By Jalen Tart
Fans have played a critical role in the evolution of the NCAA transfer portal. With athletes experimenting with the transfer portal, fan engagement has evolved with the use of social media and community involvement to help play a factor in players’ college decisions.
A college’s fan atmosphere can be a factor in a player’s decision to transfer. Fans can be a force on social media, on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
“Some of the best players of what we’re seeing now had their best experience in the transfer portal,” said Jo Robinson, a sports super fan and analyst for the Game Changers Podcast. “I like the transfer portal because it gives the athlete who wants to be transferred a better opportunity. A perfect example is Joe Burrow who transferred from Ohio State and had a magical [football] career at LSU. It just gives them a better chance to succeed in their college careers and play professionally.”
Some college sports fans, however, say the portal may give players too much of an advantage, allowing them to make a move rather than grow with a team.
“I think there needs to be a good reason as to why you’re transferring,” said Chaz Childers, a sports super fan and analyst for the Game Changers Podcast. “I think one of the biggest cons of the transfer portal is that it seems to take away some of the long-form competition away from the locker room. If you are a young player and you go somewhere and you get beat out by a veteran that can be a senior or a junior, someone could win the Heisman or the Naismith at the school, and there’s nothing wrong with you losing your spot. Then it would end up in them leaving.
“I think [the portal] transforms the games and sports into an NFL or NBA situation,” Childers continued, “where you have people leaving and chasing NIL [name, image, likeness] money instead of going to a school where they feel like they fit in, they enjoy the university, they can get a good degree, they like the campus.”
As the landscape of sports continues to evolve day by day, many fans are becoming the spark to bring the spotlight to other sports to allow fan interaction and culture to grow year after year. Women’s basketball, both collegiately and professionally, has generated thousands of players who have grown and pushed the game forward to where it is today. With legendary head coaches and phenomenal talent being displayed, fans today are beyond excited for the new heights of where women’s college basketball might go next with the influence of the transfer portal.
“I love sports, but I think the majority of my likes is within basketball,” said Danielle Cooper, an avid basketball fan. “From a basketball perspective, the portal allows athletes to join another team of their choosing, and I think it’s great to help grow the game even more. I feel like it creates an opportunity for players to jump ship without actually getting that experience to see what it’s like to play under one school for four years. I also feel like players are jumping too soon due to something that may not have gone their way. I think it takes away from the discipline that comes with playing sports.”
The transfer portal also has a reputation for producing many successful athletes when transitioning to the professional level. Athletes such as Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, and Angel Reese have all made impacts both on the professional and collegiate level.
“I think Joe Burrow moving from Ohio to LSU was what made him one of my favorites players to enter the portal,” said Dylan Brett, Hofstra University freshman, and an avid college football fan. “I’m a Michigan guy, so anytime you have talent going away from Ohio State, that’s a good sign. On the other hand, Joe Burrow was one of the most exciting players who had one of the most exciting seasons in the sport of college football. It’s hands down one of the most dominant individual seasons I’ve seen in my lifetime. That 2019-2020 LSU team was something special to watch, and that would have never happened without the transfer portal.”
The transfer portal has changed the game forever for athletes, coaches, and fans as a whole on how we can follow NCAA athletes across the country. The portal will further innovate and improve sports for people the view and fall in love with NCAA athletes and teams. With many sports fans ecstatic about the evolution of the portal, new attractions will soon follow to draw in more viewers to the world of college athletics.
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