Athletic scholarships are structured and shrouded in mystery

Take it to the House - The recent House v. NCAA settlement of a lawsuit effective for the 2025-26 season marks a transformational shift in college athletics. Roster limits have been increased for most sports, and scholarships are given out by each college from a shared pool of money. Most athletes who commit early have no idea what the money is going to look like once they get there. Transparency is a word of little relevance at signing ceremonies. I have three grandchildren who were or are Division I college lacrosse players. I have no idea about scholarship stipends from athletics because it’s none of my business. I do know that academic money you don’t have to pay back is just as nice, plus no one is trying to mold your character.

Foreign players - Sports that generate no revenue, like soccer and field hockey, yet recruit foreign players – as many as 10 on a 35-person roster – beg several questions, like why and who cares, what is the incentive, and how much do they pay for the privilege of matriculation at an American university? Attendance at games is often fewer than 200, and that goes for Division I top 10 programs. It’s all about the university's profile and getting students to apply, but the bottom line is running it through admissions and financial aid offices; no one really knows how any of it works.

Shane Gillis - High school kids go off to college, experience communal dorm life, come home for Thanksgiving, then start telling everyone around the table about a person down the hall or a teammate that is just so funny. The so-smart student with study habits and career goals gets less play than Yoplay. Shane Gillis is your basic Lineman for Life guy – 37 years old, 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. He dropped out of West Point and Elon, got two years getting organized at community college while living with his parents and graduated from West Chester. Last week, he hosted the ESPY Awards and dropped more sacred cows than an archer at a dairy farm. Gillis is likable, somewhat self-deprecating, just a big old boy from Mechanicsburg, Pa. I find him funny when I’m not busy being funny myself. Read his profile in the New Yorker at www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/26/shane-gillis-fall-and-rise.

Family decisions - I’m the sports granddad, the coach and columnist, but I never got a vote concerning where any of my grandchildren should go to college or what sports they should play. Anna left Temple with a degree, but with a redshirt year of lacrosse eligibility remaining. She elected to get on with her life. I joked to her, “Great, now what am I supposed to do? You are just so selfish.” Jase Mitchell was drafted recently by the Astros in the seventh round. He committed to Kentucky. Most comments I’ve read by people with no vote say, “Take the money and go play baseball; you can go to college later.” Cape players drafted after playing college baseball are Zack and Jake Gelof, Luke Johnson, Mason Fluharty and Tyler Townsend. Back in the day, players who entered the minor league system straight out of high school were Benny Wiltbank, Brian Mifflin and Obbie Maull. Note: Only 4.3% of MLB players have college degrees. 

Badges - Ally Diehl and Mairead Rishko showed up a day late for field hockey camp and were given name tags by Debbie Windett, which they pasted onto their shirts. Just rising juniors with four state championships from field hockey and lacrosse over the last two years, they just smiled. I squinted my eyes and asked, "What are your names again and where are your badges?” “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!” – “Treasure of Sierra Madre,” 1948. 

Snippets - Pat Woods has been named the head coach of boys’ basketball at Delmarva Christian. Pat’s son Asher Woods transferred from Cape to Delmarva Christian and will be a rising sophomore for the Royals, who were 16-5 last season. Atia Sabbagh, a Cape rising junior and field hockey player, has committed to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa., to play field hockey. In 2024, the Hawks finished with a 20-4 record, reaching the national championship game before losing to Northwestern 5-0. The 2025 roster sports 11 foreign players from British Columbia, the Netherlands, France, Scotland, Australia, England, Wales and New Zealand. “Yo, Skippy!” has different accents exporting the best of Philadelphia. Portholes are small circular windows on ships, while portals are gateways to vast new spaces. I had the two confused in my mind thinking of the NCAA portal as an escape hatch. Anyway, back down in high school land, some athletes have been mismanaged by adults – transferred too many times – and have found themselves iced for the season. There should be a whack handlers waiver. Cape players in the big leagues: Mason Fluharty was recently optioned to Triple-A Buffalo by the Toronto Blue Jays. Zack Gelof was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas by the Oakland Athletics. Zack is working to get back to his A game after two shut-down injuries. Go on now, git!