Shaquille O’Neal did not mince phrases concerning the affect that the Title, Picture, and Likeness (NIL) period is having on the student-athlete expertise. Whereas Shaq has beforehand applauded younger athletes for lastly having the chance to monetize their manufacturers, his newest feedback reveal rising concern over the place issues are headed.
For the 15-time NBA All-Star, loyalty and improvement matter greater than fast wins or money grabs-and he fears the present system is blurring these values.
“I informed the folks at LSU I am not writing you guys a examine if guys aren’t going to decide to us for 2-3 years,” O’Neal mentioned on a latest episode of The Huge Podcast With Shaq.
Shaq worries NIL is shifting faculty sports activities right into a business-first mannequin
The priority, Shaq defined, is not nearly athletes being profitable. It is about how that cash is reshaping the whole faculty sports activities ecosystem-especially relating to the switch portal.
“NIL, I believe, is certainly gonna harm folks,” he mentioned on the podcast. “For those that don’t have anything, while you get one thing, it takes the stress off. However that one thing needs to be the ultimate prize. The ultimate prize needs to be the NBA.”
Because the NIL coverage was launched in 2021, athletes now have higher freedom than ever to capitalize on their fame.
“Guys are bouncing round only for the bag,” he lamented, suggesting that this new tradition of opportunistic transfers is making it more durable for highschool athletes to interrupt into the school ranks.
“I really feel sorry for them.”
Faculty sports activities broadcaster John Fanta, who joined the podcast, echoed O’Neal’s concern, questioning how long-term faculty delight and loyalty can survive in an period the place athletes play for a number of applications.
“What occurs 20 years from now, while you spend 4 years at 4 completely different locations? Who do you’ve allegiance to? That ought to nonetheless matter,” Fanta mentioned.
