With the “off season” (or as Urban calls it- “Hunting Season”) upon us, SBP takes a bit of a different twist. Usually focused on news and updates from OSU press conferences and weekly preparation, during the off season, we’ll use this spot to affirm my ADD and help you stay on top of news from the national scene. In other words- things that you might have missed or will want to print to read during those boring meetings or your “consulting” trips to the washroom. I read it so you don’t have to.
Bowl championship Series
- LSU gets voted #2. After 5 first downs. Oklahoma State and Stanford fans give a collective sigh of exasperation… Hey look! Jordan Jefferson!
- On LSU’s behalf, they did beat three BCS game winners- Oregon, WVa, and Alabama.
- Trent Richardson’s Best Friend, Tom Al-Betar made a sideline appearance last night, in spite of being “disassociated” by Alabama. I’m sure there’s nothing to it- or to the trip to the casino.
- You know what we did during the game instead, here was another option. Seems that a lot of folks followed our lead- the game had the lowest television rankings ever.
- To be fair, though- all the BCS games were down, in terms of viewership… was it due to it being a bad year? Problems with moving the games to cable? People getting sick and tired of ESPN?
- Along those lines- Some folks say ESPN is ruining college sports and journalism.
But because the agreement between cable network and bowl series has to make you wonder where the relationship between ESPN and the football it pretends to cover begins and ends. Are they partners? Is this a legitimate subject-reporter situation? Once ESPN buys access to an event don’t they then turn from journalist to promoter?
Don’t answer.
Everyone already knows.
When ESPN selectively covers stories, as it does during a college football season, and attempts to dictate what is news and what is not to the public, how can any of us not be left wondering if they’re really reporting the news or simply protecting their bowl-week product? After all, they’re in this thing together now. When they’re slow to break a story, can we be sure why?
Problems And Solutions
- On Monday, a reader emailed us a great info-graphic (for those who like pictures more than words; looking your way, Ann Arbor) that looks closer at the “scam” that is the BCS- click through and take a look for yourself.
- Luckily, it looks as if there are some significant changes to the BCS and the way a football champion is crowned. On behalf of everyone everywhere, let me say “It’s About Freaking Time“.
- You know what’s wrong with college football? The regular season…Ok, the honest recommendation is a pretty good one (and one we’ve argued before)- conference champions only for the playoff).
- The Grey Lady weighs in on the state of college sports, and says that it’s time to start paying players:
Over the last few months, in consultation with sports economists, antitrust lawyers and reformers, I put together the outlines of what I believe to be a realistic plan to pay those who play football and men’s basketball in college. Although the approach may appear radical at first glance, that’s mainly because we’ve been brainwashed into believing that there’s something fundamentally wrong with rewarding college athletes with cold, hard cash. There isn’t. Paying football and basketball players will not ruin college sports or cause them to become “subcontractors.” Indeed, given the way big-time college sports are going, paying the players may be the only way to save them.
- This is not a tenable solution for everyone though; over 160 schools didn’t want the $2000 “cost of living increase” for college athletes. We’re at a point where the haves and have nots are getting further and further apart. Paying players won’t help across the board.
- ESPN’s “side project” has a recommendation to “fix” this, and again it’s something we’ve argued for- creation of super conferences, with everyone else getting out of the way. Not only would this help move toward a championship process that everyone could agree on (four conferences makes life easier that way), but would also let smaller schools get out of the business of trying to keep up with Ohio State and Texas and USC in terms of dollars spent on athletics.
- What might make this happen sooner than later? Well, what if there was an “Occupy NCAA” movement, including a student athlete strike?
Imagine if Big East basketball players suddenly refused to play next Monday night. Or if Alabama and LSU had intentionally delayed the start of national title game by two hours. Or if college athletes embarked on a rolling series of strikes, sudden and unpredictable, throwing the sports entertainment calendar into chaos. Imagine network executives taking angry calls from their sponsors and panicked calls from corporate accounting. Imagine those same executives placing stern calls to university athletic directors and presidents.
- Overall overhaul of college athletics, in light of the outside influences, the financial implications, the growing scandals, and the disregard for the educational mission of the University? Don’t count on it any time soon, according to educators.
- Oh, and speaking of the NCAA’s Committee On Infractions, the New York Times thinks that their process is unconstitutional. And they’re right.
Other Stuff
- Congrats to Michael Brewster, Mike Adams, Boom Herron, and Devier Posey, who have all accepted the opportunity to play in the Senior Bowl. They get two post season opportunities this year… one more than next year’s seniors won’t have due to the actions of three of them.
- But wait!! Here’s a bowl idea for Ohio State for next year- what about selling tickets to a game that’s not happening?
- If you are a male at college, be aware that the success of your football team will make you stupid. Although, this could just be because the research was done at Oregon.
- The above might also explain Tate Forcier’s recent decisions to leave SJSU. I’m sure he’ll get intercepted somewheres.
- Iowa loses their running back… again. This, though, is not an NCAA violation.
And Finally…
- Brilliant? Lazy? You be the judge:
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
