As I watched college basketball last Saturday, I was reminded why I like the BCS. Of course, the BCS has its flaws and it's by no means a perfect system, but it makes the regular season important. I don't even really care to watch college basketball until March Madness. Well, I do enjoy regular season games and will watch them if they're on, but at the same time I know they don't really mean that much. Even if it's a great game between two great teams, it doesn't really matter who wins. The regular season's only real purpose is to seed for the tournament and the excitement they try to build around "bubble" teams is pretty pointless as well. Besides the occasional cinderella, a team that barely made the tournament isn't going very far, much less win it all. They could just substitute them for any other mediocre team and nobody would really care or notice. In fact, I'd prefer they play about ten to fifteen games just to gauge the teams and then have the tournament. Maybe even just go straight to the conference tournaments. It'd save a lot of tedium.
For sure, the college football regular season would still be much more exciting than college basketball, if only because of fewer games, but a playoff would drastically dampen the intensity. As it is now, every game matters in football and every win or loss can make or break a season. A game in the first few weeks can be the most important game of the season. College basketball doesn't really have an important game in the regular season. At least not a single game that can mean success or disaster for a team. In college football, that's every game. Every single week matters. Every play matters.
Having a playoff wouldn't really stop people from feeling like their team got slighted either. Only so many teams would be in the playoff and some would get left out. It'd be a whole new debate. Then it'd get expanded so more and more teams would be let in and then eventually their regular season would only be slightly less meaningless than college basketball's.
I'm not sure it'd even crown a "true" champion either. Admittedly, there would be much more consensus, but fans would still be able to find a way to argue that their team was deserving of a better chance, or even that their team was better than the champion. For example, say USC beat both Oregon and Notre Dame during the regular season and they did so pretty easily. However, all three teams still make the playoffs. Due to seeding, USC plays Notre Dame in the first round. After being blown out in the first meeting, Notre Dame barely beats USC to knock them out of the playoffs. Then, Notre Dame and Oregon end up in the championship game and Oregon wins. Two teams that were blown out by USC during the regular season are playing for the championship. But, based on the regular season results it would be hard to argue that Oregon is a better team than USC. But, Oregon won the tournament so they are the "true" champion, even if they are arguably not the best team.
In fact, as it is, the BCS is a playoff system in a way. It's basically a double-elimination tournament. Plus, it's not like in a traditional playoff every team has to play every other team so that's not a requirement to crown a "true" champion. Nobody seems to complain about the lack of a playoff during the regular season. People, of course, want it both ways. They want to keep the intensity of the regular season and have a playoff. That's not how things work, though.
Another plus of the bowl system is the bowl themselves. People will say we can keep the bowls and still have a playoff, but it wouldn't be the same. Is the NIT any real consolation for not making the NCAA tournament? Plus, even with a playoff, a team that loses more than a few games wouldn't really have a chance to win it all. But, with the bowl system, teams get rewarded at the end of the season even if they have no chance to win the championship. Sometimes even getting to a bowl is reward enough for a team. With a playoff system, they'd be outsiders playing meaningless games. A playoff system would be even more exclusionary than the BCS because it would take the meaning out of a bowl victory for a school just happy to be there.
So, I like the BCS system because I don't want the football regular season to become the basketball regular season. Basketball's regular season is simply a prelude to the postseason. The games don't really matter. Not compared to football, at least. In football, the regular season pretty much is the postseason. Every game can mean the end of your championship run. But, hope is not lost because a loss by another team can put you right back in it. It's a three month emotional roller coaster and I enjoy the ride every year. If you love college football's regular season, then you love the BCS.
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Opportunity of a Lifetime
A thought occurred to me today. It may be the best idea I've ever had. You know how it's pretty much assumed that kids right out of high school would get broken into pieces if they went straight into the NFL? Well, with that being the case, wouldn't it be pretty cool if there was a place where they could go to hone their skills while their body matures? Wouldn't it be neat if that place offered world-class facilities along with the training and coaching necessary to prepare for a million dollar career as a professional football player? If I were a young kid with the hopes of playing in the NFL, I would pay to be able to go to a place like that. But, what if it was all free? Wouldn't that be amazing? What if they even gave them a place to stay? What if they also gave them the opportunity to learn and experience things they never would have otherwise? What if they had a shot at glory and the admiration of millions of loyal fans? If a place like that existed it would be the greatest thing to ever happen to kids with a dream of playing in the NFL. It's just a shame it doesn't...
