I don't know about the rest of you, but I want my Michigan degree to mean something more than association with elite sports programs. I do welcome such an association, but for me, and the vast majority of alumni, a degree from Michigan was a stepping stone to a long and profitable career.
This, like vestigial tails or those really long roots on our canine teeth, is one of the last remnants of the NCAA's control over athletes. I can't wait for this to go to court and get bounced out of the continuum. The NCAA was birthed in exploitation and nurtured by greed. It's stain needs to be wiped from the earth.
This is like the rehabilitation work Saban used to do at Bama, except on a minor scale. I hope Brian can find redemption, particularly in the sense that you never knew the degree to which "Daddy" constrained or influenced Brian's poor decision making at Iowa. A fresh start out from under the shadow of Kirk Ferentz should, at least, answer that question.
As this becomes increasingly 'play for pay', the cost to put a good team on the field will have to increase and the motivation to build more infrastructure (yet more cost) will also drive higher costs at the elite (and asperational) end of the spectrum. All of these increased costs will be footed by the end user. This is unsustainable in the long run, and more the loss for those of us who remember when the game's function was to represent the student body and university is a positive and relatable way. Now it going to be like buying Taylor Swift tickets.
My first thought was 'About Time', but Kickass straightened my out by reminding me that the institutions have 150 years of only looking at ways to exploit student athletes, so what's the likelyhood that gonna change now?
I played rugby in college and the post game bash put on by the host side never had any hint of animosity, just a ton of fellowship. I saw the same thing between OSU and UM players I’ve known over the years.
While I agree it's just a game, it also serve as a point of focus in how respective fan bases judge each other, i.e. the old amnty/emnity complex. It's what we do as a species. But the for the people who play the game, they have way more in common with each other than with individuals in their fan bases. They can 'see' each other as fully formed people, not cardboard cutouts, and the distinctions we see as rival fan bases mean much less to them. At least that's the impression I've gathered over the years.
I'm in the camp that being a UDFA is far better than a 7th rounder, particularly if you have decent representation. With proper marketing of 'Why your organization should give me a shot", you should get some choice over what looks like the best situation for you. Being in either situation (7th round or UDFA) means you have your work cut out for you if you want to get a roster spot and you need every break you can get.
Actually, my first awareness of football as an object of viewing and fan interest came from my older brothers and dad watching the Lions in 1960, with Michigan not moving up the board until I went to my first inperson game in 1963. Although the Lion's bumbling management has done nothing to endear the team to me, there are a ton of players who have done their best in the Honolulu Blue and Silver. Sorry, JJ, but when the Lions play the vile Vikings, you're going to need to take a paycheck beating. If it's any consolation, Aiden won't like it, either.
Outside of that well-reasoned response, what is up with the rest of you? Were did those responses come from?
Personally, I hate having to root against JJ twice a year. Good for him, though. Those saps in Minnesota paid Kork huge bag, so JJ ought to do pretty well with those soft touches. I thought the Lions did very well to move up and grab that Bama CB.
Thanks for repping this obscure corner of the sports internet world at the NFC Championship game. I (in my ignorance) remember being dissapointed in the Lions 2023 Draft:
#12 - Jahmyr Gibbs (Who drafts RBs in the top half of the 1st round?)
#18 - Jack Campbell (Posterized by Corum)
#34 - Sam LaPorta (Brings back memories of drafting Eric Ebron one pick before Aaron Donald came off the board, too many other bad 1st round TEs)
#45 - Brian Branch (Well, alrighty then. I felt neutral about this guy),
Boy, was I ever wrong. I hope DC can make be look just as stupid this year. Shouldn't be too hard.
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa. Best SI cover ever. I remember when it came out, they should have had a picture of Barry Sanders on it and stated Best Running Back Prospect Ever as the caption.
Next up in the Heisman House is sending OJ's corpse to a taxidermist, getting it stuffed and stretched so he looks like he's hurdling things in a Hertz ad, then putting it on display out by the driveway.
The NCAA, having been revealed as a corrupt and toothless organization, permits the Heisman organization to tell them that they can (and I quote) "GTFO".
Enormous Change #2
Anything goes in today's College Footbal landscape, including anything that draws attention to yourself or your organization.
This has to be hard on KBA. She’s spent the bulk of her career here building the program up from nothing and has to watch it go backwards because we don’t compete in today’s NIL arena.
As someone pointed out above, Doyel knows how and when to use words to advance his career. Hence the seemingly sincere apology, but I'm not buying that pre-fabricated and phoney Get Out Of Jail card. Everything of his that I've read of his is less about Journalism and more about Look At Me-ism. The direction he to to demonstrate his capacity for "Playfulness" is the underlying problem, i.e. the need to draw attention to himself. As Indy Pete put it, that need has consequences and I, for one, am quite happy to see this turd get the attention he so richly deserves.
