[81alum]

Mixed feelings.  Not crazy about college free agency.  But I also think kids should be able to go where they want.

Stanford will inevitably lose in a world in which all commitment on the part of student athletes is obliterated.  Stanford will never be able to compete in the free agent game, because its academic standards sharply restrict "freedom of movement" between universities.  Complete free agency will ultimately make it impossible for Stanford to be competitive in revenue sports.  Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

Then there is the other matter.  Personally, I would not enjoy backing a team composed of carpetbaggers who did not share the Stanford experience with me and who come and go too quickly for me to become attached to them.  It is for this reason that I completely lost interest in professional sports.  Now I see college sports importing the same interest-killing innovation.

Fortunately, Stanford is good at a lot of non revenue sports, so there will still be teams for me to root for, since Stanford will retain its advantages in sports that were never about a payday.  But I fear deeply for football and MBB.

[81alum]

Mixed feelings.  Not crazy about college free agency.  But I also think kids should be able to go where they want.

Stanford will inevitably lose in a world in which all commitment on the part of student athletes is obliterated.  Stanford will never be able to compete in the free agent game, because its academic standards sharply restrict "freedom of movement" between universities.  Complete free agency will ultimately make it impossible for Stanford to be competitive in revenue sports.  Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

Then there is the other matter.  Personally, I would not enjoy backing a team composed of carpetbaggers who did not share the Stanford experience with me and who come and go too quickly for me to become attached to them.  It is for this reason that I completely lost interest in professional sports.  Now I see college sports importing the same interest-killing innovation.

Fortunately, Stanford is good at a lot of non revenue sports, so there will still be teams for me to root for, since Stanford will retain its advantages in sports that were never about a payday.  But I fear deeply for football and MBB.