The sports landscape has shifted in ways fans could not have expected. Multimillion-dollar deals, sponsorships, NIL – you name it, and sports has it. Have you ever thought about how that has affected the games you love to watch?
From a professional standpoint, I’ve heard the game be deemed boring, and even at some points, rigged. This is rooted in the belief that markets have an impact on where players decide to call home, and in a way that is true. In terms of football, it will be harder to get a player to agree to play in a market similar to Los Angeles, California, than Nashville, Tennessee.
From a broader professional perspective, most of the best teams have found a way to accommodate several of the best players. Look at the Los Angeles Dodgers or Boston Celtics, for example.
The Dodgers have over a half a billion dollars allocated to paying their World Series roster. The Celtics duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown aren’t far behind, with around $600 million between the two.
College sports are starting to break that mold. For example, the Alabama Crimson Tide is now ONE of the best teams in college football instead of the best. They now share the stars and spotlight with schools such as Ohio State.
Part of that can be attributed to players being able to capitalize off their name, image and likeness (NIL.) Players also have been aided by the transfer portal. Alabama has been blessed and cursed by the portal.
The portal gifted the Crimson Tide talented players such as Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams, who both cemented their high draft status there. One of the top projected draft prospects, Caleb Downs, is a former Alabama product.
In my personal opinion, college sports are more interesting to watch than professional sports. My first point of analysis is the atmosphere. College environments are more consistent than they are at the professional level.
Penn State’s annual white-out game is deafening every year – some NFL games never reach that level. Part of that is due to the management of teams, which is not a problem in college. Players choose what university they attend.
Players are allowed to pick which disperses the talent, which adds the element of surprise.
In recent years, there hasn’t been a more unpredictable game between this year’s showdown between the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes. Stars were shining on both teams, some attracted through NIL while some found their new home due to the transfer portal.
I also feel like uniform combinations play a part in how interesting a game can be. Seeing your favorite team in new uniforms is exciting for everybody. In my opinion, this is the purpose of colleges doing uniform reveals – to garner excitement.
Players love to bethe first to play in new uniforms. Look at how the Detroit Lions higher ups used, bringing back their black jerseys as a way to motivate the team to make a playoff push.
I feel the NFL robbed fans of core memories by doing away with the color rush jerseys. While a few of the jerseys were questionable, at best, the San Francisco 49ers had some of the best.
College sports has quickly become one of the best ways to entertain myself. The unpredictability of what can happen any given Saturday has drawn me in more than the star power of the NFL.
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