Sports Commentary

I have been weary of the transfer portal for a long time, but my distrust and distaste was cemented last spring after Drake men’s basketball mass exodus. When former head coach Darian DeVries accepted the job at West Virginia, son Tucker DeVries followed him east, but other members of the back-to-back March Madness appearances team scattered across the country in search of more playing time and better name, image and likeness deals.

Excitement for the following season of Drake men’s basketball dipped when it looked like the 2024-2025 season would be a growing year for the Bulldogs. Forward Nate Fergusson was the only starter to return in a blue and white jersey, and he was the only player I could name until Drake’s new team on the block — led by Coach Ben McCollum — pulled off the win against Vanderbilt. Then, Drake proved everyone wrong by pulling off a 31 win season — only to lose our head coach and our whole starting line-up for the second season in a row. It’s hard to maintain hope year after year when our coaches are snatched away by a Power Five conference team after one good season at the Knapp Center.

The transfer portal allows players to constantly jump around, following money and fame instead of community and delayed gratification. 

I admit, I’ve never been a student athlete, so I am aware that I don’t know the emotion that comes behind balancing academics and athletics. However, as a tour guide, I’ve met students who base their decision more on what they can get out of the locker room instead of the classroom. Some students have very little connection to who they’re playing for; they just want to play.

I place a lot of value in loyalty, so I can respect players that follow their coach to the next gig — such as the several Drake players that have committed to follow McCollum to Iowa. What I cannot respect is the players who “elect to enter the transfer portal” when their skill has outgrown the limits of their program. When the fish has grown too big for its pond, why does it have to change ponds? Why can’t big fish draw attention to their small pond?

Too many student athletes these days are more invested in instant fame and fortune and want to be rewarded automatically for their star power through playing time, media attention and sponsorship deals. The more impressive story arc, in my opinion, is the team that starts small but develops into a winning team that defies the odds. Think of first-years like Paige Bueckers at UConn who hone their talent and go out with a bang their senior year — in front of an audience that has been rooting for them for years.

I don’t want to learn a whole new roster of names every year. I’m always excited to see which first-years have joined the team, but I’m less excited to see new faces that will graduate or move on in a year or two. Knowing the same players year after year increases my investment in the team and overall success. As cool as I think Bennett Stirtz is, I’m not going to follow his success at Iowa because I’ve only been rooting for him for a year.

The transfer portal has made it too easy to follow the money and not the enjoyment of the sport. Players and fans alike lose out on long-term appreciation for each other and the game. While some transfers come with good reasoning, too many players play musical chairs every season to get me to commit to being a loyal fan.

So, until further notice, I have elected to enter the transfer portal to find something else to fill my time other than watching college sports.