On this week’s episode, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly that is the NCAA transfer portal.
What is the transfer portal?
An ESPN article written last year had an excellent definition:
Essentially, it’s a database of every player who has interest in transferring from his or her current school.
Jeff Borzello, ESPN
In other words, it’s like a stripped-down dating app where players who are unhappy with their current situations can let the world know as much and reopen their recruitment. There are several reasons as to why a player would enter the portal, and we discuss a few of them on the show:
- Unhappy with coach, playing time, and/or team dynamic
- School doesn’t have the major you decide to pursue
- You have remaining eligibility but want to finish by pursuing grad school somewhere else
- Family dynamics change and you wish to be closer to home
- The coach leaves and a new coach has a system that doesn’t fit you
We’re not advocating that any of these reasons are right or wrong, but we do agree that there are times where transferring makes sense, and there are times when it’s better to stick it out.
Last Week
In our previous episode, we took a deep dive into the impact of the National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) TV deal with ESPN/TSN and what it means for the future of the league. We also discussed the new(ish) Olympics Sixes format from World Lacrosse and gave our honest opinions on what works and what doesn’t.
At the end of the day, we love the idea of making lacrosse more accessible and getting it into the Olympics, but we’re not going to blindly accept Sixes in its current form. With a few tweaks, the game can be even better. Let’s see what they come up with over the next few years, but it’s a solid start.
