Churchill Downs has instituted some changes at the historic track after a dozen horses died there within the last month. Many are questioning what has caused the number of animal fatalities to rise so high in recent years. Is it the new synthetic material used on the tracks? Performance-enhancing medications that disqualified horses like Medina Spirit? Less rest time between major races? Will the inherent dangers to these 1,500-pound athletes cause horse racing to eventually become obsolete? In the interest of player safety, are other high-impact sports like heavyweight boxing or professional football also being rethought so that in future decades they would be diametrically different from how they are now?
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart remarked that college football is heading into uncertain waters and facing roster instability, with trades through the transfer portal almost outnumbering those in the pros and big NIL paychecks being made available for athletes. Conferences are gaining and losing teams, and the road ahead looks bumpy, with more problems being created instead of solved. Do big contracts for the star players cause dissension among the ranks? Could that open up possibilities for gamblers to exploit the majority of other players not getting NIL offers by approaching them with money to affect the outcomes of games? Should the NIL contracts make provisions for the teams to make things less lopsided and benefit the schools instead of just the individual players?
In this college basketball postseason, the UCLA Bruins have already had five starters leave the program, with two bench players following them. Tyger Campbell has joined the G League instead of taking his final year at UCLA, where his salary will be far less than what he could potentially make through the NIL, and there’s no guarantee he will be a starter in the NBA. Is it a reflection of Mick Cronin’s coaching style that so many players have left, and Campbell would rather make $46,000 per year, as opposed to $750,000 plus if he completed his college career?
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