I yearn for the traditions and spectacle of college sports of yesteryear, but I know in my heart those days may never return.
In today’s sports, we are constantly treated to firsts and amazing performances. Consider just a few examples: the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams won Olympic gold medals; the NY Knicks won their first NBA championship in over 50 years; MLB’s Shohei Ohtani excelled as a pitcher and hitter; and the 2026 FIFA World Cup gave us one exciting contest after another, including the championship game with brilliant defense on display.
Graphic courtesy of ESPN on Instagram
For college sports fans, however, it’s been a much different year. First came the college basketball point-shaving and gambling scandal. Later in the year, Trinidad Chambliss sought an injunction to obtain a 6th year of eligibility after the NCAA denied his request. He subsequently won and is suiting up for Ole Miss this season. Then there was the Sorsby gambling scandal in which a college football quarterback, one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal, admitted to betting on his own team while a member of the Hoosiers.
Thankfully, the college conferences effectively banned Sorsby from playing this season, which led him to declare for the supplemental draft and then undeclare to work on himself and his football skills for next season’s draft. NIL and the transfer portal still lurk, and there were moments this summer that reminded us of their reach and impact on college sports. But in August it was as if college sports looked at all of us and said, “Hold my beer…”
That infamous phrase, which, when uttered by one of your drinking buddies, means you are about to witness something that will become urban legend either because of the sheer awesomeness of the act or the sheer stupidity. Often, you don’t know which side of the ledger it will be on until time and perspective have passed.
In this case, however, I don’t think time and perspective are necessary. In my humble opinion, this is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard.
For those of you who aren’t following college sports closely, the NCAA has now passed a rule known generally as the “Five in Five” rule. Essentially, athletes have five years to play five seasons of their chosen sport. Under this new rule, passed in June, athletes in all sports will have five years of eligibility, over five seasons, as soon as their college eligibility begins.
The clock will begin upon their full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the school year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. This rule was passed to simplify college athletics and end all the appeals, waivers, and special requests the NCAA has dealt with over the past few years as college athletes sought another year of eligibility.
On the surface, this ruling makes sense and simplifies eligibility questions at the NCAA level. Before the rule was even passed, players seeking additional eligibility were already challenging it.
USA Today sports: “Utter lunacy” at LSU (graphic courtesy USAToday on Instagram)
The “hold my beer” moment occurred last week with an appellate court ruling that players who had previously been on professional rosters would be eligible to return to college sports. Two of the main football players in question were on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels last season and now intend to play for his new team, the LSU Tigers.
The ruling comes on the heels of Will Wade, the returning LSU basketball coach, announcing earlier this year that he planned to sign RJ Luis, Jr who had graduated from St. John’s in 2025 and then played for the NBA G-League and signed a two-way contract with the Jazz.
Not lost in the irony is the fact that the judge granting the appeal is in a Louisiana courtroom. It’s eerily similar to how an Alabama judge (and booster) granted eligibility to a basketball player (Bediako) seeking to return to the Crimson Tide basketball team, but that’s a discussion for another time. While a small part of me understands the court’s ruling based strictly on NCAA guidelines and its exclusion of athletes who had recently graduated, at some point there needs to be a return to common sense and knowing right from wrong.
Sometimes in life we finish milestones and achieve a level that means we are done and ready for the next step. This is the natural progression of things and, to this point, was accepted as the norm, rather than the exception. There are many situations where we wouldn’t allow athletes to return to their prior level, no matter how reasonable or emotional their appeal.
For example, imagine a world in which we allow a high school athlete to return to an elementary or middle school level playing field. His argument? Because he didn’t start in high school or even make the team, he deserves another season at a lower level to get playing time.
That logic lacks merit and sounds ludicrous. Yet a very similar argument is being applied here. If the athletes in question were good enough to make it at the pro level, would we even be having this discussion? So instead of accepting that, for whatever reason they may have to hang up the cleats, high tops, or whatever equipment their sport requires, they are seeking to return to the previous level and resume their career. It just doesn’t seem right to me.
Conner Stalions, UM’s Harbaugh, and how cheating helped win a national championship (cover courtesy Sports Illustrated)
As screwed up as this is on a legislative level, I’m also not letting the coaches off the hook in this discussion. I’m familiar with the adage, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.” While I’m all for seeking any competitive advantage you can, it’s simply nuts to do that by changing the rules to your advantage.
Rebuilding a roster year after year is difficult enough. But this approach adds a layer that should never be associated with amateur sports. It shows just how far some coaches are willing to go to win.
Recently I read an ESPN op-Ed that compared the NFL waiver wire to the college football recruiting pool. My take is that the author was partially joking. At least I hope so.
As convoluted and embarrassing as this whole situation is, the biggest question is: What happened to the NCAA? Where is the NCAA that put SMU on the death penalty in the ‘80s for losing institutional control of their program? That was a time when the NCAA sought to protect the integrity of college sports. There was a line in the sand, and the NCAA made sure to enforce it.
That’s not the NCAA today.
So how do we find a happy medium?
Paying players and giving them the fair compensation they deserve? How do we keep players from moving from team to team, and year after year?
Honestly, I don’t know. I think a salary cap would help. Maybe schools should set earning limits by grade level or position or tie financial incentives to postseason honors.
There should be ways to level the playing field and truly create parity, end the rich-get-richer cycle, and stop the NCAA from looking dumber.
At the end of the day, I know change is going to come. As much as I yearn for the traditions and spectacle of college sports of yesteryear, I know in my heart those days may never return. Instead, I’m left wondering what is going to happen the next time I hear “Hold my beer!”
