A fan’s lament: ‘I didn’t leave college sports; it left me’
By Steve Saxton
Owner and proprietor, Bravuro Cellars Winery
As we approach the start of another college football season, I reflected on my relationship with college sports.
As a young boy growing up in Oregon in the 1960s, I fell in love with college sports, especially Oregon State University, which was only 12 miles from my home. I loved following the OSU football and men’s basketball teams in the Pac-8, then the Pac-10, then the Pac-12.
The name on the front of the jersey was all that mattered to me: OSU. I rooted for whoever wore our jersey. Player names weren’t even on the backs of jerseys.
I graduated from Oregon State University in 1977. Every year, on the day the football and men’s basketball schedules were announced, I added the games to my calendar and planned around them.
I was proud of OSU and our athletic programs. For 60 years (ages 10-70), win or lose, I was a devoted Beaver Believer.
Over those six decades, OSU and I grew older and changed, but we stayed together. It was a win-win. All relationships are two-way streets.
In 2021, the NCAA allowed Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation, enabling athletes to earn money from endorsements, sponsorships, and professional representation (i.e., agents) without losing eligibility. Also in 2021, the NCAA instituted the one-time rule, allowing athletes to transfer once and play immediately without sitting out a year. In 2024, the NCAA expanded that rule to unlimited transfers, permitting multiple transfers while maintaining immediate eligibility. These changes raise questions about fairness, loyalty and the integrity of college sports, which I believe further erode the core values I once admired.
When a few veteran OSU men’s basketball players left for other programs that would pay them more, I felt deep betrayal and sadness.
I have seen seniors play for their fourth team. The players’ names on the backs of their jerseys matter more to them than the university name on the front.
That realization damaged my relationship with all NCAA Division I sports, leaving me disillusioned and distant from something I once loved deeply.
Between 2022-24, 10 of the 12 Pac-12 universities left the conference for more money in other conferences, ending the Pac-12 as we knew it — more betrayal.
From 2021-24, I endured the explosive growth of the NCAA transfer portal and NIL, as well as the implosion of the Pac-12 Conference. It was a lot to process.
Now, players come and go, often lasting only a year before moving on. At the end of each season, players enter the transfer portal and go to the highest bidder. Loyalty is nonexistent. If a player stays for more than one season, it is not out of loyalty; it is because he was paid to stay.
Coaches and athletic directors are just as guilty of this money grab, perhaps even more so, because unlike players, they sign multi-year contracts and then leave for a better deal elsewhere.
OSU has a new 43-year-old first-time football head coach who will likely leave for a better-paying job after his first successful season. Similarly, I expect our new 38-year-old first-time men’s basketball head coach to leave after one winning season. Neither has a connection to OSU, and both will use OSU as a stepping-stone for personal gain.
I didn’t leave college sports; it left me. It is no longer a win-win. Some friends have advised me to “get over it” or “roll with the punches.” Those are options, but after much deliberation, I decided to walk away. I have decided not to invest my time, energy, emotions or money in players and coaches who use us and then leave us.
The NCAA won’t install and enforce guardrails. I have no faith in Congress either; the solution is never more government involvement. College sports are too far gone for me. I know many people share my disappointment that amateur ideals are lost.
To help me process this, I asked AI to find a similar conundrum. Here’s what I got:
• Boycotting a favorite local grocery store when it changes from a family-owned operated store to a corporate chain.
• Leaving a church because it builds a massive luxury gym instead of helping the poor.
• Stopping support for a local charity after finding out the new director gets a giant salary.
I would do all three, so at least I am consistent in my values. I dislike how modern money changes core values.
I decided to voice my displeasure with my wallet. I stopped buying tickets and attending games. I stopped getting together with friends to attend games in Corvallis or watch on TV. I boycotted March Madness. I canceled my paid subscription to ESPN+, the only place I could watch OSU men’s basketball games on TV. I unfollowed all OSU sports pages on social media. I stopped buying OSU gear. I packed up a few bins of OSU gear and put them in the garage.
I am not turning my back on Oregon State University, just its athletic department. I cherish my Business degree from OSU and will remain a staunch supporter of the school, just not the athletic programs. My fond memories of OSU will not change.
I have gone through the Five Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. I am sad that I don’t care anymore. But accepting that has given me a sense of peace and a chance to find new meaning elsewhere.
In the past, I spent countless hours watching games in person and on TV. Today, I am filling that void with other interests. I had no idea how much time I invested in college sports. I have reclaimed it all.
Goodbye, college sports. It was fun while it lasted.
► ◄
Readers: what are your thoughts? I would love to hear them in the comments below. On the comments entry screen, only your name is required, your email address and website are optional, and may be left blank.
Follow me on BlueSky.
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter).
Like me on Facebook.
Find me on Instagram.
