in rec youth sports! In my 35 plus years of coaching softball, baseball, basketball and football I have seen politics at every level. Which is sad! When I played baseball and softball after high school I saw politics play a huge factor in the teams I played on. When I coached my daughter and son in sports, I saw politics rear its ugly head! The world revolves around money and the power it brings! The SEC coffers are so crammed full, that the NCAA is the whipping boy of the SEC! The Big 10 also has more clought than the ACC and Big 12. Think about the Danny Cole catch in the Sugar Bowl against Michigan. The refs were from the Pac 12. It was reported that officials from Michigan were in the replay booth when the decision was being made. Do you think some money changed hands? It also was reported during the broadcast that the replay official in the booth, was removed as a game official on the field and placed in the replay booth. If he wasn't good enough to be an official on the field, why was he even allowed to be the replay official? High school athletics, Little League baseball, travel ball, and other sports leagues are chalked full of politics. Now add in NIL, the transfer portal millions and millions of dollars to pay collegiate athletes big bucks to come play for them. Ohio State bought them another national championship in football. Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Clemson opened up the checkbook before the NIL and transfer portal were even around. Najee Cannady, pitcher of the year in the NCAA, was bought out by Texas Tech for a reported seven figure offer. Texas Tech had never won the Big 12 in softball until this season. Their coach and mulitiple players from Louisiana came with him to Texas Tech. A very good Arizona team couldn't compete with them and they have eight pitchers on their staff, but none the quality of Cannady. College athletics as we knew it is gone, and all they are now are the minor leagues for professional sports!