For the most talented, the fact that it's really the only way to get the training and coaching necessary to get serious consideration by the NFL should be payment enough. For the others, without a chance of going pro, the education and experiences should make it worth it. If they think it's a corrupt system making billions while exploiting an unpaid workforce, then they don't have to be part of that workforce. Someone will gladly take their place. On the field and in the classroom.
Furthermore, if you think players should get paid because it will solve problems with recruiting and boosters, it won't do that either. Someone will always be willing to pay a little more and someone will always be willing to take it. But even worse, it would be giving up. It would be like getting rid of speed limits just because you know people speed. It would be admitting that people can't be honest and, even though it seems to have been proven time and time again, I'm still not ready to do that.
For the most talented, the fact that it's really the only way to get the training and coaching necessary to get serious consideration by the NFL should be payment enough. For the others, without a chance of going pro, the education and experiences should make it worth it. If they think it's a corrupt system making billions while exploiting an unpaid workforce, then they don't have to be part of that workforce. Someone will gladly take their place. On the field and in the classroom.
Furthermore, if you think players should get paid because it will solve problems with recruiting and boosters, it won't do that either. Someone will always be willing to pay a little more and someone will always be willing to take it. But even worse, it would be giving up. It would be like getting rid of speed limits just because you know people speed. It would be admitting that people can't be honest and, even though it seems to have been proven time and time again, I'm still not ready to do that.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Rotten Apples
When it comes to controlling highly recruited, high-profile athletes the NCAA is a joke. Those who choose to abuse the system do so without regard to future punishment because there won't be any. The NCAA has no power to punish people who are no longer a part of their system. In fact, going pro basically forces you out of their jurisdiction. As long as players are somewhat smart about it and don't attend penthouse parties in Miami hosted by sleazy sports agents, they can take all the money they want and get all the privilege they want without fear of retribution.
If a player does get caught taking money or committing some other infraction, so what? If they're good enough it won't matter. If they aren't good enough it didn't matter to begin with. Players who take money don't care about college, they care about getting paid.
I don't want to hear about agents who try to make it sound like they're just helping out a poor kid. If they cared about the kids they'd give a little spending money to the guy who barely got a scholarship and is there to actually get an education. I'm sure there are a couple players out there who come from tough backgrounds and have very little money, but just aren't good enough for the agents to care. Can you run a 4.2 forty? Here's a couple bucks. You're a third-stringer with 3.7 GPA? Go away.
The NFL doesn't care either. A player may move down a couple spots in the draft, but players like Dez Bryant will soon change that. He didn't take money, but he did get caught and punished for another infraction and teams that passed on him because of it won't do it the next time.
For what it's worth, the NCAA does all they can to prevent abuse of their system. The problem is that they're slow and by the time they can prove someone guilty, that player is already holding up a Super Bowl trophy and dating a reality star.
Players like Reggie Bush look at college like an obstacle to making millions. Sure, it's fun and they get all the perks, but they'd probably rather not be there and if you're stuck there, why not make the best of the situation?
The problem with the NCAA is not the NCAA. It's the players who choose to take the money and the slimy agents who offer it. We act like it's a widespread problem, but only a tiny percentage of players are given the chance to take money from agents and only a small percentage of agents even offer it.
The argument that players should be paid because of how much they make for the schools is also a joke. First of all, they already get paid. Ask anyone who has ever paid for college if playing a sport and making the school a millions dollars in exchange for a free education is worth it. Most would jump at the opportunity.
Also, for the ones who make the most money for the school the exposure of a national stage playing against the top talent in the country is worth more than any education. Even more, there are people in the business world everyday who make much more money for the company they work for than what they get paid. It's a fact of life.
Perhaps there could be a hardship stipend for those who need it, but that won't solve any problems. It'll be great for the honest players, but players who choose to abuse the system will do so anyway. Being able to see a movie on the weekend won't be enough motivation to turn down the advances of a corrupt agent.
The agents are, in fact, the root of the problem. But, they're almost like a drug. They're out there lurking in the shadows and everyone knows it. They can make you feel good, but nobody blames the drug when someone starts using it.
Even if you get rid of one, another will take its place. The supply will always be there. All we can hope is that the demand is not.
The only solution seems to be putting some sort of contractual agreement into the letters of commitment that would hold a player responsible even after he leaves college. Of course, there could be a ton of legal issues that I have no idea about, but it seems like the only solution. Until then, we'll just have to accept that a small fraction of players will make bad decisions and that the NCAA is inept when trying to stop them.
