The Irony of College Conferences

What a roller coaster week of college football--and no one even put on pads.  Well, maybe Nebraska and Texas did, but who wants to see Dodds and Osborne go at it?  If you weren't glued to ESPN or orangebloods.com over the past week, then you probably aren't a college football fan and that is alright.  But for us die-hard followers of the amatuer pigskin classic, it was a wild week bordering on apocalyptic proportions.  That is overstatement, to be sure, but the topsy-turvy world of conference alliances was on the verge of a drastic change that would have meant the loss of a major conference and the fattening of another. 

To me, it was odd to note all the ironies that developed or that almost developed. 

All of this change was predicated by the rise in interest of college football.  More people watch, more people buy tickets, more people diligently follow college football now than ever.  As more alumni graduate, as television draws in the masses of Americans dedicated more to pursuits of entertainment than any other single thing, as the pockets of universities, television networks and marketing companies are filled with more money than anyone ever dreamed, "more" has become the buzzword of college athletics. 

Six major conferences (Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac-10, Big East, SEC, and ACC) hold the keys to the National Championship vehicle.  They also hold keys to television revenue vehicles.  Some, like the Big East, are driving a late-model Cadillac, while others like the Big Ten, are driving a brand new Aston Martin.  So, as the television contracts for the Pac-10 and Big 12 end in 2011 and 2012, these conferences (as well as the SEC and Big 10) are looking to draw in more television sets to sweeten their deals.  The logic is that if a conference can draw 10% more viewership, the payoff could be exponentially larger than the previous television agreement. 

Two ironies occur in this thinking.  First, although a larger conference may be able to attract a larger television agreement, the pie is being cut more times.  The second irony is the assumption that adding a Nebraska to the Big 10 would drive more revenue than the Big 10 Network is currently getting is a large risk.  The same would be true for almost any one university to any particular conference.  For example:  Colorado is not going to financially improve a television network deal when they were more than a non-factor in the Big 12. 

So, besides the television money, what else is at stake here?  Well, the NCAA requires that a conference have twelve member institutions in order to have the privelege of hosting a conference championship game.  The Big 10, Pac-10 and Big East conferences have been criticized over the last few years for the lack of a "title game."  After Alabama earned a national championship berth through winning the SEC championship game against Florida, conference commissioners saw the wisdom in pairing the best two teams in their conference.  The formula would seem to be:  Conference Champion = National Championship Game= more money for the conference.

The irony of this, of course, is that the formula doesn't always work. If Ohio State plays Penn State or USC plays...wait, that won't work for another three years.  The point is, sometimes the way the conference divisions are laid out, the best two teams in a conference may be in the same division.  In addition, if multiple conferences have undefeated teams that go on to win the conference championship, we still may not have a concensus.  Take for example the 2003-2004 season when Oklahoma played LSU for the national title. OU actually lost their conference championship game for their first loss of the season and USC played Michigan in the Rose Bowl.  LSU beat OU handily and USC complained that they (at 11-1) were more deserving to play LSU than OU.  But a better example was in 2004-2005 when Auburn, USC and Oklahoma were all undefeated.  Auburn and Oklahoma won their respective conference tournaments but the championship game was decided to be OU vs USC, a game that due to NCAA rules violations, USC had to vacate the win and no champion was awarded.  Ironic, huh?

If all of this isn't enough to make your head swim, this week has probably done it.  The aggressive growth of the Big 10 to incorporate 12 teams and the surgical removal of two teams from the Big 12 to bring the conference to 10 teams has created yet another irony.  Due to the "branding" of these two conferences, it is likely that neither will change their name. 

So, this all boils down to money, really.  Even though the Big Twelve is sticking together right now and saying it is to ensure regional rivalries, in the end it was the promise of money and preferential treatment of the conferences two biggest revenue earners that was the glue that adhered these universities.  And, money will continue to drive the decisions from here forward.  If the SEC is as aggressive as the Pac 10 and the Big 12, it will raid the poor ACC or Big East and take as many televisions and revenue as it can.  It already has a championship game, but adding regional rivals like Virginia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina or Louisville to the mix would certainly improve their lot. 

The landscape of college athletics has not changed as dramatically as the prophets and pundits had predicted, but I can still see Kansas from here and Colorado is still wrapped in its mountain fog (or is that cannibis smoke?).  Note that during much of these discussions, dollars were what moved universities to sit, think about moving or go away.  Very little was thought of competition or titles.  And almost no consideration was given to why these schools exist in the first place:  education. 

We may see more movement in years to come, but I doubt it will be movement toward equity.  Money will still be the impetus and irony still the humorous backdrop.

If you haven't read the news, Jamarcus Russell was cut from the Oakland Raiders a few weeks back and now the Raiders are seeking to get back $9.55 million dollars that they already paid him.  They released him because he underperformed and are convinced that due to his lack of work ethic that his actions (or inactions) constituted breach of contract. 

