Coaches were making $10M a year. Schools were spending whatever they wanted on facilities, staff, and recruiting. Nobody called it an arms race when the money was only flowing to coaches and institutions. Now that athletes are getting paid, suddenly it's a crisis that needs regulation. We've seen multiple attempts to restrict athlete movement and earning potential in just the last two years. The transfer portal needed some structure, sure. But the urgency to regulate only showed up when the checks started going to players.
Legendary former Alabama football coach Nick Saban issues a stark warning on the devastating trajectory of college sports under current NIL rules.
"It's become an arms race, who spends the most has got the best chance to win.”
“But I think it's a race to the bottom because if you don't spend to win, you lose your fan base and you don't have any revenue."