.
One Justice in a concurring opinion also made it clear that the NCAA had better not stand in the way of third party fair compensation either, hence the NIL's.
I now view the Golden Age of Amateurism as a manifestly unfair era. If my memory serves me correctly, I think an Oregon player, who was a critical cog in the incredible success of the Chip Kelly era, told a reporter with the Oregonian that he could not even afford to buy a pair of Levis.
I really think the players just made the best they could of a bad situation and now this generation is being treated fairly. It is something that should have occurred decades ago.
Congress can no doubt step in and help develop some guardrails, but I don't like the idea of tying a young man or woman to a school that he or she does not want to play at long term.
I don't discount your gut feelings-I just think it arose because we were conditioned to "loyalty" as a result of a flawed system that abused the athletes.
"as a result of a flawed system that abused the athletes". Wow what a ridiculous statement. First of all, for decades, most athletes would kill for chance to play under scholarship for a D1 level football program. It had nothing to do with being conditioned, or abused. They saw the situation as it was...an ability to play a game they loved AND get a VERY valuable scholarship and education while they were at it.
I read the comments and just shake my head..."indentured servitude" NO ONE forces these student athletes to play of accept the terms of the scholarships...it seems only AFTER they accept the scholarships that include tuition, books, housing, training table meals, medical, dental, mental health counseling, That they want more. Yet students with educational scholarships don't receive 80-90% of that.
Strange, I don't remember ever giving my viewpoint to the Supreme court on this matter...But It's of no surprise to me that you would PIGGY BACK your agreement onto it. Do we need to call a surgeon now to fix your arm & shoulder from patting yourself on the back? And then call a mental health professional to somehow stop your runaway ego from fighting with king kong and Godzilla and destroying all cities nearby??? Get a grip clown.
When I went to college, I worked as a roofer during the summer so I could “afford” tuition and room/board during the academic year. I also went into debt with student loans because my summer earnings didn’t cover all my expenses. I was certainly no athlete, but for the athlete to complain about receiving room/board and fully paid tuition makes me wonder what the athlete was doing in the summer.
These athletes are the core talent of an enterprise that generates billions of dollars a year.
They were barred from negotiating with their respective Universities or third parties for the value of their efforts.
That happens to violate federal law and all the Supreme Court said is knock it off and give these players the opportunity to negotiate for what they are legally entitled to.
I totally agree with your take. The problem has been in going from the extreme of basically indentured servitude to total wild west anarchy. I blame the schools and NCAA for not having been proactive in establishing a fair system of compensation for athletes.
Exactly, and I knew at the time it was going to come back on the NCAA. When power and money concentrates, as it will, there's always a crux point where those with the power and money can either choose to let some crumbs trickle down to tamp down discontent amongst the masses, or they can choose to try and keep it all to themselves. When the choice is to keep it all, the outcome throughout history has been the destruction of wealth through revolution. Not to get too grandiose, after all this is sports, not life and death, but this is a central conclusion of Will and Ariel Durant's capstone summation of their History of Civilization work, "The Lessons of History".
Of course you say nothing of the GREED and AVARICE the colleges, coaches, television networks and conference administrators rode on the backs of the very athletes you are shaming. Shame on you Rand!
So true. With the mobility afforded athletes by the portal, these agents have a blatant conflict of interest. The biggest NIL deal equals the biggest payday for the agent; it's that simple. Never mind that NIL money is just one of many factors that must be considered in determining the best interests of the the athlete; why should an agent care about any of that?
Ho hum…whatever. The fan base has been whipsawed and jerked around ever since the midnight bushwhacking last August. Like many, I’m numb to all of this at this point. Although I doubt it will happen, realistic guidelines must be put in place to make sure there is some sort of equivalence in these poaching….err … I mean portal transactions. Such that a program losing a player is in some way compensated for costs of development invested in the player. This could be a transfer fee which would be paid by the destination program’s a NIL entity. Of course, this would need to be implemented and enforced by the governing body. As long as the NCAA is beholden to media interests, the likelihood of this falls into the “fat chance” column.
