A
anon_gilp92bj5bmd2
Guest
For some time now I have been considering deleting my account from Tiger Illustrated and moving on with life. I love the site and its information, and I used to enjoy the columns and community on the message boards. It was fun to watch over time as our ranks swelled with Clemson's growing popularity. And it also was nice to have un-fettered coverage and insider knowledge from Larry, Chris and Paul. However, something has soured me to the site, to sports in general and college football. So, I will be deleting my account with Rivals and moving on with life probably in the next 24 hours or so.
I cannot pinpoint exactly why I fell out of love with Clemson Football and Tiger Illustrated. It maybe the fact that college football has changed so much, and is no longer an amateur sport. The fact that high school 17–18-year-olds and their "handlers" are going for the highest bidder and considering very little else, kind of sets me off. The sense of entitlement that these kids have is astonishing to me. And their un-mitigated gall to ask for $5,000 or more just to come visit a campus, as some have reported, makes me a little sick. It is just hard to stomach even though I would be doing the same thing if I were in their shoes. I know some will say this has been going on since before NIL was a thing, but not overtly and not to the amounts of money we are talking about now. Gone are the days folks would consider a college based on the overall benefits one would get by attending the school, the overall culture and graduation rate. Now the decision has come down to how much NIL money one will get from this schools NIL program.
Or it may also be the fact that there are unfettered, and non-consequential transfers through the portal now. I think the fact that kids can just up and move to the highest bidder makes it very unlikely the athlete completes a degree. This is ironic as scholarships were created specifically for athletes to get degrees and most coaches and colleges used to brag on graduation rates. Not so much anymore. It is about win at all costs no matter what, and the root of it is money, not love of the sport, or to help kids get an education, its M-O-N-E-Y and nothing else. Each time the portal opens now, I find myself feeling small amounts of anxiety as the unknown unfolds. I keep asking myself, "will we have any players left at X position that can get us back to where we were?" And "wonder who is going to win the transfer lottery this year, like FSU did in 2023?"
But what I really think it is, is the complete politicization of everything now. You cannot read a post without politics being brought in, or a political opinion comment behind shoved in your face. I am more guilty of this than anyone, and I think that is why I need to go. I don’t have the fortitude to not respond to countering views, especially when there are those on these boards that push narratives that are so out of line with my own. I guess that is my fault more than anything. There are some on this board that post the most inflammatory remarks and know they are doing this. They do this to get views, likes, hates or whatever and it is the same reason our country is so divided. We each hold to our own echo chambers and media outlets that are biased so they can drive ratings. These "chambers" tell us exactly what to believe without thinking critically and give us enough ammunition to issue knee jerk reactions in the far right or the far left. We do this and leave no room for centric thinking, it must be right or left, black or white, true or lie, no room for anything else. "You must believe as I do, or you are (insert creative expletive comment on intelligence here)" has become the drum beat of both sides. We are so busy yelling that our side is right, and your side is dumb/wrong, we cannot listen or show respect to a differing opinion. In short, we have no civility anymore, and have no tolerance for a differing opinion on anything. We as a society become more divided and the media we consume make more money and those in power stay in power.
So, I will be deleting my account within the next 24 hours. I cannot participate any more, nor do I have the will too. I imagine I will probably just stick to the free sites out there, but memberships and posting is not for me any more. I may not get the information presented so eloquently here on this site. And it probably will come much later than what comes from Larry, Paul and Chris, but at least I can remove myself from contributing to the chaos and making this a big part of who I am, as I just don’t enjoy Clemson Football like I once did, nor this community.... I will always be a Tiger, just not as much so anymore.
I cannot pinpoint exactly why I fell out of love with Clemson Football and Tiger Illustrated. It maybe the fact that college football has changed so much, and is no longer an amateur sport. The fact that high school 17–18-year-olds and their "handlers" are going for the highest bidder and considering very little else, kind of sets me off. The sense of entitlement that these kids have is astonishing to me. And their un-mitigated gall to ask for $5,000 or more just to come visit a campus, as some have reported, makes me a little sick. It is just hard to stomach even though I would be doing the same thing if I were in their shoes. I know some will say this has been going on since before NIL was a thing, but not overtly and not to the amounts of money we are talking about now. Gone are the days folks would consider a college based on the overall benefits one would get by attending the school, the overall culture and graduation rate. Now the decision has come down to how much NIL money one will get from this schools NIL program.
Or it may also be the fact that there are unfettered, and non-consequential transfers through the portal now. I think the fact that kids can just up and move to the highest bidder makes it very unlikely the athlete completes a degree. This is ironic as scholarships were created specifically for athletes to get degrees and most coaches and colleges used to brag on graduation rates. Not so much anymore. It is about win at all costs no matter what, and the root of it is money, not love of the sport, or to help kids get an education, its M-O-N-E-Y and nothing else. Each time the portal opens now, I find myself feeling small amounts of anxiety as the unknown unfolds. I keep asking myself, "will we have any players left at X position that can get us back to where we were?" And "wonder who is going to win the transfer lottery this year, like FSU did in 2023?"
But what I really think it is, is the complete politicization of everything now. You cannot read a post without politics being brought in, or a political opinion comment behind shoved in your face. I am more guilty of this than anyone, and I think that is why I need to go. I don’t have the fortitude to not respond to countering views, especially when there are those on these boards that push narratives that are so out of line with my own. I guess that is my fault more than anything. There are some on this board that post the most inflammatory remarks and know they are doing this. They do this to get views, likes, hates or whatever and it is the same reason our country is so divided. We each hold to our own echo chambers and media outlets that are biased so they can drive ratings. These "chambers" tell us exactly what to believe without thinking critically and give us enough ammunition to issue knee jerk reactions in the far right or the far left. We do this and leave no room for centric thinking, it must be right or left, black or white, true or lie, no room for anything else. "You must believe as I do, or you are (insert creative expletive comment on intelligence here)" has become the drum beat of both sides. We are so busy yelling that our side is right, and your side is dumb/wrong, we cannot listen or show respect to a differing opinion. In short, we have no civility anymore, and have no tolerance for a differing opinion on anything. We as a society become more divided and the media we consume make more money and those in power stay in power.
So, I will be deleting my account within the next 24 hours. I cannot participate any more, nor do I have the will too. I imagine I will probably just stick to the free sites out there, but memberships and posting is not for me any more. I may not get the information presented so eloquently here on this site. And it probably will come much later than what comes from Larry, Paul and Chris, but at least I can remove myself from contributing to the chaos and making this a big part of who I am, as I just don’t enjoy Clemson Football like I once did, nor this community.... I will always be a Tiger, just not as much so anymore.
