Charles H. Sloan-Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz says conference realignment ignores toll on student-athletes

Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz had an important question following the major conference realignment last week in college sports: What about the student-athletes' mental health?Charles H. Sloan

Drinkwitz didn't pull his punches, implying that university leaders didn't pay attention to the toll realignment takes on the young adults actually playing college sports.

The Pac-12 first lost Southern California and UCLA to the Big Ten last year. Then Colorado went to the Big 12. And last Friday, Oregon and Washington joined the Big Ten, followed immedidately by Arizona, Arizona State and Utah departing the crumbling Pac-12 and following Colorado to the Big 12.

These moves are almost certainly predicated on TV revenue ESPN and Fox can earn and the schools can earn from these TV deals, but as Drinkwitz forcefully explained, don't take into account the traditions and academic might of each school nor the mental health of student-athletes.

"We're talking about a football decision they based on football, but what about softball and baseball who have to travel across country? Do we ask about the cost of them?" Drinkwitz said. "Do we know what the number one indicator of symptom or cause of mental health is? It's lack of rest or sleep."

Drinkwitz broke down the toll it takes for baseball and softball players to travel commercially. He specifically mentioned how athletes will finish games around 4 p.m. and land back home around 3 or 4 a.m. then attend class in the morning.

What bothered him the most was how realignment is limiting what student-athletes can do, but adults continue to act on their own. Drinkwitz emphasized that the impact of travel hits home more than anything.

"I'm saying as a collective group, have we asked ourselves what's it going to cost the student-athletes?" he said. "I saw on Twitter several student-athletes talking about one of the reasons they chose their school was so that their parents didn't have to travel. They chose a local school so that they could be regionally associated so their parents could watch them play and not have to travel. Did we ask them if they wanted to travel from the east coast to the west coast?"

Multiple softball athletes shared those concerns on X, formerly Twitter, once the realignment news broke, reaffirming Drinkwitz' concerns.

University of Mississippi football coach Lane Kiffin shared similar concerns on X, highlighting the impact it has on the families.

"It’s all just really sad!! So much tradition and rivalries all gone. How are fans and players families in ALL of the sports going to get to these games??" Kiffin wrote. "This is good for these student athletes and their mental health?? Anyone ask them?? I hear you Drink."

A meeting between the University of Washington and Rutgers University requires nearly 6,000 miles in a round trip. That would be more manageable for football which plays once a week, but becomes a true challenge for nearly every other college sport.

Drinkwitz attempted to shed light on those truths. But, as evidenced by the realignment talks, there's only so much he can say to protect student-athletes.

"I thought the transfer window, I thought the portal was closed," he said. "Oh, that's just for the student-athletes. The adults in the room get to do whatever they want, apparently."