Could NOT of seen something like this coming...............Said NO ONE EVER. I'm sure this scenario is going to play out 100 x's over the next few weeks. Why I'm reluctant to give any money to NiL. Waiting for Saudi money or ESPN to buy college football outright, and do away with this charade of "student athlete" . #newworld :(
Great piece, thanks John. I admire and greatly value your investigative reporting on stuff that matters, like getting the truth out on this story.
One additional thought: if Martinez wants to show he is the "No. 1 running back for next year’s draft class," I don't think he can do that with the Beavers' 2024 schedule. He needs to be in more games that will have broader (potentially national) audience against ranked teams. The Beavers 2024 opponents, other than Oregon, don't offer that.
Don't really agree with that argument. I mean, someone like LaDainian Tomlinson at San Diego State, proved he was the best back in the country without playing in lots of big games. If you've got talent, the NFL knows exactly where you are regardless.
Faulk was the second player drafted in 1994 and was second in Heisman voting in 1992. Rashaad Penny, also from San Diego State, was drafted in the first round in 2018. If you are good enough, NFL scouts will find you wherever you are. I don't think there's any doubt that bad actors got in Damien's ear. He would have shredded the MWC, and it's not like the conference toils in anonymity. By entering the portal, he has most likely done nothing to improve his position.
But Thomlinson never played in the SWC. TCU was already in the WAC when he signed with them. DM already established his reputation playing 2 years against a Pac 12 schedule, USC, UW, Utah, UCLA, UO etc. And OSUs reputation is based on their recent membership in the Pac 12 with those same schools, so I fail to see your point. Tomlinson is a great example of how you don't need to be in a P4 conference to be the #1 RB in the draft. Besides, in the NFL draft, all RBs are an afterthought now.
You got me, definitely Faulk. :) A lot has changed, but kids having dynamic talent and the NFL finding them hasn't. I don't, I just don't see it as an issue. If he had been playing at Portland State, sure..
I don’t understand why anyone would contribute to NIL collectives, especially fans who think it is a good idea to pay an obviously immature 20 year old $400,000 to play football. I would assume the majority of small donors don’t make anywhere near that amount annually.
All the posts that I saw on this said that Damien said that Dam Nation lied to him. Did he not say that? Is he backtracking? Did the agent put out false information? Either way, it sucks totally for the Beavs, but where was that narrative coming from?? I'm guessing he's sitting in Florida right now.
Yesterday I and a few others were part of the drama on X. Damien seems to have backtracked his original statement, and was deleted last night, which I think points out he mistyped what he intended to say.
It looks like DM addressed some of the questions I had last night, but there are still issues with John's article....or maybe more correctly how DM states the use of the money.
For instance, DM states he bought the second vehicle all on his own... But admits there was a first vehicle supplied by the collective, which he traded in for his current vehicle. That would mean that the value of the vehicle supplied by collective is wrapped up in the current vehicle. To make matters more confusing, in John's article, DM then states he bought both vehicles. Then there is the whole issue with the house which I won't get into here, but has a similar confusing explanation.
What it points to me is that DM simply is not familiar with finances,not a ding on him as most 20 year olds probably don't. What it does show though is that he probably is easily manipulated by his agent.
This same agent that unprofessionally contacted DamNation out of the blue via text demanding more than $500k. Then when turned down unprofessionally released the tweet that stated DM made $400k (though acting like someone else tweeted it)... Which is the tweet that started all the drama and then DM sent a poorly written tweet (probably approved by his agent) that really set everyone off.
So this slime ball of an agent is the one who has caused all this drama.
I hope John can do an article on agents, their lack of any qualifications or certifications, are preying on young athletes that have very little money sense.... And how's those agents make money...
DM is most likely in the middle of a predatory agent that is using him to fill his own pockets.
