Central to any franchise sport is the transfer system, which caters to the different needs of each franchise. It can help any franchise add a versatile player to their squad, bring a superstar to expand their fan base or give a push to their title hopes. However, the same transfer system treats players and athletes as commodities, where the franchises control both the demand and supply. NCAA is no different. While the NIL (name, image, and likeness) has opened new opportunities for college athletes, the transfer portal hinders their growth and prevents them from realizing their full potential.

Our esteemed host, Trey Holder, notes a sharp observation about college athletes when he sits with Doug Sanders in the latest segment of EssentiallySports Think Tank. He attracts attention toward the agents who represent these NCAA stars. Additionally, he points out how these agents look like college kids themselves, and he wonders whether they had a blueprint for building a brand around the athletes.

Holder says, “They seem to be like college kids themselves. What are they really doing? Are they just jumping on the bandwagon? Are they signing with the right people? What’s really happening?” Holder then also lists out the demands of the job, where the issues of fiduciary responsibility, regulations, and long-term branding tactics determine how an athlete brands himself. For him, the essential remains to be authentic to oneself, as he then bats for reforms in rules and standardization in the transfer portal.

Sanders then pitches in his well-calculated take and draws a parallel with the international soccer transfer market, where teams sell and buy players according to their convenience. He chimes in and expresses his discontent with the transfer portal, “It reminds me of essentially international soccer, in which these players are getting sold off. Maybe the institution isn’t receiving compensation. But you’re essentially just selling them off for whatever reason the other team’s able to buy them. It’s wild. It’s wild to me.”

Sanders, who has revolutionized and mastered marketing in the NBA and NFL and represents the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Chris Godwin with his SandersSE, has closely witnessed how the transfer portal affects the athletes. According to him, these transfers don’t allow an athlete to settle down in one place and fight for their place on the squad. Therefore, for him, the question then becomes creating the right opportunities, keeping in mind the long-term plan for a particular player. But how does he keep his athletes motivated during such volatile times?

Doug Sanders’ words of wisdom to his NCAA athletes

Sanders expands on his argument and shares how he deals with a similar scenario. He reveals, “I say that even to my current athletes, ‘We have to make the main thing the main thing. And that’s you as a dog on the field or a beast on the court, whatever. You make the main thing the main thing and we’ll continue to grow and build everything else from it.’ That’s all about building that brand.”

Hence, for Sanders, the transfer portal robs athletes of character development and a steep learning curve. It also leaves them to the whims of teams, agents, and market movement. It’s an assessment that Holder agrees to at the end of their conversation about the transfer portal.

Holder then closes the discussion with an apt comment, “I’ve always been a big believer that, as human beings, we only really learn through adversity, you know. You can read stuff in a textbook. But you got to go through it, right? You know you got to go through those hard times. That’s what really builds your character and strengthens your resolve.” Thus, for both Sanders and Holder, adversity molds an athlete into a superstar and a leader. But the transfer portal deprives them of such a crucial stepping stone in their careers.

Dough Sanders shares useful insights into the role of social media in the growth of NFL players and expanding their revenue base. He also talks about his experience working with Bobby Wagner and drops his amusing take on Noah Lyles running with Tyreek Hill. To grab it all, watch the full interview!

EssentiallySports Think Tank initiative made all of this possible. The Think Tank aims to accumulate the greatest minds in sports and bring them directly to you. Taking hold of the reins, host and innovator Trey Holder engages in candid conversations with the guests to reveal every detail you would need to grow and learn about leadership and performance. This is EssentiallySports Think Tank—Where Sports Meets Smart Content.