NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is not a fan of the current state of college athletics.
Joining “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Barkley unloaded on the recent happenings in college sports, which has experienced a massive upheaval in the past few years.
Charles Barkley waves to fans after playing the 14th hole prior to the 2023 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on July 13, 2023, in Stateline, Nevada. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
“This whole college thing right now, we have just totally, totally f—– it up,” Barkley said.
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“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.”
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules allowed student-athletes to be compensated beginning in July 2021, while the transfer portal is a place that allows athletes to find a new school to play for.
The combination of NIL and transfer portal has created a potent concoction as more players than ever are transferring, especially as the rules now allow for transfers to be immediately eligible to play.
Conference realignment has essentially been the only topic of conversation over the past month as schools have made moves to different conferences in order to navigate the shifting media market.
Former basketball player Charles Barkley for the Auburn Tigers after their game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neville Arena on March 4, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
“There’s only a couple of these guys that are going to go pro,” Barkley continued. “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 gonna turn out.
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“And it’s really sad and unfortunate. It really is because you know all these programs going to start cutting sports at some point. Having kids fly across the country and miss multiple days of school. . . . That’s not a good thing.”
Conference realignment has been in the news for the past several years, but it really took off at the end of July and the beginning of August when the Pac-12 was decimated.
UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington will enter the Big Ten in 2024 and Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah will all join the Big 12 following the 2023-24 seasons.
Logos from Arizona State University, University of Arizona and University of Utah side by side (Getty Images)
The moves have left the Pac-12 with just four committed schools – Washington State, Oregon State, California and Stanford – past this season as the future of the conference is very much in the air.
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Money has been blamed for the reason behind the moves, a point that Barkley seems to back.
“Nothing shocks me when it comes to money. Nothing shocks me,” Barkley said. “If money is involved, people are going to find a way to make it or steal it. Plain and simple.
“People are going to find a way to make it or steal it. Especially when it comes to sports. It’s really a sad state of affairs, and I don’t know how you’re going to fix it.”