NIL coupled with no restrictions on transfers is coach crazy-making. I think we will see more college coaches off to the NFL until there is a 'CFB union' that 'management' can negotiate with and allow a divided Congress to provide some level of protection for CFB against anti-trust litigation, etc.
IMO, all of 'this' will lead to a further contraction of championship-quality CFB programs and not an expansion to an 80-team Super League.
First, there shouldn’t be a spring transfer portal for football. One portal at the end of the season is plenty, plus the supplemental 30 day one if there is a head coach change.
Second, I think many are overstating the loss of Martinez. He’s a real good RB, but from what I’ve seen so far, he wouldn’t fit the new system at OSU all that great. There is still quite a bit of talent in the RB room, with more coming possibly.
Third, this is exactly why college football is rapidly becoming unwatchable. It all just feels dirty all around. There have to be better controls instituted on all parties. Having basically free agency all the time will not work in the long run for the athletes, schools, and fans.
Good reporting John. This story helped me plan my fall schedule. One that does not include college football and OSU football. Yuck. I had a hunch college football was dirty, but this story confirms it.
I hope John does an article on the agents... He barely even scratched the surface on how dirty it is... If agents did the same thing in the NFL they are doing to college students, they'd probably be charged with a felony
Dam Nation delivered. Gorman got Dame's ear and told him things that probably weren't true about about his situation at OSU. Maybe he couldn't be great at OSU or he could make a lot more money on the open market. Another theory is DM had several brushes with the law and wanted a fresh start. Who knows. I give the 20 year old a pass, he's young. I've also moved on. Right now, I'm looking at the present stable of RBs in Corvallis who will be successful this fall. Jam and Hank will fill the shoes in 2024.
I see this as yet another episode of well-meaning people trying to do what they see as the right or best thing colliding with other well-meaning people trying to do with a different view of what the right thing to do is.
The whole NIL/Transfer Portal/Conference Alignment/Media deal/Coach movement/side deals/etc ecostructure is symptomatic of a poorly thought out total package, resulting in a free for all.
The cause is years (decades) of stubborn resistance to any measures to address shortcomings that people are now acting largely on their own to address. A failure of management and leadership of epic proportions to create a system where much of what is happening just wouldn't happen because proper management and leadership would have addressed it before it became a critical mass problem.
I agree with all except the "well-meaning people" part. The actors in the transfer portal are primarily either (A. Naive college kids whose brains, science tells us, won't be fully developed for another 10 years, and (B. Greedy, slimy, manipulative adults who have only their own best interests at heart.
It is going to be much harder to get any guardrails in place now than it would have been earlier. And NO CHANCE of putting the genie back in the bottle.
I hope DM finds his pot of gold someday. Hope his agent didn't mislead him. I can understand Beaver Nation being unhappy a short term decision with long term impact.
I posted on FB a generic comment that basically stated - what happens if a portal/transfer student doesn't get equal compensation, doesn't get picked up, doesn't have the same playing time, the team they go to does worse than the departing team, ends up playing down a level, tries to return to their original school, doesn't make it the way an agent says they will? Hopefully questions that are well thought out before a decision is made.
You might want to look up "tampering" in the dictionary. Me thinks these higher profile players know exactly the end-game before hitting the portal....or, at least have the assurances of their "agent."
Whether he got $92,000 or $100,000, what benefit or services is he providing going forward ? Zero. Did he receive that first payment after he declared he was staying and after last season was over. Are they not entering into contracts on these deals? If a coach leaves before his contract is up there is a buyout. I would hope there’s a similar system in place for NIL. This is all crazy! Professional athletes have less flexibility in some cases than college kids. At least there are rules in place there and until the NCAA (or some other governing body) puts rules in place in college I’m done with it. I’ll support the baseball team….for now.
