Anyone who is surprised when a player jumps into the Portal pool is just not keeping up with the world of overrated players who are looking for a pot of gold. Players grow up being a winner in every sport or activity that gives participation medals and as they grow, they believe they can do no wrong. Football recruits are ranked and once again they believe they are not going to fail because the geeks that call themselves "experts" tell them so. Self-belief is vital but understanding that things will not aways work out is a lesson that comes hard. Bottom line, college football players simply do not want to do the unbelievably hard work and then sit on the bench. The Portal is not about a school or a coach, it is about unhappy players who believe they are more talented than they may really be and want to be on the field in the games and not just on the practice fields.
I agree. Some of these players are prima donnas in their high school and when they get to college, there are players better than them. For the first time in their life, they must ride the bench.
And, instead of actually learning a life lesson about
Dec 3, 2021, 10:59 PM
humility, the Portal just gives them an out to keep up the charade in their own mind that they are the most talented thing on God's Green Earth.
Now, I do realize there are situations where it just doesn't work out due to personality clashes, or coaches leave, etc. But, any player who bails just from lack of playing time is reneging on the commitment he made when he signed that Letter of Intent and got a free education just to play a sport. Since it is a de facto business, then the University as the employer has not gotten much, if any return on their investment in those players who under perform and then bail out.
Sorry if that seems harsh, but I was not brought up in the world of Participation Trophies.