College players also need to understand that--if enough of them communicate the message long enough and loud enough that "it's not personal, we're just mercenaries"--fans, especially those of us who have witnessed the decline of this great sport for decades, may reciprocate with the following message to them: "As much as we enjoy watching our respective teams engage in battle on the gridiron, it is not essential to life. If you choose to exercise no loyalty to the program, we retain the power of the purse string. And, if we collectively choose to stop investing emotionally, let alone financially or through attendance, the college football pipeline dries up and, with it, your route to the NFL."