College football is rapidly approaching the point where it is unrecognizable. No longer are fans rooting for their favorite players on their favorite teams; they’re being forced to root only for jerseys as the players bounce from team to team. And the drama swirling around the teams and players is the stuff of soap opera scripts. Often college football fans have deeper emotional ties to their favorite team than they do to an NFL franchise because they are somehow tied to the university- they or a family member are alumni, for example. NIL and the portal, undermine and betray the connection college football fans have with their teams and the individual players. Why must college football as an institution make it so hard to find the pleasure it once provided?
John - thanks for the backstory and such thorough reporting. Having said that, ugh. College football as a "product" for us viewers/consumers is becoming disgusting and disintegrating slowly. Such a turn-off.
Agree. I felt like I needed to shower after reporting it. But it was very important to get the details right here. The sourcing and facts mattered.
Your integrity shines, John.
Your journalism is second to none sir
James, I share your angst, but CFB viewer numbers were up last season.
And with games in 2024 such as USC at Michigan, Ohio State at Oregon, Georgia at Texas, and Alabama at Oklahoma, the numbers will be up again in 2024.
Think we need to wait and see what the numbers do in all areas... gift giving... ticket sales... etc. The CFP and NCAA Tournament and big games may be a case of peripheral viewers coming into the fray for big events. What is the core die-hard group of fans doing? I need a bigger sample size and more time.
I agree. Your top schools will still need some little brothers to kick around. At some point the little brothers fan base will tire of the charade, and start tuning out. A large share of younger people only follow the games for their fantasy league. Time will tell how it plays out.
I'll attend my three Beaver games (don't have much more time than that with HS football coaching...A Saturday game nowdays feels like it takes up your whole Saturday), but i won't be watching nationally, and I was about as big a college football fan as there ever was (not anymore).
You are me! Just too painful to watch what is happening in college football and basketball.
Jon, you raise an excellent point. As a long-time business person, I'm not sure that things will pan out on the money front as most think. The fact that kids are 100% free agents each year, I think, could significantly impact bowl season (outside of the twelve who make the playoffs). Kids who enter the portal won't play in bowls; the resulting matchups will be lopsided, fans will tune out, and stands will be empty. The top schools will probably always be OK, but it could fall off quickly from there. Working for several F500 companies over the years, whenever decisions were made on behalf of the $, vs value to the consumer, they might pan out for a bit in the short run, but didn't very often in the long run. I think/worry that this might be the case with CFB. I hope I'm wrong.
I think you’re spot on. Especially if it moves to two 20 team super conferences. Unless you’re an alumni or die hard fan of those schools, you will lose interest in college football pretty quickly.
Fandom has different levels. The nut-so's fans for N. Dakota State, Boise State, Fresno State and many others still find joy - when they are winning. I think Oregon State can win and have supportive fans even if they aren't in some construct of Elite 40.
Your prognosis is correct IMHO, so far as it goes, but where it is ultimately going (actual sports fans be damned) is to the objective of maximizing gambling profits. The people that will make those massive profits don't need actual fans or season ticket holders, just gullible gamer bros who are always going to be parted from their cash
As a west coast homer I will not watch any pac 10 team play a crappy big 10 or big 12 schedule. I may watch a couple play a crappy mountain west schedule tho…
Absolutely so disheartening and disgusting
John.
As a life long OSU Beaver donor , and GiantKiller ‘67 Class Alumnus, it is very difficult to get excited about OSU sports anymore knowing that the players we all love to watch in Orange and Black will be gone to the Portal in a heartbeat ; “ loyalty” words are meaningless now. The NCAA has lost their minds not policing what is happening now. The Golden Goose of Amateurism, which worked for so long successfully is now a thing of the past . Money rules all decisions now . Gone are the days of Honor and faithfulness.
Greed and Avarice now rule College sports . Goodbye College sports as we used to know it .🥲
Rand Wintermute
OSU , class of 1967
Football is going to split away... the system should be designed to reward the schools that want to make the investment. But I hear you on the Golden Goose.
