On-Field Sponsorships The Latest 'Necessary Evil' Of College Football
The slide down the slippery slope continues for college football
In what should come as a shock to literally none of you, I consider myself a pretty staunch traditionalist when it comes to college football.
Seeing the way the sport has trended over the last several years with an unfettered transfer portal and NIL deals with no contract terms has left me feeling a little depressed with regard to my all-time favorite sport.
This year, another disturbing trend towards the "new age" has sprung up: on-field sponsorships.
Schools like LSU and Texas rolled out corporate logos at their respective 25-yard-lines, while programs like Ole Miss and even my beloved Florida followed suit.
I'm torn about this, to be frank.
On the one hand, this just signifies we are being plunged even further into a "pay-for-play" era of college football with no end in sight.
If Notre Dame ends up painting a GrubHub logo on their 25-yard-line, I'll be weeping right alongside Touchdown Jesus.
But, on the other hand, if the toothpaste is already out of the tube when it comes to college football becoming the minor league of the NFL, I think I would prefer it this way rather than how we've been doing it.
With the introduction of revenue sharing, we can at least trace the dollars being given to these athletes – for the most part, as I'm not naive enough to think there won't still be under-the-table deals – and perhaps the introduction of real, enforceable contracts will cut down on the transient nature of college football in its current state.
The NCAA has already amended their transfer portal rule, giving "student" athletes a one-time window to enter the portal.
Perhaps a more regulated and face-up operation will calm the rough waters we are currently experiencing in the sport.
Public opinion is mixed on these latest on-field advertisements, reinforcing the notion that fans may be just as split on this matter as I am.
This is the new wave, and I guess it's just something we are all going to have to get used to in the meantime.
They say the only constant in life is change, but in a sport as rich in tradition as college football, I know I'm not the only one who is being dragged tooth and nail into the modern era.