NDSU attracts talent
Talent wants to climb
To some extent, the answer is to elevate the program, despite those that want to hold it back
So if the NCAA continues to represent only the big schools (i.e. P5 FBS), what would prevent the other schools from breaking off and forming their own organization? With NIL, transfer portal and all the big TV contacts the P5 are making a laughing stock of all the small schools and athletes who participate in them. Destroying the integrity of small school teams and making their sports into development leagues.
Money. Some of the $billions from March Madness trickles down to D-II/D-III and it seems like there are a few conferences in D-I who have no desire to be competitive on the national scene in any sport and are only D-I because they get a bigger piece of the pie than lower divisions.
It's OK to not be OK.
Many still operate on this romantic idea that the NCAA is this independent organization that has the student athletes' best interests in mind. In all reality it's the powerful schools that generate the money running the show and everyone else is either too scared to disrupt status quo or is just fine sitting fat and happy raking in the scraps.
I am a Bison fans but live in Jamestown. You should go a NAIA game sometime (at least in Jamestown). The crowd is into it. Players are up and down the court with a lot of action going around. Also Mason Walters (Jamestown's own product) is great to watch play. He is U of J all-time leading scorer and rebounder. 6'9" strong and smart player. Uses his body well for position. Will shot the 3 if needed but loves the inside game.
"Sometimes a concept is baffling not because it is profound but because it is wrong" E. O. Wilson
"I'm not crazy my mother had me tested". Sheldon Cooper
My boss hates it when I shorten his name to Dick, mainly because his name is Steven.