I hear a lot of talk about the days of "loyalty" and "honor" in amateur college athletics. I'm not at all convinced that what is termed "loyalty" didn't simply refer to a model that incentivized staying in one place as opposed to transferring as the best thing for individual players. And there's nothing wrong with that. I returned to grad school this past year, and you can bet that part of my calculation in doing so involved what is best for my long-term financial future. Everyone who enters college or the workforce is entitled to make such calculations and always has. In short, I don't buy the argument that athletes used to be more loyal, only that a system was made that incentivized performing loyalty. I'm also skeptical about the construct of amateurism. I would argue that college sports stopped being amateur the moment that they became something television networks and advertisers(and eventually athletic departments and coaches) could profit from and perhaps before that, whenever they started to resemble what they are now more than they resembled something closer to intramurals. I agree that there is a lot wrong with what is happening now. I don't think a return to old models is either possible or just. I think we're heading toward a future in which even if college athletics remain associated with universities in-name, they are going to function much more like the baseball farm system or the way soccer functions in other parts of the globe. If you want someone like Damien Martinez to stay for four years, sign him to a four-year contract and pay him what the market determines he is worth.
your sentiments are EXACTLY the determining factors in the demise of college football...congratulations.
Honor and loyalty mean nothing to todays youth. Those terms seem to generate disdain and condescension from the X & Z generations. Good luck with that.
Pulleaze....quit riffing on how bad the younger generations are when there's so much dirt that's been done and continues being done by the older and within range of croaking generation. No generation alive today has cornered the market on virtue or vice. See the mote in thine own eye first.
I wish the football split would happen already!!
You frankly capture the gut feelings of many long term fans, but after thinking about it, I have taken a different approach.
The players were captive for the most part-they received a scholarship, could be run off fairly easily, but could only leave if they wanted to sit out a year if they qualified for a transfer.
The situation was so egregious that the U.S. Supreme Court, which seemingly cannot agree upon anything, ruled 9-0 that many aspects of the then existing system were blatantly illegal and denied the players the right to fair compensation from the schools.
One Justice in a concurring opinion also made it clear that the NCAA had better not stand in the way of third party fair compensation either, hence the NIL's.
I now view the Golden Age of Amateurism as a manifestly unfair era. If my memory serves me correctly, I think an Oregon player, who was a critical cog in the incredible success of the Chip Kelly era, told a reporter with the Oregonian that he could not even afford to buy a pair of Levis.
I really think the players just made the best they could of a bad situation and now this generation is being treated fairly. It is something that should have occurred decades ago.
Congress can no doubt step in and help develop some guardrails, but I don't like the idea of tying a young man or woman to a school that he or she does not want to play at long term.
I don't discount your gut feelings-I just think it arose because we were conditioned to "loyalty" as a result of a flawed system that abused the athletes.
"as a result of a flawed system that abused the athletes". Wow what a ridiculous statement. First of all, for decades, most athletes would kill for chance to play under scholarship for a D1 level football program. It had nothing to do with being conditioned, or abused. They saw the situation as it was...an ability to play a game they loved AND get a VERY valuable scholarship and education while they were at it.
I read the comments and just shake my head..."indentured servitude" NO ONE forces these student athletes to play of accept the terms of the scholarships...it seems only AFTER they accept the scholarships that include tuition, books, housing, training table meals, medical, dental, mental health counseling, That they want more. Yet students with educational scholarships don't receive 80-90% of that.
For what it’s worth the Supreme Court thought your viewpoint was moronic and you just thought my agreement with their unanimous ruling was ridiculous.
Strange, I don't remember ever giving my viewpoint to the Supreme court on this matter...But It's of no surprise to me that you would PIGGY BACK your agreement onto it. Do we need to call a surgeon now to fix your arm & shoulder from patting yourself on the back? And then call a mental health professional to somehow stop your runaway ego from fighting with king kong and Godzilla and destroying all cities nearby??? Get a grip clown.
Really?
So he couldn’t afford to buy a pair of Levi’s.
