Welcome to the Twilight zone. It seems inevitable that the topics of NIL and the transfer portal will be an ongoing conversation for the foreseeable future, but as they are seeping into almost every other thread, it’s time to give the conversation its own home. Perhaps now we can limit the Transfer Portal thread to the excitement and anguish of roster comings and goings, and maybe even satisfy some posters’ crack addictions. Shame-shame-shame can also now be cast here on backbenchers like me, while the “Final 2%” thread can be left to focus on the important people working to fund the war machine. Feel free to bitch, moan, dismiss, assuage, or bypass altogether.

I’ll start by whining about the most recent drift in the “Transfer Portal” thread; On the topic of making players university employees, collective bargaining, and revenue sharing. I’m curious how people see this happening. I am skeptical, especially of the latter two. This would be immensely complex. I mean, it is when you have one employer and one group of employees, but there are so many layers here: NCAA, conferences, schools, not to mention the unique media deals with each. Would employee-players bargain with their respective programs, the conferences,the NCAA? If the universities themselves, then wouldn’t each school have its own set of rules? If the conferences, are programs like UK going to share revenue with programs like Vanderbilt? If the NCAA, Are the Big 10 and SEC going to share with the Big East or ACC?

There are lots of conceivable problems no matter how you cut it, and I think there’s no way any of this happens without sweeping legislation. I can’t imagine a scenario where each team forms its own union, so this will have to happen under a broader context. I also can’t see all 350 D-1 programs coming under a single CBA, so would there then be tiers? Then there’s the issue of unions composed of 18-22 yr-old college kids. Can they form a strong union, or will they buckle like a Baltimore bridge? “hey kid, you’ve reached your dream of playing D-1 basketball (you’re even fully compensated for it), but we need you to hold your ground now, because we’re going on strike!” Or, more laughable yet, the college kids get locked out— by college administrators!