Book Review: College Sports and Institutional Values in Competition: Leadership Challenges

In The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos Armen Keteyian and John Talty have written the first comprehensive post-NIL examination of college football’s new landscape for coaches, athletes, agents, and athletic departments. The authors explore the newly disrupted landscape of college football, likening it to the "Wild West" where traditional structures have been upended. The authors detail the profound impact of recent upheavals, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the transfer portal, and name, image, and likeness (NIL), which have collectively struck the sport like a nuclear bomb, leaving coaches and administrators grappling with unprecedented challenges. Through interviews with over 200 coaches, athletes, boosters, agents, and athletic administrators throughout college sports, the authors paint a vivid picture of a chaotic environment marked by frustration and adaptation. The book explores three emerging themes: the evolving role of college football coaches, the fragmented governance of the NCAA in a post-NIL era, and the rise and growing impact of new intermediaries within the business of college sports.