Experienced or aged

I have met a lot of coaches and played for several. The ones I played for weren’t a lot older than me although I always treated them with respect even if I didn’t like them very much. Actually I only had one coach that I really didn’t like. There are a fair amount of coaches around my age like Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and Bill Belichick that are not coaching this year after highly successful careers. Has the game changed or the players?

Money has certainly changed recruiting and in the pro game you better win because the investment is pretty expensive. There are some very good coaches out there but you might not know it because they are stuck in a place that doesn’t attract great players because they aren’t a high profile team. In the pros some owners can’t keep the great players. Everyone wants a big paycheck and most everyone wants to earn a championship ring. If they can’t get the ring at least they will have the paycheck

In the college ranks the players are looking at the Name, Image and Likeness benefits (NIL) and are hoping for a big payout for doing a few ads for local or regional businesses. The college education really isn’t that important anymore even though it adds up to six figures or more over four to five years. I realize that the colleges and the NCAA in particular have made a ton of money because of these athletes and some compensation should come their way but the negotiation for some of these players for a million dollars is a bit out there especially since many of these athletes haven’t proven themselves in the playing arena or stadium. Buy since these athletes were high profile in high school and are five star recruits it automatically makes them a sellable commodity. Let’s just say not all high profile recruits will become stars especially if they spend more time acting in a commercial than putting time in the weight room or seriously practice.

At the college level it is sometimes difficult to motivate a prima donna after they had been coddled in their previous life. Now not all top notch athletes have this problem and many are self-motivated. One of the best that came from this area was Cheney’s Steve Emtman who would become a defensive All-American at the University of Washington. I heard stories that Emtman would be in the UW weight room before the strength coach would arrive, which meant that he was lifting before six in the morning. He didn’t do any commercials for energy drinks or high performance pickup trucks mainly because he was working out in his spare time and there was no NIL. It paid off because he would become a National Champion for Coach Don James and a first round draft choice for the Indianapolis Colts.

I know a few kids that are dedicated and get into the weight room and run in the offseason and are in pretty good shape by the time the season begins. Coaches can also help motivate and get excited about what can be.

I will say that college coaches today have to deal with the transfer portal which is a result of the Covid pandemic when teams cancelled seasons because of an outbreak of the virus afflicting the team. So players could transfer without having to sit out a year which made sense but they have continued with the portal and offseason recruitment for good players is getting a bit out of hand. The problem is that transferring after a solid year to a place that can offer more NIL money makes life difficult for some athletic smaller programs and their coaches.

I have noticed that even the places that can easily recruit in nearby neighborhoods are having difficulty winning and keeping quality players. The Big 10, Big 12 and SEC expansions will most likely make things more difficult for the smaller conferences.

The NCAA allowed these changes most likely because the dollar signs were rolling in their heads and I’m not sure what if anything can make it better now. But like the coaches that are retiring to be consultants, spend more time on their boats and summer homes or maybe get a gig as a TV analyst it is time to sit back and see what is next for college and pro sports. Having age and experience we can always say what the heck were you thinking?

— Dale Anderson is a sports columnist from Ritzville. To contact him, email [email protected].