Kansas basketball star Christian Braun knows what it is like to stand on the mountaintop of the college basketball world, as he was a part of the National Championship team with the Jayhawks back in 2022. Braun wasn't paid millions of dollars to go and play in Lawrence; he did it for the love of the school.
In the world of college sports now, a recruit isn't necessarily always picking their school based on love of the program, or the name across their chest, but instead they choose who the highest bidder is. Braun feels this has hurt college sports; players are playing for the pride of the name on their jersey, but for the money going into their bank account.
While Braun agrees players should be paid, as he would have taken payment when he was playing, he went to Kansas because he loved Kansas, not because the Jayhawks were the highest bidder.
"You take pride in the uniform you put on, like it meant something to me," Braun said. "I like that nowadays you don't have that anymore."
“That sense of pride in wearing the Kansas uniform that I had, I don’t know if that’ll be there in the future just because of money” -- Christian Braun speaks on how NIL is impacting pride in college hoops pic.twitter.com/7EQJHLRdAd
— TheOldManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) March 4, 2026
Having pride in the jersey you wear as a player is so important, as it brings a team together. Each player playing for the name across their chest means they are all playing for one collective goal, not just for themselves.
Braun questions whether or not the pride in a jersey will be around in the future of college sports. While the season has been great to watch this year, the money players will receive is only going to go up if there aren't some restrictions put on it.