Creating a professional minor league system for players with no interest in college wouldn't work either. For one, the NFL would have no interest in creating it because they don't want to spend millions of dollars when they already have a free minor league system. And if the NFL didn't run and control the league it would soon be overrun by the same dishonest agents that mar college football because the players would not be held accountable by the organization they're trying to join.
If the players, who would all be kids just out of high school, were free to profit as they choose more talent would be squandered by excess and outright bribery than would be fostered. Plus, the agents would then infiltrate high school football. Wherever the last amateur step before going pro, the agents will be.
The problem of players taking money from dishonest agents and the NCAA's inability to control it stains what is an overall great system. For the vast majority of players the chance of going pro is almost none. They never even see an agent. For them, the payment is representing their school by playing the game they love and getting a free education in the process.
For every player that takes money and treats college like just another privilege there are a thousand who give it their all on the field, give it their all in the classroom and should make us all proud to be fans. Don't change the entire system because a few choose to abuse it. Let's, for once, not let the very few ruin it for everyone.
If a player does get caught taking money or committing some other infraction, so what? If they're good enough it won't matter. If they aren't good enough it didn't matter to begin with. Players who take money don't care about college, they care about getting paid.
I don't want to hear about agents who try to make it sound like they're just helping out a poor kid. If they cared about the kids they'd give a little spending money to the guy who barely got a scholarship and is there to actually get an education. I'm sure there are a couple players out there who come from tough backgrounds and have very little money, but just aren't good enough for the agents to care. Can you run a 4.2 forty? Here's a couple bucks. You're a third-stringer with 3.7 GPA? Go away.
The NFL doesn't care either. A player may move down a couple spots in the draft, but players like Dez Bryant will soon change that. He didn't take money, but he did get caught and punished for another infraction and teams that passed on him because of it won't do it the next time.
For what it's worth, the NCAA does all they can to prevent abuse of their system. The problem is that they're slow and by the time they can prove someone guilty, that player is already holding up a Super Bowl trophy and dating a reality star.
Players like Reggie Bush look at college like an obstacle to making millions. Sure, it's fun and they get all the perks, but they'd probably rather not be there and if you're stuck there, why not make the best of the situation?
The problem with the NCAA is not the NCAA. It's the players who choose to take the money and the slimy agents who offer it. We act like it's a widespread problem, but only a tiny percentage of players are given the chance to take money from agents and only a small percentage of agents even offer it.
The argument that players should be paid because of how much they make for the schools is also a joke. First of all, they already get paid. Ask anyone who has ever paid for college if playing a sport and making the school a millions dollars in exchange for a free education is worth it. Most would jump at the opportunity.
Also, for the ones who make the most money for the school the exposure of a national stage playing against the top talent in the country is worth more than any education. Even more, there are people in the business world everyday who make much more money for the company they work for than what they get paid. It's a fact of life.
Perhaps there could be a hardship stipend for those who need it, but that won't solve any problems. It'll be great for the honest players, but players who choose to abuse the system will do so anyway. Being able to see a movie on the weekend won't be enough motivation to turn down the advances of a corrupt agent.
The agents are, in fact, the root of the problem. But, they're almost like a drug. They're out there lurking in the shadows and everyone knows it. They can make you feel good, but nobody blames the drug when someone starts using it.
Even if you get rid of one, another will take its place. The supply will always be there. All we can hope is that the demand is not.
The only solution seems to be putting some sort of contractual agreement into the letters of commitment that would hold a player responsible even after he leaves college. Of course, there could be a ton of legal issues that I have no idea about, but it seems like the only solution. Until then, we'll just have to accept that a small fraction of players will make bad decisions and that the NCAA is inept when trying to stop them.
Creating a professional minor league system for players with no interest in college wouldn't work either. For one, the NFL would have no interest in creating it because they don't want to spend millions of dollars when they already have a free minor league system. And if the NFL didn't run and control the league it would soon be overrun by the same dishonest agents that mar college football because the players would not be held accountable by the organization they're trying to join.
If the players, who would all be kids just out of high school, were free to profit as they choose more talent would be squandered by excess and outright bribery than would be fostered. Plus, the agents would then infiltrate high school football. Wherever the last amateur step before going pro, the agents will be.
