They know that if at any point they stop drinking the koolaid, question anything, or don't follow the group think that they will be cast out and forgotten about.
The players have no buy in, in part because of their separation from their fans. Building a real (not a Fawn over) connection between players and fans is a two way deal. There’s no chance for Adelaide players to interact with crows fans outside carefully controlled events. Of course the players don’t give a shit, the plebs truly are like patrons at a play. Adelaide haven’t twigged the benefits to player retention of players being human beings to the fans, not gods. Of course that runs counter to the carefully controlled script everyone is issued each morning.
Players also don’t buy in as it being more then a pay check, as unless they’re working in the media, or get a mates job at the club, once they retire, they largely fall off the cliff, as far as Adelaide is concerned. There’s no club rooms for past and current players to mingle. Or for past players to gather themselves or them interact with the fans. The likes of Ginever, Philips or Eberts equivalents (such as they’d be) amongst Adelaide’s past players causally chattng to Adelaide fans outside a special event is anathema all around that club. Our players all stop playing for the club, but unless they are the exceedingly rare ones to shit the bed on the way out (only Chaplin and Stevens spring to mind), even those who stopped playing by moving elsewhere are welcomed back by club and fans post career.
Why would I care for an employer who obviously didn’t give a shit about me as a person? I wouldn’t and of course most Adelaide players don’t, except those who really love the over the top adulation.