You see Coach Saban having to go stand in front of Congress to beg for some sanity with this NIL and transfer portal mess, and it just makes me sick to my stomach. That man won six national championships here at Alabama, built a dynasty the right way, and now he has to waste his retirement fighting for the soul of a sport that the suits in the NCAA and the television networsk have completely broken.
I remember the Iron Bowl back in 1989 when we beat Auburn down in the rain. We knew every single kid in that huddle for four years. You built relationships, you earned your playing time, you graduated with a degree. Now we have a roster that turns over faster than a fast food joint. The transfer portal killed the idea of a team. You are just renting players for a season or two until they swipe right on a better NIL offer from Oregon or Texas or whoever has the biggest bag that week.
The SEC was built on rivalries and tradition and respect. Now we have Oklahoma and Texas in the conference, and I still do not know if that is right. We traded the old Big 12 mess for this super conference nonsense and lost the magic of what made Saturday afternoons in the South special. You cannot tell me that playing Texas every year means the same as the Third Saturday in October used to mean. It just does not.
Coach Saban is right to ask for help. Somebody has to put the genie back in the bottle before there is nothing left of this game worth saving. We are just watching a bunch of mercenaries in matching helmets now.