When I went to college, I worked as a roofer during the summer so I could “afford” tuition and room/board during the academic year. I also went into debt with student loans because my summer earnings didn’t cover all my expenses. I was certainly no athlete, but for the athlete to complain about receiving room/board and fully paid tuition makes me wonder what the athlete was doing in the summer.
These athletes are the core talent of an enterprise that generates billions of dollars a year.
They were barred from negotiating with their respective Universities or third parties for the value of their efforts.
That happens to violate federal law and all the Supreme Court said is knock it off and give these players the opportunity to negotiate for what they are legally entitled to.
I totally agree with your take. The problem has been in going from the extreme of basically indentured servitude to total wild west anarchy. I blame the schools and NCAA for not having been proactive in establishing a fair system of compensation for athletes.
The NCAA and the Conferences knew this was coming and bet against the players and lost in Court.
Exactly, and I knew at the time it was going to come back on the NCAA. When power and money concentrates, as it will, there's always a crux point where those with the power and money can either choose to let some crumbs trickle down to tamp down discontent amongst the masses, or they can choose to try and keep it all to themselves. When the choice is to keep it all, the outcome throughout history has been the destruction of wealth through revolution. Not to get too grandiose, after all this is sports, not life and death, but this is a central conclusion of Will and Ariel Durant's capstone summation of their History of Civilization work, "The Lessons of History".
1000%! Spot on Big Bird!
Of course you say nothing of the GREED and AVARICE the colleges, coaches, television networks and conference administrators rode on the backs of the very athletes you are shaming. Shame on you Rand!
The key information in this article is the shiny new agent in Florida. It's no coincidence that new agent and transfer happened together.
Problematic combination. Hard to tell who has the best interests of the players in mind and who does not.
It's easy to tell who is going to get a commission check though.
So true. With the mobility afforded athletes by the portal, these agents have a blatant conflict of interest. The biggest NIL deal equals the biggest payday for the agent; it's that simple. Never mind that NIL money is just one of many factors that must be considered in determining the best interests of the the athlete; why should an agent care about any of that?
Miami is thin at running back headed into 2024. Miami has a lot of NIL money. Don't be surprised if...
Yup.
Ho hum…whatever. The fan base has been whipsawed and jerked around ever since the midnight bushwhacking last August. Like many, I’m numb to all of this at this point. Although I doubt it will happen, realistic guidelines must be put in place to make sure there is some sort of equivalence in these poaching….err … I mean portal transactions. Such that a program losing a player is in some way compensated for costs of development invested in the player. This could be a transfer fee which would be paid by the destination program’s a NIL entity. Of course, this would need to be implemented and enforced by the governing body. As long as the NCAA is beholden to media interests, the likelihood of this falls into the “fat chance” column.
Could NOT of seen something like this coming...............Said NO ONE EVER. I'm sure this scenario is going to play out 100 x's over the next few weeks. Why I'm reluctant to give any money to NiL. Waiting for Saudi money or ESPN to buy college football outright, and do away with this charade of "student athlete" . #newworld :(
Great piece, thanks John. I admire and greatly value your investigative reporting on stuff that matters, like getting the truth out on this story.
One additional thought: if Martinez wants to show he is the "No. 1 running back for next year’s draft class," I don't think he can do that with the Beavers' 2024 schedule. He needs to be in more games that will have broader (potentially national) audience against ranked teams. The Beavers 2024 opponents, other than Oregon, don't offer that.
Don't really agree with that argument. I mean, someone like LaDainian Tomlinson at San Diego State, proved he was the best back in the country without playing in lots of big games. If you've got talent, the NFL knows exactly where you are regardless.
Marshall Faulk... LT was at TCU... but you're right... TCU was in the WAC when he was there.
Faulk was the second player drafted in 1994 and was second in Heisman voting in 1992. Rashaad Penny, also from San Diego State, was drafted in the first round in 2018. If you are good enough, NFL scouts will find you wherever you are. I don't think there's any doubt that bad actors got in Damien's ear. He would have shredded the MWC, and it's not like the conference toils in anonymity. By entering the portal, he has most likely done nothing to improve his position.
