I recall in 2018 and 2019, how much that younger fans of the sport than me (say, 25-35 year age crowd, as I was 42-43 at the time) thought that NIL and the transfer portal was overdue. That it was high time that players had power over the system. I agreed that players should receive more benefits of what the schools gets for TV, but I did not like the idea of an easy portal, and how it would be used in conjunction with NIL to further a SCHOLARSHIP athlete's personal earnings.
That younger crowd is going to watch as the college sports just devolve into a lesser version of the pro leagues now. Title 9 will have been all for not, as the women's sports will reward beauty and sexuality as, and let's be real here, sex does still sell more than anything else. I look at the LSU gymnast, who I've rarely ever seen actually compete on the floor or beam or high bar or vault. I look at the way "LANK" invaded the Alabama program overnight, forcing out a legendary coach and bringing in lesser of a product on the field.
It was inevitable that we end this way. It didn't have to be this way, but outrageous TV contracts and coaching contracts preceded it. It's natural that athletes would also want to be a part of it.