The Week in 1,000 Words: Contrary to popular belief, NIL is not ruining college athletics

Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray is known to be a bit wordy, so we're giving him 1,000 words (but no more than that) every Friday to share his thoughts from the week that was in the world of sports.

* A LOT OF PEOPLE seem really upset college athletes are making money these days. I don't understand why. College athletes were taken advantage of for decades as coaches and administrators enriched themselves off those players' talents. As media-rights money skyrocketing, so did coaching salaries. But players were told to be happy with a college scholarships (while some coaches advised athletes to take easier majors so they could focus on ball). The financial damn broke a couple of years ago when state legislatures essentially bullied the NCAA into allowing name, imagine and likeness (NIL) payments. And that's been a great thing for these athletes.

* I KNOW IT'S not fun for one school to lose a great player to another school over finances. But asking a player to not cash in on their value during their limited college eligibility so fans can get some "feel good" isn't fair, either. We've called college athletics amateur sports for decades, but there's nothing amateur about the revenue produced by these colleges. And in the billion-dollar business that is the NCAA, some of that money — if not most of it — should go to the players, the people with the athletic talent putting in the hard work to produce a great product that millions tune into that create that $1 billion-plus in revenue annually.

* IF MID-MAJOR schools can't raise enough money to retain those players, bummer. Take Nevada, for example. Does it suck the Wolf Pack lost Darrion Williams after one season when it found that diamond in the rough? Yes. Does it suck that Nick Davidson won't finish his career in a Nevada uniform? Indeed. Is money a big reason why those players left? Yes. But it's also not the only reason. And those players shouldn't feel bad about wanting to cash in their fair market value. Who knows if either will make it to the NBA. But potentially getting seven figures for one college season could change their lives. And we should be happy to see that possibility when athletes were so long denied money they were helping earn.

* SO, DON'T COUNT me among those who think NIL is ruining college sports. And evidence sides with me. Television ratings, media rights and attendance are all strong. I understand being a fan these days is more challenging. Roster continuity is non-existent, which makes rooting for players more difficult. But if that's the cost of players getting their cut of the pie, it's a fair tradeoff. Just pair the NIL money going to players with true financial literacy so that money doesn't get blown through and ends up being the foundation for a successful adult life.

* WE WOULD NEVER tell a young reporter at the Reno Gazette-Journal he/she couldn't accept a job offer from the New York Times at three times the salary because that would hurt the RGJ. But we're fine telling athletes at Nevada they should stay with the Wolf Pack over a financial offer three times the size to play at North Carolina, for example. That doesn't make sense. The Mountain West just lost two of its best basketball coaches — New Mexico's Richard Pitino and Colorado State's Niko Medved — to bigger-paying jobs. Both signed contracts with their schools less than a year ago. Both deals ran through 2029. Both broke them to get more money. Why hold athletes to a higher standard than players?

* NIL ALSO OFFERS schools a great opportunity. Yes, power-conference schools will always be able to blow away mid-majors financially. But schools that are really invested in being great and good at raising money can quickly find success, breaking up monopiles that have long run college sports. You can get good rosters in one offseason. All it takes is money. And that should be exciting for any program. If you invest in financially building a roster, you can have success. You just have to tap into your fan base and donor list.

* THAT'S NOT TO say the current system is perfect. It's not. It's a mess. There are no rules. There is no transparency. Blame the adults for that, though. The NCAA had decades to figure out how to compensate players in a fair way. It didn't take action until it was too late. My preference has always been one free transfer before a mandated redshirt season with a maximum of five years of college (four active seasons). On top of that, I'd allow schools to sign players to multi-year contracts with buyouts, just like coaches have. That would reduce player movement while still allowing athletes to make the money they deserve.

* I KNOW CHANGE can be uncomfortable and losing your favorite player painful. I wouldn't want to be a coach in the NIL/transfer era. I understand their frustration with losing a lot of control over their players. But it's better than the alternative, which was players being taken advantage of for far too long. The power dynamic is shifting. But given how the adults have run conference realignment the last two years — Cal and Stanford in the Athletic Coast Conference; lol — we shouldn't blame the athletes for the so-called demise of college sports. This reckoning was long overdue. Get paid, kids.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.