But he will probably improve his (and his agent's) payday for the upcoming year.
Tomlinson was at Big12 TCU. Maybe you were thinking of 30 years ago: Marshall Faulk? But, a lot has changed in 30 years.
If we're getting into details, TCU was in the WAC when LT played there.
Yep. Though TCU's reputation was based on recent membership in the Southwest conference with Texas, Oklahoma, A&M, etc.
But Thomlinson never played in the SWC. TCU was already in the WAC when he signed with them. DM already established his reputation playing 2 years against a Pac 12 schedule, USC, UW, Utah, UCLA, UO etc. And OSUs reputation is based on their recent membership in the Pac 12 with those same schools, so I fail to see your point. Tomlinson is a great example of how you don't need to be in a P4 conference to be the #1 RB in the draft. Besides, in the NFL draft, all RBs are an afterthought now.
TCU was in the WAC then. I covered that kid. Tremendous back.
You got me, definitely Faulk. :) A lot has changed, but kids having dynamic talent and the NFL finding them hasn't. I don't, I just don't see it as an issue. If he had been playing at Portland State, sure..
I don’t understand why anyone would contribute to NIL collectives, especially fans who think it is a good idea to pay an obviously immature 20 year old $400,000 to play football. I would assume the majority of small donors don’t make anywhere near that amount annually.
I wonder how it impacts the locker room? The majority, even in football, don't have these big-money NIL deals.
All the posts that I saw on this said that Damien said that Dam Nation lied to him. Did he not say that? Is he backtracking? Did the agent put out false information? Either way, it sucks totally for the Beavs, but where was that narrative coming from?? I'm guessing he's sitting in Florida right now.
Yesterday I and a few others were part of the drama on X. Damien seems to have backtracked his original statement, and was deleted last night, which I think points out he mistyped what he intended to say.
It looks like DM addressed some of the questions I had last night, but there are still issues with John's article....or maybe more correctly how DM states the use of the money.
For instance, DM states he bought the second vehicle all on his own... But admits there was a first vehicle supplied by the collective, which he traded in for his current vehicle. That would mean that the value of the vehicle supplied by collective is wrapped up in the current vehicle. To make matters more confusing, in John's article, DM then states he bought both vehicles. Then there is the whole issue with the house which I won't get into here, but has a similar confusing explanation.
What it points to me is that DM simply is not familiar with finances,not a ding on him as most 20 year olds probably don't. What it does show though is that he probably is easily manipulated by his agent.
This same agent that unprofessionally contacted DamNation out of the blue via text demanding more than $500k. Then when turned down unprofessionally released the tweet that stated DM made $400k (though acting like someone else tweeted it)... Which is the tweet that started all the drama and then DM sent a poorly written tweet (probably approved by his agent) that really set everyone off.
So this slime ball of an agent is the one who has caused all this drama.
I hope John can do an article on agents, their lack of any qualifications or certifications, are preying on young athletes that have very little money sense.... And how's those agents make money...
DM is most likely in the middle of a predatory agent that is using him to fill his own pockets.
Was The Wild Wild West this wild?
NIL coupled with no restrictions on transfers is coach crazy-making. I think we will see more college coaches off to the NFL until there is a 'CFB union' that 'management' can negotiate with and allow a divided Congress to provide some level of protection for CFB against anti-trust litigation, etc.
IMO, all of 'this' will lead to a further contraction of championship-quality CFB programs and not an expansion to an 80-team Super League.
Or they might follow the lead of Dan Lanning, who used the system effectively last year to fill in some holes that arose due to graduation.
It might actually make their job easier in many ways- just a thought.
First, there shouldn’t be a spring transfer portal for football. One portal at the end of the season is plenty, plus the supplemental 30 day one if there is a head coach change.
Second, I think many are overstating the loss of Martinez. He’s a real good RB, but from what I’ve seen so far, he wouldn’t fit the new system at OSU all that great. There is still quite a bit of talent in the RB room, with more coming possibly.