A comment on cbssports.com by 1shot2many suggested that the money in question should not go to either the Raiders nor Jamarcus, but the money should be given "to an association for the prevention of overpaid-underperforming obese athletes and to halt the collective stupidity of professional sports overbearing and napoleonic managers." 

I agreed. In fact, I think we could start several more funds to slush this type of mis-spent money. Like, the "Get out of Jail Free" for athletes that find themselves incarcerated after drinking, smoking, injecting, partying, whoring, etc. and need to find a way back to the (obviously more important) football field. For that matter, maybe they could use the fund to also absorb the inevitable fines from Roger GODell.

But seriously, we support this crap. We buy the tickets, merchandise, parking and concessions. We watch the games on tv which drives even more revenue. And this is our money and how it is spent. All we ask as a fan is that the owners of our team spend the money wisely so that the team wins or at least has some respectability. By continuing to put on the eye black and don our crazy Raider Gear or wave our Terrible Towels or wear our "Dog Pound"/Pig masks we are condoning the organization's choices.

If the owner of your favorite team mis-spends money in such a way, does it encourage you to "Show your support in your home and office" and "Shop Now?" Does it motivate you to fork out that mortgage payment for tickets/concessions/parking? Are you salivating over your cable provider's NFL Sunday Package? Or do we blindly and subserviently continue whipping the dead horse and funnel money into owners' hands that are either poor decision-making egotists at best and crooked at worst?

No, the Ryan Leafs and JaMarcus Russels of the world are written off as abberrations, as jokes. Some assistant coach or middle management player personnel guy finds his head rolling into the alley beside the stadium and the organization moves on. Its lawyers decide to pursue the lost dollars (because they know odds are in their favor and even if they lose, heck, the owner is gonna pay them--they paid that poor slob QB, right?). No, the joke is that we get caught up in the whole drama. Coaches hitting coaches, players hitting coaches, coaches fired because a RB doesn't like them, owners hiring coaches as if the only qualifications are that they have a food handling card and aren't averse to wearing team color windbreakers in interviews: these are the atrocities to which we are subjected every year.
I say, stop. Maybe if we stop, they will start running our favorite team like they care. Stop watching. Stop buying. Heck, stop praying. If God doesn't care who wins, then let's pray for something meaningful. Like a playoff in college football or a new commissioner in major league baseball.

The air is beginning to feel pre-spring-like and it is getting my fishing bones vibrating.  I can just imagine the trout fighting valiantly on the end of the line, its incandescent sides reflecting like a rainbow as it turns upstream.  Calgon (or Orvis), take me away. 

I am plinking away at my computer, wondering if I will have time this weekend to make a jaunt down to Gore, OK to reel in my limit of trout.  It would certainly be carthartic...relaxing...enjoyable.

Sometimes, I think we create for ourselves a life that is too busy.  A life full of do's.  And, then, sometimes I think we imagine our lives busy when, in fact, they are not.  We dedicate ourselves to recreation.  Watch TV.  Watch a movie.  Read a book.  Play a game.  Watch a game.  The recreation goes on. 

I pray that I may make better choices with my time.  Even at 40, I find myself distracted like that dog on "Up!"--"SQUIRREL!!"  As beneficial as fishing is to me, personally, I need to evaluate its importance.  So, until this weekend, we will see what God plans for me, rather than what I have planned for me.

First Blog

This is the first of many blogs to come. Topics will be all over the map: writing, fishing, reading, Bible, kids, homeschooling, politics, current events, sports, etc.

I am writing several novels (not all at once, but close). The one on which I am currently working is at 1/3 of the rough draft. I know that sounds boring, but as I get the draft finished, I am going to need volunteers to read it. It falls into either "literary fiction," or "commercial fiction." These labels are vague and ambiguous, but basically, the novel will not be genre fiction (mystery, suspense, thriller, fantasy, romance, etc.).

This novel takes place in the cartel-infested country of Colombia (yes, an alliteration). I have the chapter outline finished, but know that it will probably change again. It has changed four times already. But I remain excited and hungry to get this published. I know it is a good story and I feel strongly that I am doing a fine job writing it.

My other novels include a fantasy novel and a historical fiction story about Blennerhassett Island and the legend surrounding Aaron Burr and his attempt to secede from the United States during Thomas Jefferson's presidency. This was AFTER he gunned down Alexander Hamilton in their infamous duel--which has a fascinating history, by the way.

I realize my writing is technically very spread out, but it reflects my interests. History, fantasy, and getting published. That is why I am writing Corruption in Colombia (working title), to get published. It is the most commmercially viable and ready-to-go idea I have in the works. Other ideas present themselves from time-to-time, but I haven't really reacted to them yet.

This blog will be where I will keep everyone updated, market my work, leave my thoughts, information about research I am doing and general "stuff" as it interests me. Hope you enjoy! Tell your friends!