The people JJ will need to prove anything to will be his future teammates and coaches. He will do that during his first training camp. Look at his history - Everyone not named Cade LOVED playing with him, even if it just involved being in the same locker room. The NFL is more mercenary, of course, but it's still a game played by a bunch of guys. JJ will be fine and a long-term asset to the team lucky enough to draft him. Draft day opinions are a pretty cheap yardstick to measure anything with.
The ‘hit job’ wasn’t a complete failure. Apart from forcing Michigan fans from enduring dump trucks of made-up manure from rival fans, they did encourage Jim to pull the trigger on going back to the NFL. I remain convinced that getting Jim to move on from the College Experience was the primary objective. Nothing else explains the obsessive persecution by the NCAA and B1G. Fuck ‘em all.
“ We impose this penalty on Michigan to demonstrate we still mean business here at the NCAA and because Michigan was the only big name school willing to go along with us. In addition to the cited punishments and probations, Michigan will send us a video of their administration writing our motto 500 times on a chalkboard:
‘ We get our cut of the money pie before the universities and especially the athletes ‘ “
May the NCAA soon find out what particular circle of hell they will be bound for.
Now, this year, it seems like X (formally Twitter) is requiring you to have an account with them to follow Spenser, Holly, et. Al. And enjoy enjoyable repartee concerning dollar amounts and Michigan’s Money Cannon. Any one have another way to follow the excitement without giving a scrap of anything to Elon?
At least people want to kick the tires on the new regime. I’m guessing that, if nothing else, May has a charisma which connects with younger people. Hope it can prove fruitful heading into a transition year where any success will look good.
Don’t leave the Fords off that list. While they aren’t as malignant as the others you mentioned, they’ve demonstrated staying power in the field of incompetence.
Plus, he has the experience of stepping away from a fading Patriots team and electrifying the Bucs to a Super Bowl win at, what, 43 years old? Gotta give him credit for believing in himself. Can’t give him credit for knowing to leave well enough alone, though.
Caitlin, to me, is more like what Arnold Palmer was to golf. When Palmer got out of the Coast Guard and started playing golf as a pro, the PGA was kind of a sideshow in the sporting world. Don’t get me wrong, it was respected by those who knew golf and they (obviously) had superbly talented athletes (Ben Hogan says ‘Hi’), but it lacked mass appeal. Along come this utterly American golfer (Palmer, that is) who is brash, swaggering and had a photogenic flair for drama on the new mass media of TV. If the interest in NCAA WBB is sustained, Caitlin will have accomplished what Arnold did, but we won’t know that for a while and those are some mighty big Foot Joys to fill.
Caitlin is a generational player, much like Curry, but we’ll see. Watching them head to head, I might prefer to build a franchise around Cardoso (ignoring the PR/Marketing that Clark brings to a gypsy business like the WNBA).
Recent Comments
The Costanza Principle: do the opposite of what you think you should.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I want my Michigan degree to mean something more than association with elite sports programs. I do welcome such an association, but for me, and the vast majority of alumni, a degree from Michigan was a stepping stone to a long and profitable career.
This, like vestigial tails or those really long roots on our canine teeth, is one of the last remnants of the NCAA's control over athletes. I can't wait for this to go to court and get bounced out of the continuum. The NCAA was birthed in exploitation and nurtured by greed. It's stain needs to be wiped from the earth.
This is like the rehabilitation work Saban used to do at Bama, except on a minor scale. I hope Brian can find redemption, particularly in the sense that you never knew the degree to which "Daddy" constrained or influenced Brian's poor decision making at Iowa. A fresh start out from under the shadow of Kirk Ferentz should, at least, answer that question.
Okay, Okay, I get it. "User Name Checks Out", I'll spare you the trouble...
As this becomes increasingly 'play for pay', the cost to put a good team on the field will have to increase and the motivation to build more infrastructure (yet more cost) will also drive higher costs at the elite (and asperational) end of the spectrum. All of these increased costs will be footed by the end user. This is unsustainable in the long run, and more the loss for those of us who remember when the game's function was to represent the student body and university is a positive and relatable way. Now it going to be like buying Taylor Swift tickets.
My first thought was 'About Time', but Kickass straightened my out by reminding me that the institutions have 150 years of only looking at ways to exploit student athletes, so what's the likelyhood that gonna change now?
65
I played rugby in college and the post game bash put on by the host side never had any hint of animosity, just a ton of fellowship. I saw the same thing between OSU and UM players I’ve known over the years.
While I agree it's just a game, it also serve as a point of focus in how respective fan bases judge each other, i.e. the old amnty/emnity complex. It's what we do as a species. But the for the people who play the game, they have way more in common with each other than with individuals in their fan bases. They can 'see' each other as fully formed people, not cardboard cutouts, and the distinctions we see as rival fan bases mean much less to them. At least that's the impression I've gathered over the years.
