The Transfer Portal and NIL Are Ruining Collegiate Sports
There was once a time when loyalty and pride defined college sports. Players didn’t just commit to a school, they committed to a culture, a program, and a fanbase that supported them from freshman year to senior year. Today, that commitment is fading fast. The rise of the NCAA transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities has transformed college athletics into a system driven by short-term transactions, ultimately eroding the loyalty, culture, and identity that once defined the game.
The transfer portal, introduced in 2018 gave athletes more control over their careers, and was initially seen as a long-overdue correction. For decades, coaches could leave programs freely while players were expected to remain committed, often with limited say in their own futures. The portal leveled the playing field. Athletes could seek better opportunities, more playing time, or a system that better fit their skills. On its own, this change made sense.
NIL was introduced in 2021, and since then, player movement has surged to an unprecedented rate. According to the NCAA, in 2022, more than 20,000 Division I student athletes entered the transfer portal, about 13% of all student athletes during that year. This was a 17.5% rise from 2021, and up 203% from 2020, a year before NIL was introduced. It is clear that NIL is a major factor in the rise of the number of transfer portal entrants, and it comes down to money.
Major programs can now attract and poach athletes from smaller programs with the promise of lucrative NIL deals and greater exposure on national television. This makes it much more difficult for smaller sized programs to improve year after year. This has led to less “Cinderella stories” in major tournaments such as March Madness. A breakout sophomore in a mid-program who once would have become a local legend over four years is now met with six-figure offers to spend his remaining years in a major program.
The increase in transfers can also have a psychological effect on the athletes and teams too. When a roster has large turnover rates year after year, the concept of a “team” evolves into a collection of independent contractors, and it is more difficult to build a defined culture and camaraderie. Additionally, players who may not have access to highly lucrative NIL deals may feel increasingly isolated and undervalued within their own locker rooms, especially when they see teammates earning life-changing sums for the same level of effort.
This financial disparity can create a class system among athletes, where those without deals feel like second-class citizens in a program they once viewed as family. Moreover, the excitement of Senior Night has largely faded. Senior Night no longer holds the same significance for an athlete if they have only been with the team for a year or two, as opposed to spending their full collegiate career building relationships and contributing to the program over multiple seasons. For fans, the tradition loses its meaning as well. What was once a celebration of loyalty and long-term commitment now often feels like a formality.
Ultimately, the combination of the transfer portal and NIL opportunities has transformed college sports in ways few could have predicted. While these changes have given athletes unprecedented control over their careers and financial futures, they have also shifted the focus from loyalty, development, and long-term team identity to short-term gains and transactional decisions. Smaller programs struggle to retain talent, fans feel less connected to ever-changing rosters, and traditions like Senior Night no longer carry the weight they once did. College athletics is still thriving on the field, but the culture that once defined it and the pride of building something lasting is increasingly at risk. As the game continues to evolve, the challenge will be finding a balance between opportunity and tradition, ensuring that the heart of college sports does not get lost in the pursuit of money and immediate success.