The sign is hanging out there and in plain view.

We’re open for business.

College basketball players are available to the highest bidders.

The days of a recruitment with some hidden amenities by high-profile coaches have evolved into a current NIL contract that is on a presumed primrose pathway that can totally ruin an amateur-athlete status.

In spite of some true “March Madness” in the tournament further highlighted by UConn’s stunning buzzer-beater victory over top-ranked Duke that even shook my non-sports-related wife, we are still reminded how the game now has its own unrestricted free agency.

The days of pureness that tended to envelop the game with its “blue-blood” programs of Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky to name a few of the heavenly sought places to play for any high school athlete have been tarnished by free-flowing dollars.

Those days of “Cinderella” teams like Lehigh once beating Duke now have remnants of plenty of broken glass slippers.

Yes, we all know about how NIL money has infiltrated the college ranks in college football where it was well documented how players decided on checking the “Maps” or “Google Ways” apps on their phone to see how far their new destinations are for their new and improved salaries.

After their loss to Duke, St. John’s well-publicized and known billionaire supporter Mike Repole publicly stated that his checkbook is back open again in support of head coach Rick Pitino, who just signed a contract extension.

“If Rick called me at 2:30 in the morning and said, ‘I need a million dollars for this guy,’ I’m gonna send him the money before he wakes up,” exclaimed Repole in a New York Post article. “Cause that’s how much trust and faith I have in him.”

In dollar bills, many teams trust.

Darren Heitner, a lawyer who has brokered NIL deals for student athletes, recently posted a clip on X stating how UCLA’s basketball coach Mick Cronin has already begun publicly campaigning for more NIL dollars after his team was eliminated from the tournament.

Speaking of Duke, the latest available NIL faces had them spending roughly $25.2 million on their program. The Blue Devils were second nationally behind Kentucky, which willingly shelled out $30.9 million.

To put this picture into some perspective, baseball’s Cleveland Guardians have an estimated $70 million payroll this season. College basketball and football will soon be on a path to soon hit that threshold.

The University of Houston, always a college basketball powerhouse, spent a paltry $12 million to reach the “Sweet 16” but reports have them reaching out to their backers for a “makeover.”

High Point, a recognized “Cinderella” team reportedly spent just over $12 million on its short run, wiping away some of the sense of purity and innocence.

The Trump administration held a meeting and began to assimilate the beginning of a committee to try to restrict the dollars and help restore the game’s once proud reputation, while the NCAA stays on its path.

If it isn’t government intervention, some group should help to put on the brakes.

Unfortunately, until then, the “open for business” sign will still have a prominent place.

College basketball junkies and the average and non-related sports fan — maybe your spouse or significant other — will be lured into watching some of the “Final Four” this weekend due to some of your lingering pools or the sheer TV marketing of it.

There may be another “March Madness” magical finish, but there will be plenty of money trails to follow it.