I loved the X-Men growing up. I began reading in the mid eighties when Claremont was writer and Paul Smith, Dave Cockrum and Romita Jr. were artists. A lot has changed since then and it hasn't been for the best in most cases. Back then the entire list of mutants read something like 50 mutants total. This was the good guys and the bad guys. The Morlocks were many but focused mostly on Caliban, Masque and Callisto and Claremont kept things well organized. The late 80's changed the team again but didn't keep focus on the members that left the team. When Claremont introduced the New Mutants he usually kept the story self contained except in the occasional Special or Annual when he threw in the X-Men. X-Factor focused mostly on the original team when it  and the Simonson team kept it self contained for the most part except for the whole Days of Future Present arch. Excalibur was wonderful and never really paid (much) attention to the American team(s). It seems like since Claremont left with X-Men #3 things have gotten over populated and convoluted. "Who is on the X-Men team these days?" my cousin asked me a few days ago (he read in the 80's as well). I thought for a second and I couldn't answer him. There are so many characters that I can't keep up anymore. The fact is, I told him, is that they don't have teams anymore except Uncanny X-Force and X-Factor which isn't technically a "team". They just seem to throw together a team for whatever mission that particular story calls for. Anybody on the island is a potential team member. There is almost no character development anymore. Character story lines are a near impossibility for any writer when you have 200 X-Men running around. The "end" of the true X-Men began in Excalibur #103 when Warren Ellis ended his run on the title. Just my opinion of course. I've held on over the last decade hoping for a return to true form but to no avail. Morrison's run and Whedon's "Astonishing" were the only things I found to be worth my time. Anybody else feel like it's been crummy for some time (Joe Quesada tenure). Feel they have way too many characters to roster anytime they want?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Though I do think that the X-men team should be fairly large, I also think that it should be split into groups that spend the majority of their time as separate groups (like have X-men in California, New York, etc.). What really bugs me though is how they seem to be going quantity over quality as far as deaths are concerned. In every issue I read it seems that so many people have to die and their deaths mean nothing. I still read a few of them though (mostly ones with X-23, my favorite character, in it).

I'm the biggest Cyclops fan you'll ever meet, and I stopped reading the X-Men books around 2 years ago. You're not alone in hating the crapfest that is the current X-Franchise.

well schism will split them into 2 teams so little character development   is possible and i agree to many characters in the x men actually right now they are an army trying to prevent their extinction

Stop whining.

Stop whining.

You should try "Ultimate X-Men' :)