The problem of players taking money from dishonest agents and the NCAA's inability to control it stains what is an overall great system. For the vast majority of players the chance of going pro is almost none. They never even see an agent. For them, the payment is representing their school by playing the game they love and getting a free education in the process.
For every player that takes money and treats college like just another privilege there are a thousand who give it their all on the field, give it their all in the classroom and should make us all proud to be fans. Don't change the entire system because a few choose to abuse it. Let's, for once, not let the very few ruin it for everyone.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Am I My Player's Keeper?
A report just came out saying that Florida has had twenty-seven players arrested under the watch of Urban Meyer. How is this allowed to happen? How does he keep his job as a mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? Only the head of a certain major church could keep his job if that many people had been arrested under his watch. Yet, he's able to keep cashing million dollar checks as often as his players are posting bail.
Coaches, of course, will pull out the old, "They're grown men, I can't control what they do all the time." But, it's funny how the players can change from grown men to "just kids" in the blink of an eye. When they make a major mistake they're grown men. When they make a minor mistake they're kids again. Remember, "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!"? Had a typical coach been talking about the arrest of a player he'd be saying "Go after him! Not me! He's a man! He's 20!"
Actually, the coach would probably never even talk about it. In fact, it seems like they never even get asked about it. Somehow, in this world of instant reporting and instant knowledge, it was a revelation that so many players had been arrested. We hear about it in the news when it happens and I'm sure that many people probably knew what was going on, but it seems like the scope of the problem was kept quiet. Did the president of the university just find out last week that so many players had been arrested? Did he not know all along? Or, was he blinded by the stacks of booster money that two national championships bring in?
Even the media seems to gloss over it. You can't tell me that there's not one reporter who covers the program everyday that didn't think it was newsworthy that so many players were being arrested. Were they thinking, "Well, once about twenty-five or so players get arrested, then we'll report it?"
I don't think that's the case. I think that the overall reputation of the program is more valuable than a couple of good stories. Especially to the people who cover the program everyday. Why would they devalue and hurt the popularity of the product that they get paid to cover? If people lose interest, they lose a job.
The media, as well as the schools, are both selling a product that relies heavily on its reputation. People may buy a paper or two, or read a blog or two, because there's a story about a player getting arrested. But, over time, they'll buy many more papers and read many more blogs about the school that they root for. In this way, the fans are also responsible. Often, they're just as willing to turn a blind eye. But who wants to root for a program that they can't be proud of?
Of course, the players get suspended or kicked off the team, but the coach just says how disappointed he is and moves on. A single player is never bigger than the program. But, when it comes to a coach the caliber of Meyer, he is the program.
So, how does a guy keep his job as mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? He wins.
Coaches, of course, will pull out the old, "They're grown men, I can't control what they do all the time." But, it's funny how the players can change from grown men to "just kids" in the blink of an eye. When they make a major mistake they're grown men. When they make a minor mistake they're kids again. Remember, "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!"? Had a typical coach been talking about the arrest of a player he'd be saying "Go after him! Not me! He's a man! He's 20!"
Actually, the coach would probably never even talk about it. In fact, it seems like they never even get asked about it. Somehow, in this world of instant reporting and instant knowledge, it was a revelation that so many players had been arrested. We hear about it in the news when it happens and I'm sure that many people probably knew what was going on, but it seems like the scope of the problem was kept quiet. Did the president of the university just find out last week that so many players had been arrested? Did he not know all along? Or, was he blinded by the stacks of booster money that two national championships bring in?
Even the media seems to gloss over it. You can't tell me that there's not one reporter who covers the program everyday that didn't think it was newsworthy that so many players were being arrested. Were they thinking, "Well, once about twenty-five or so players get arrested, then we'll report it?"
I don't think that's the case. I think that the overall reputation of the program is more valuable than a couple of good stories. Especially to the people who cover the program everyday. Why would they devalue and hurt the popularity of the product that they get paid to cover? If people lose interest, they lose a job.
The media, as well as the schools, are both selling a product that relies heavily on its reputation. People may buy a paper or two, or read a blog or two, because there's a story about a player getting arrested. But, over time, they'll buy many more papers and read many more blogs about the school that they root for. In this way, the fans are also responsible. Often, they're just as willing to turn a blind eye. But who wants to root for a program that they can't be proud of?
Of course, the players get suspended or kicked off the team, but the coach just says how disappointed he is and moves on. A single player is never bigger than the program. But, when it comes to a coach the caliber of Meyer, he is the program.
So, how does a guy keep his job as mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? He wins.
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