This is an opinion column.

We’re less than a week from Christmas and the clock is ticking for procrastinators.

Perhaps that means a quick trip to the mall — the print newspaper of shopping options. There, you’ll probably hear a ringing bell and a kettle raising money for the Salvation Army.

Another bell rang Wednesday afternoon with a similar plea.

Email apps rang out around Alabama as Crimson Tide athletics director Greg Byrne pointed to the bucket. The note, which he also posted on social media, quickly went viral in the latest chapter of an NIL arms race.

It spoke to a few things.

First, the desperation of the moment. It takes a suspension of pride to seek money in such a public forum. One can assume the backlash and mockery was expected to some degree.

Because it was swift. More on that later.

Second, it appeals to the competitive spirit inherent within the passion of fandom. Byrne used provocative language that appeals to the combative nature who perceive Alabama under attack.

Because in a sense, they are.

Third, this is just another reality in the ever-evolving ecosystem of collegiate athletics and the athletes who’ve gained power in a dynamic no longer stacked against them. Like it or leave it.

Because it’s not going to change.

The timing of Byrne’s solicitation isn’t coincidental given the headlines of the past few days. Former five-star recruit Jaylen Mbakwe’s 20-odd-hour flirtation with a transfer was originally billed as a “business decision.”

It doesn’t take a law degree to crack that code in an era when tampering is commonplace. And to be clear, nobody is innocent as this once-egregious crime is now the norm.

Reversing that “business decision” less than a day later certainly wasn’t free.

Thus, the email.

Byrne came out swinging, kinda. Didn’t name names but said the attackers reached the village wall.

“You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama,” he wrote.

The pivot to action came a sentence later.

“It is time,” he wrote, “for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

A link to contribute to Yea Alabama, the school’s NIL collective followed and a non-zero number of fans responded with donations. How many and how much? You’ll never know because the shroud of secrecy remains around these operations.

The other question is less tangible. How much good will does this damage among a fanbase that’s felt the sting of this past year. A similar NIL pledge drive was launched in the minutes after Alabama’s Rose Bowl semifinal loss to Michigan that wasn’t exactly well received in the public discourse.

“We need to take action,” was the altar call that night.

There were more solicitations after Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer was hired. At what point does the nickel and diming reach an unsustainable threshold?

It’s true Alabama doesn’t have the same big fish donors that schools like Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M and even Auburn can boast. The small-dollar donors, to steal from the political arena, are the best path forward in this shifting landscape.

What’s also true is the advantage of the past is gone. Even in the early NIL days, Alabama could get something of a Saban Discount. The sale pitch involved his track record of producing first-round picks and bigger riches on the backend in an appeal to forgo the big front-loaded offers from rivals.

While DeBoer’s succeeded with pro development, the body of work doesn’t compare.

So it’s his AD that’s taking the public heat as what could only be seen as a sacrifice for the greater good. Byrne’s tweet had north of 550,000 views three hours after posting it.

It had hundreds of replies, most of which roasted the empire of the 2010s becoming a beggar of the 2020s.

Either that was an error in messaging that unfurled a red carpet for the haters to dunk on the dynasty in demise or a calculated sacrifice to the NIL gods.

Recruiting markets are no longer tilted Alabama’s way.

Saban’s not coming back.

So, the bells will be ringing in this evolving Crimson Tide reality.

Every time you hear one, Byrne’s banking on a new NIL deal getting its wings.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.