This is very simple. The media is making it far more controversial than it should be.
To my understanding, every sport except football and basketball allows transfers without sitting out (at least the first time). The fact that this exists in football and basketball seems like the mandatory freshman inegibility rules from the 70s (which apparently weren't in effect for non-revenue sports, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I fully support how the transfer portal was implemented and so should immediately eligibility for first-time transfers (much like grad-transfers). I don't understand why this is controversial, especially given the waiver process that has lead to all kinds of inconsistencies....