I loved that. I am curious how the newer “mercenary-like” approach some coaches are taking with NIL guys and transfers will effect the camaraderie and esprit de corps that helped us dig deeper in games and practice to support and back up our brothers on the team.
This is a great question but I think we (the readers) will need to answer from the perspective of work as I don't think we have any college athletes on this board who have played under the new structure or any former professional athletes who contribute.
From my perspective, I have worked in a variety of organizations. Probably the most enjoyment I ever received from my career was being a part of a tight knit, highly effective team environment. This spilled over into a lot of fraternizing/socializing outside of work. With that being said, I have also worked in an organization with this type of vibe:
people showed up to work, did their jobs, went home. There wasn't much of a "family" or "team environment" at all. Did it work? Yes, because the men and women I worked with were very talented and professional and dedicated to their craft. So, to your point, I think a "mercenary" approach CAN work given that you have enough talent, professionalism and maturity so that people don't need any sort of external motivation.
Can it work for a group of 18 - 21 year old boys/young men? Remains to be seen as you suggest. I am curious to what others have to say on this topic as it IS definitely a new paradigm.