College sports have undergone significant changes in the past few years, and Charles Barkley is among those who do not approve of the current state.
“This whole college thing right now, we have just totally, totally f*cked it up,” the Sixers and Suns legend said.
On The Bill Simmons Podcast this week, Barkley shared his perspective on the evolving landscape of college sports. According to him, the distinction between college and professional athletics has become more and more indistinct.
“Between realignment, between NIL, the transfer portal, I don’t understand. I just don’t understand how in the world we screwed up this situation.”
Starting from July 2021, NIL rules enable student-athletes to earn from their name and image, while the updated transfer portal rules grant immediate eligibility for transfers.
“There’s only a couple of these guys that are going to go pro,” Barkley said. “So, the other 99.9% get to go to college and get a free education. Which I think is a really, really big deal. And between the three things I mentioned – conference realignment, NIL and the transfer portal – I don’t know how this thing’s gonna turn out.”