Third, this is exactly why college football is rapidly becoming unwatchable. It all just feels dirty all around. There have to be better controls instituted on all parties. Having basically free agency all the time will not work in the long run for the athletes, schools, and fans.
Good reporting John. This story helped me plan my fall schedule. One that does not include college football and OSU football. Yuck. I had a hunch college football was dirty, but this story confirms it.
Yeah - my yard might look tidier than ever this Fall!
I hope John does an article on the agents... He barely even scratched the surface on how dirty it is... If agents did the same thing in the NFL they are doing to college students, they'd probably be charged with a felony
Dam Nation delivered. Gorman got Dame's ear and told him things that probably weren't true about about his situation at OSU. Maybe he couldn't be great at OSU or he could make a lot more money on the open market. Another theory is DM had several brushes with the law and wanted a fresh start. Who knows. I give the 20 year old a pass, he's young. I've also moved on. Right now, I'm looking at the present stable of RBs in Corvallis who will be successful this fall. Jam and Hank will fill the shoes in 2024.
I'd take that Gorman is predatory,considering his recent unprofessional behavior
Great insight into a multi-tentacled issue.
I see this as yet another episode of well-meaning people trying to do what they see as the right or best thing colliding with other well-meaning people trying to do with a different view of what the right thing to do is.
The whole NIL/Transfer Portal/Conference Alignment/Media deal/Coach movement/side deals/etc ecostructure is symptomatic of a poorly thought out total package, resulting in a free for all.
The cause is years (decades) of stubborn resistance to any measures to address shortcomings that people are now acting largely on their own to address. A failure of management and leadership of epic proportions to create a system where much of what is happening just wouldn't happen because proper management and leadership would have addressed it before it became a critical mass problem.
I agree with all except the "well-meaning people" part. The actors in the transfer portal are primarily either (A. Naive college kids whose brains, science tells us, won't be fully developed for another 10 years, and (B. Greedy, slimy, manipulative adults who have only their own best interests at heart.
My thoughts exactly. Now that they've opened Pandora's box how are they going to put the proper guardrails in place?
It is going to be much harder to get any guardrails in place now than it would have been earlier. And NO CHANCE of putting the genie back in the bottle.
I hope DM finds his pot of gold someday. Hope his agent didn't mislead him. I can understand Beaver Nation being unhappy a short term decision with long term impact.
I posted on FB a generic comment that basically stated - what happens if a portal/transfer student doesn't get equal compensation, doesn't get picked up, doesn't have the same playing time, the team they go to does worse than the departing team, ends up playing down a level, tries to return to their original school, doesn't make it the way an agent says they will? Hopefully questions that are well thought out before a decision is made.
You might want to look up "tampering" in the dictionary. Me thinks these higher profile players know exactly the end-game before hitting the portal....or, at least have the assurances of their "agent."
Whether he got $92,000 or $100,000, what benefit or services is he providing going forward ? Zero. Did he receive that first payment after he declared he was staying and after last season was over. Are they not entering into contracts on these deals? If a coach leaves before his contract is up there is a buyout. I would hope there’s a similar system in place for NIL. This is all crazy! Professional athletes have less flexibility in some cases than college kids. At least there are rules in place there and until the NCAA (or some other governing body) puts rules in place in college I’m done with it. I’ll support the baseball team….for now.
College football is rapidly approaching the point where it is unrecognizable. No longer are fans rooting for their favorite players on their favorite teams; they’re being forced to root only for jerseys as the players bounce from team to team. And the drama swirling around the teams and players is the stuff of soap opera scripts. Often college football fans have deeper emotional ties to their favorite team than they do to an NFL franchise because they are somehow tied to the university- they or a family member are alumni, for example. NIL and the portal, undermine and betray the connection college football fans have with their teams and the individual players. Why must college football as an institution make it so hard to find the pleasure it once provided?