The Rest of College Football

[hack]

IMO nothing lasts for ever, including the integrity of college football. It's on fumes now and I doubt it gets better. Future generations will enjoy something else. Maybe in the grand scheme of things that's ok. All this misbehavior is bad, and shouldn't continue. If it takes the loss of CFB to restore a bit of sanity, well so be it. After all, the country's institutions of higher learning were a crucial role in building the country up to what it is, and fixing them is pretty important. It would be terrible if CFB played a role in the permanent degradation in the quality of higher ed, but the distractions and embarrassment and whatnot are surely extracting a price. Maybe the schools attract better people as presidents and regents without the temptation and distraction.

So maybe lets just enjoy it for now and let it go when it's time. Some of you have been lucky enough to have been there for the golden years, and you should cherish those memories. I'm glad I was around in a very meaningful way for 97.

[Hannibal]

IMO nothing lasts for ever, including the integrity of college football. It's on fumes now and I doubt it gets better. Future generations will enjoy something else. Maybe in the grand scheme of things that's ok. All this misbehavior is bad, and shouldn't continue. If it takes the loss of CFB to restore a bit of sanity, well so be it. After all, the country's institutions of higher learning were a crucial role in building the country up to what it is, and fixing them is pretty important. It would be terrible if CFB played a role in the permanent degradation in the quality of higher ed, but the distractions and embarrassment and whatnot are surely extracting a price. Maybe the schools attract better people as presidents and regents without the temptation and distraction.

Ugh. I hope that you're wrong. But I no longer think that the scenario that you have outlined is infeasible. I don't want to find another hobby or passion.

[hack]

I hope I'm wrong too!

But I'm describing a slow decline, not falling off a cliff next week.

[whodean]

Right now I think college football is immensely popular, the perceived ethical problems don't seem to be derailing it at all, anecdotally: TV ratings are sky high, I see more licensed clothing around than ever and attendance doesn't seem to have dropped, if people are disgusted they aren't showing it with their feet or eyeballs.

I bet the Penn State/Nebraska game will have draw many more people to watch after the scandal than it would have without.

[Hannibal]

I think that you're seeing a sign here and there. There was a lot of chatter at mgoblog last week about the lack of enthusiasm by the Michigan students at football games. When I was a student, you never saw the student section half-empty at kickoff, even against the Northwesterns and Purdues of the world. I don't think taht you can blame the Rodriguez era for that, given the general positive vibe and enthusiasm that Hoke has restored to the program. Not to mention, the single most electric player since Desmon Howard is on the team. Weren't the young people supposed to be the ones to get excited because of all of the pumped in music? Funny how creating a pro style atmosphere doesn't add to attendance. Today's students are tomorrow's big money donors. If kids aren't showing up until after kickoff for games today, who's going to foot the bills in 20 years?

[hack]

In a less vague way, I wonder what comes of the BCS. It might be this year if the principles of 06 are not held and Alabama gets to go play for the MNC, or it might not. But at some point it's going to break down and then unity is at stake. Either various powers that be look over the cliff at the abyss and then behind them at the TV contracts and decide to find a solution that works, or one or two sides say screw it. One you get too much regional factionalisation -- does the Big Ten opt out, or the Pac 10? Will the MNC lose the bit of meaning it now has? At what point does the NFL form a D-league in order to protect its own asset? Bacon covered this and I don't recall, but is the agreement that NFL gets Sunday and CFB gets Saturday -- is that something legal and enforceable? One has to imagine that the NFL at some point would step in with some sorta D-league Saturday arrangement.

[Rocky Bleier]

I think the Hukers are in for a beating. PSU will go all out for the enabler.

[Hannibal]

So does this mean that Penn State won't sell "Paterno Peach" ice cream anymore?

[Optimus Prime]

Sure rebranded, "Rocky Road".

[hack]

Something with fudge.

[Jamie H]

Weren't the young people supposed to be the ones to get excited because of all of the pumped in music? Funny how creating a pro style atmosphere doesn't add to attendance. Today's students are tomorrow's big money donors. If kids aren't showing up until after kickoff for games today, who's going to foot the bills in 20 years?

You see this all over--institutions shitting all over their current fanbase/customers in a desperate attempt to get new (usually young) fans/customers on board. It rarely works in the long term, and usually just pisses off your current fans/customers.

[iam416]

I think that you're seeing a sign here and there. There was a lot of chatter at mgoblog last week about the lack of enthusiasm by the Michigan students at football games. When I was a student, you never saw the student section half-empty at kickoff, even against the Northwesterns and Purdues of the world. I don't think taht you can blame the Rodriguez era for that, given the general positive vibe and enthusiasm that Hoke has restored to the program. Not to mention, the single most electric player since Desmon Howard is on the team. Weren't the young people supposed to be the ones to get excited because of all of the pumped in music? Funny how creating a pro style atmosphere doesn't add to attendance. Today's students are tomorrow's big money donors. If kids aren't showing up until after kickoff for games today, who's going to foot the bills in 20 years?

Michigan had a hard time even coming close to selling out in many years in the 60s -- in the halycon days of the hallowed amateur and revered student athlete. Not being good will do that.

[Jamie H]

There was a guy who writes for a Pennsylvania paper (can't remember which one) who was on a Boston radio show saying this thing goes WAY deeper than anyone knows yet. Says the whole '98 retirement of Sandusky was definitely part of a huge cover up and that there are truly sickening details about this "charity" that have yet to come out. Also insinuated that major Penn State boosters are involved.

[iam416]

I will also add, it doesn't take long to look at attendance figures for all conferences and see significant increases from 1980 to 2010 (except, heh, the Ivy -- the last bastion of hallowed amateurism -- big decline). Obviously, TV exposure is orders of magnitude greater. The game has, IMO, never been more popular.

[iam416]

Says the whole '98 retirement of Sandusky was definitely part of a huge cover up and that there are truly sickening details about this "charity" that have yet to come out. Also insinuated that major Penn State boosters are involved.

That would be the "Sandusky pimped boys to big donors" story. I'm not buying that until there's irrefutable evidence. Other lines of thought suggest the charity was a cover for illegal benefits. Again, I'll reserve judgment.