When most people think of Rudy Ruettiger, they immediately picture a smaller-than-life individual whose story has become synonymous with determination, perseverance, and heart. Rudy’s legacy as a walk-on player at Notre Dame has been immortalized in the 1993 film Rudy, which captured his rise from underdog to the rarest of college football triumphs—playing in a game for the Fighting Irish. His journey has become a symbol of what it means to defy the odds, work relentlessly, and chase after a dream, even when the road ahead appears impossible.
But in recent years, the legendary Rudy Ruettiger has become increasingly vocal about his disappointment with the direction college football has taken. Once a sport defined by tradition, grit, and school pride, college football has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar business, driven by major television deals, corporate sponsorships, and the era of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. Ruettiger, who played for Notre Dame in the early 1970s, has been candid about his frustrations with the commercialization of the sport and how it has affected the purity of the game he loves.
As someone whose story was built on passion for the game and a love for the tradition of college football, Rudy’s disappointment in the sport’s modern-day evolution is both understandable and poignant. His concerns delve into the rapidly changing landscape of college football, where decisions are increasingly made with the bottom line in mind rather than the values that once made the sport special. From the rise of NIL deals to the growing influence of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system and realignment of conferences, Rudy sees a departure from the roots of the game.
The NIL Era: A Game-Changer and a Dilemma
Rudy Ruettiger’s journey to Notre Dame was rooted in a different era. He was a walk-on player, not recruited by anyone but willing to give his all to represent the Fighting Irish. Rudy’s story was not just about football—it was about heart, sacrifice, and the love of playing for one of the most prestigious programs in college football history. For him, Notre Dame represented the pinnacle of college football, a place where athletes weren’t motivated solely by monetary rewards but by the desire to play for something greater than themselves.
In contrast, the arrival of NIL deals has transformed the college sports landscape. College athletes are now able to profit from their name, image, and likeness through endorsements, sponsorships, and other financial opportunities. While this has been hailed as a step forward for student-athletes, it has also raised significant concerns about the impact it has on the sport itself. Rudy Ruettiger is among those who feel that NIL deals have fundamentally changed the nature of college football, in ways that may diminish the essence of the game he loves.
“I’m not against the players making money—they should,” Ruettiger explained in a recent interview. “But I think we’ve lost sight of what college football was meant to be. It’s no longer just about playing for your school and your teammates; it’s about the money. Players are being treated like professionals, and to me, that changes everything.”
In Rudy’s eyes, NIL deals have shifted the focus of college athletes from playing for pride and tradition to focusing on personal financial gain. Instead of playing for the love of the game, athletes are increasingly being swayed by the allure of lucrative deals with businesses, car dealerships, and even online social platforms. For someone like Rudy, who had to work tirelessly to earn a spot on the team, it’s disheartening to see players today receive large sums of money before ever stepping foot on the field.
“I had to walk on, I had to prove myself. I didn’t get any special treatment, and I loved every second of it. I got to wear that Notre Dame jersey because I earned it, not because someone was paying me for it. That’s what made it special,” he continued.
Rudy’s disappointment lies not in the concept of athletes profiting from their fame, but in the shift away from college football’s original foundation—an environment where student-athletes were first and foremost part of a university community, playing the game for the love of competition, the joy of representing their schools, and the pride of being a student. Today, it feels like money is the driving force behind many decisions, and for Rudy, this creates an imbalance in what college sports should represent.
The College Football Playoff: Impact on Tradition and the Game’s Integrity
In addition to the rise of NIL, another factor that has left Rudy feeling disillusioned with college football is the expansion and commercialization of the College Football Playoff. When the playoff system was first introduced in 2014, it was seen as an improvement over the previous BCS system, as it created a more definitive and fair way to determine the national champion. However, in recent years, the system has been criticized for how it has distorted the traditional bowl season and overshadowed smaller programs.
While the decision to expand the playoff field to 12 teams beginning in 2024 has been met with enthusiasm by many, including fans and media outlets, Rudy sees the move as a further indication that college football is prioritizing commercial interests over the historical traditions of the sport. For years, the sport was governed by the prestige of bowl games, each one serving as a reward for the hard work of student-athletes. Now, these games often feel secondary to the playoff picture, and many of the smaller, independent bowl games have lost their significance.
Rudy’s concerns center on the fact that the sport’s oldest rivalries and traditions are being overshadowed by an ever-expanding playoff system that has corporate interests at its core. Schools like Notre Dame, which have long prided themselves on their independence and scheduling flexibility, now find themselves navigating a world where every game is analyzed in terms of playoff implications rather than the spirit of the competition itself.
“It’s all about TV contracts and ratings now. It’s become a money machine,” Rudy lamented. “Bowl games used to be the highlight of the season. It was an honor just to make it to a bowl game, no matter which one it was. But now, the playoff is everything. It has diminished the value of the regular season and the importance of those smaller bowl games that meant so much to so many programs.”
For Rudy, the expansion of the playoff system has diluted the sanctity of the sport. The drama and excitement of college football’s final weeks used to be centered around teams fighting for their place in the postseason, regardless of whether they were part of a formal playoff system. Now, it feels like everyone is just jockeying for a spot in the exclusive playoff, and those outside of the playoff conversation are often overlooked.
Conference Realignment: A Threat to Tradition and Rivalries
Another major development that has frustrated Rudy is the realignment of conferences, which has led to the dissolution of many traditional rivalries. The SEC, Big Ten, and other Power Five conferences have begun to expand, adding new members and creating larger, more lucrative television deals. These moves are often driven by financial incentives and the desire for increased exposure, but they come at the cost of long-standing rivalries that have defined college football for generations.
As teams like Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC, and schools like USC and UCLA join the Big Ten, the college football landscape is undergoing a massive transformation. This shift has led to the displacement of rivalries that have existed for decades, such as the annual Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma or the USC-UCLA clash. For fans like Rudy, who grew up watching these rivalries shape the fabric of the sport, this realignment represents a loss of the traditions that made college football unique.
“I grew up watching those rivalries, and they were everything,” Rudy explained. “Texas and Oklahoma, USC and UCLA—those were the games that defined college football. And now, they’re being replaced by these super-conferences where money is the only thing that matters.”
