NIU Athletics Director Sean Frazier admits there are many challenges to the recent way college athletics have evolved but says he remains committed to keeping sports and pursuit of a degree in balance for their students. Frazier referred to the pay allowed for college athletes as the biggest change followed by the open transfer portal and conference realignments. This includes NIU’s switch to the Mountain West Conference for football and the Horizon League for 14 other sports (while wrestling and gymnastics remain with the Mid-American Conference because they are not offered in the Horizon League).
Frazier says he has a good feel for the checks and balances needed under the new rules for college sports since he serves as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Association. He admits that the traditional four-year development of an athlete is just not happening because of the financial gain the pay and portal options permit. Frazier suggested that future regulation is needed in the student athlete agent system along with limits on number of portal transfers allowed.
Frazier gave some specific examples on how the new rules for college athlete pay and transfer work. He said payments to star athletes beyond scholarships can go up to the millions of dollars. This results in frequent use of the transfer portal to get the best deal according to Frazier, but not necessarily the best sports opportunity or education. Frazier noted the return of football star player Cam Thompson to NIU after originally leaving for Mississippi State but finding a lack of playing time at his new school was not to his liking.
Frazier says his own job now reflects the more commercial aspects of college sports. He explained that this is reflected in NIU’s move to the Mountain West Conference for football where television revenue sharing is greatly enhanced over their previous alliance with the Mid-American Conference (MAC), easily making up for any difference in travel costs. At the same time, Frazier says he still holds goals of high scholastic standing and community volunteerism as key parts of the culture of NIU athletics.