OT: Spent the 4th with a reporter for SI

[44PRIDE]

my guess is once people realize the nightmare.... teams will end up in smaller, more manageable regional conferences again and WVU will be OK.

Disagree with this statement bud...

We are going to see true separation between the Big-5 schools (the haves) and all the rest (have-not's) within the next 10 years. (Recruiting...Facilities...Exposure...Money)

Once this happens, you will never see a Big-5 school (like WVU) willingly join a regional conference filled with have-not's (Rutgers / UConn) again. The divide between these schools will be too great to overcome.

Even if WVU becomes as irrelevant as Iowa State, the financial windfall will keep them in the B12. Only the unlikely implosion of the B12 would force them out.

 

[All4SU]

Awesome post and exactly why I watch soccer as well.

I think the NFL could survive even if it was a bit less brutal. If you want gladiator style entertainment now, you can just tune into MMA.

I suspect there will come a day when the "players" are all mechanical anyway.

 

[billsin01]

Disagree with this statement bud...

We are going to see true separation between the Big-5 schools (the haves) and all the rest (have-not's) within the next 10 years. (Recruiting...Facilities...Exposure...Money)

Once this happens, you will never see a Big-5 school (like WVU) willingly join a regional conference filled with have-not's (Rutgers / UConn) again. The divide between these schools will be too great to overcome.

Even if WVU becomes as irrelevant as Iowa State, the financial windfall will keep them in the B12. Only the unlikely implosion of the B12 would force them out.

You may be right. Who knows?

My point is this: Conferences need one of two things to remain viable long-term. Those two things are:

1) A mutually beneficial financial arrangement in which all parties feel that they are worth more banded together than they are alone or grouped with a different set of schools AND that they are getting their fair share for what they bring to the table.

or

2) Some set of circumstances that bands the schools together and makes the conference worth more in a big picture scenario than simply relying on the TV deal. (i.e. Big East hoops)

Option 1 is great but extremely difficult (impossible) to cultivate in a long-term sense b/c even with expensive opt-outs, etc., the connection is purely financial. One school sees an opportunity, jumps ship and it's more conference merry-go-rounds. Option 2 seems less realistic today, but I really think these TV deals are bubbles -- they look great right now but what are networks going to think when they see what will almost certainly be mediocre ratings for most of these games?

So if all the haves band together, then that's fine but it's a more long-range conference or two and maybe a more sustainable plan. At this point schools are just bouncing all over for a quick payday and conferences like the ACC are expanding with no particular idea where the new teams will fit. And, meanwhile, the ACC's own schools are thinking of jumping ship.

So the conclusion, so far as I see it, is that regardless of who ends up where, bloated conferences with lots of mouths to feed and backs to pat and huge increases in travel costs are in no way, shape, or form built for any sort of stability.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I suspect there will come a day when the "players" are all mechanical anyway.

You could always set a weight limit per position kind of like boxing w/ weight classes. If you had a lower player weight on both sides of the impact you could reduce the severity exponentially

 

[retro44]

I suspect there will come a day when the "players" are all mechanical anyway.

and they will ban the use of synthetic lubricants.

invest in amsoil before you turn 90

 

[OrangeHeel]

I don't think USC will ever play on a blue field.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear they will play in a Dome either. LOL (And I'm in favor of the NYC game drive & all.)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[upperdeck]

think about the size.. back in the day the big lineman went 220-250 and the big athletes went 180-200. no reason they couldnt go back to small lineman. a league of 225 guys would still be pretty interesting to watch. it would also bring a lot of people back into the game that have no chance now because they are too small.

 

[dasher]

The NFL lawsuit bothers me much in the same way that lawsuits against the tobacco industry bothered me.

They knew/know the risks associated with smoking...but made a choice to smoke. Once they became ill, these smokers decide to sue the tobacco industry for "negligence".

The same holds true for these NFL players who chose to play this game. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that running full speed into another human being isn't good for your health.

What's next? Where does it end? NBA players suing the NBA for damage caused to their knees and backs?

Not true. You are thinking of smoking as it is today. When the older people first started smoking, not much was known about the deadly side effects of smoking. One tobacco company advertised that 4 out of 5 docs perferred lucky strikes. As for football, when I was a kid, playing high school football, the idea that you might miss time because of a concussion was ridiculous. Not much was known of concussions until very recently.

 

[longtimefan]

Not true. You are thinking of smoking as it is today. When the older people first started smoking, not much was known about the deadly side effects of smoking.

The tobacco companies knew a lot about how deadly their products were. They weren't going to share their research, however.