I'm in the camp that being a UDFA is far better than a 7th rounder, particularly if you have decent representation. With proper marketing of 'Why your organization should give me a shot", you should get some choice over what looks like the best situation for you. Being in either situation (7th round or UDFA) means you have your work cut out for you if you want to get a roster spot and you need every break you can get.
Actually, my first awareness of football as an object of viewing and fan interest came from my older brothers and dad watching the Lions in 1960, with Michigan not moving up the board until I went to my first inperson game in 1963. Although the Lion's bumbling management has done nothing to endear the team to me, there are a ton of players who have done their best in the Honolulu Blue and Silver. Sorry, JJ, but when the Lions play the vile Vikings, you're going to need to take a paycheck beating. If it's any consolation, Aiden won't like it, either.
Outside of that well-reasoned response, what is up with the rest of you? Were did those responses come from?
The Buckeyes new motto: Were Tough, but a day late and two picks short.
They are going to lose their mind (what little is left, that is) when Sherrone and a patched up offense beats them in November.
What? No more People Mover?
Personally, I hate having to root against JJ twice a year. Good for him, though. Those saps in Minnesota paid Kork huge bag, so JJ ought to do pretty well with those soft touches. I thought the Lions did very well to move up and grab that Bama CB.
Thanks for repping this obscure corner of the sports internet world at the NFC Championship game. I (in my ignorance) remember being dissapointed in the Lions 2023 Draft:
#12 - Jahmyr Gibbs (Who drafts RBs in the top half of the 1st round?)
#18 - Jack Campbell (Posterized by Corum)
#34 - Sam LaPorta (Brings back memories of drafting Eric Ebron one pick before Aaron Donald came off the board, too many other bad 1st round TEs)
#45 - Brian Branch (Well, alrighty then. I felt neutral about this guy),
Boy, was I ever wrong. I hope DC can make be look just as stupid this year. Shouldn't be too hard.
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa. Best SI cover ever. I remember when it came out, they should have had a picture of Barry Sanders on it and stated Best Running Back Prospect Ever as the caption.
Next up in the Heisman House is sending OJ's corpse to a taxidermist, getting it stuffed and stretched so he looks like he's hurdling things in a Hertz ad, then putting it on display out by the driveway.
Enormous Change #1:
The NCAA, having been revealed as a corrupt and toothless organization, permits the Heisman organization to tell them that they can (and I quote) "GTFO".
Enormous Change #2
Anything goes in today's College Footbal landscape, including anything that draws attention to yourself or your organization.
Khaki’s speechless in the face of Ol’ Third Base’s toughness.
This has to be hard on KBA. She’s spent the bulk of her career here building the program up from nothing and has to watch it go backwards because we don’t compete in today’s NIL arena.
No.
As someone pointed out above, Doyel knows how and when to use words to advance his career. Hence the seemingly sincere apology, but I'm not buying that pre-fabricated and phoney Get Out Of Jail card. Everything of his that I've read of his is less about Journalism and more about Look At Me-ism. The direction he to to demonstrate his capacity for "Playfulness" is the underlying problem, i.e. the need to draw attention to himself. As Indy Pete put it, that need has consequences and I, for one, am quite happy to see this turd get the attention he so richly deserves.
The people JJ will need to prove anything to will be his future teammates and coaches. He will do that during his first training camp. Look at his history - Everyone not named Cade LOVED playing with him, even if it just involved being in the same locker room. The NFL is more mercenary, of course, but it's still a game played by a bunch of guys. JJ will be fine and a long-term asset to the team lucky enough to draft him. Draft day opinions are a pretty cheap yardstick to measure anything with.
The ‘hit job’ wasn’t a complete failure. Apart from forcing Michigan fans from enduring dump trucks of made-up manure from rival fans, they did encourage Jim to pull the trigger on going back to the NFL. I remain convinced that getting Jim to move on from the College Experience was the primary objective. Nothing else explains the obsessive persecution by the NCAA and B1G. Fuck ‘em all.
I got your translation for the NCAA right here.
“ We impose this penalty on Michigan to demonstrate we still mean business here at the NCAA and because Michigan was the only big name school willing to go along with us. In addition to the cited punishments and probations, Michigan will send us a video of their administration writing our motto 500 times on a chalkboard:
‘ We get our cut of the money pie before the universities and especially the athletes ‘ “
May the NCAA soon find out what particular circle of hell they will be bound for.
Now, this year, it seems like X (formally Twitter) is requiring you to have an account with them to follow Spenser, Holly, et. Al. And enjoy enjoyable repartee concerning dollar amounts and Michigan’s Money Cannon. Any one have another way to follow the excitement without giving a scrap of anything to Elon?
Very close to my (this year derived) total of $117.57. (See Above) I approve!
I’m going large this year. $117.57, as in
$30.24 + $26.00 + $27.20 +$34.13.
I have been donating for a good long time and I believe it to be a privilege.
Nice use of the word ‘possibly’, as in “Monkeys are possibly flying out my ass right now?”
At least people want to kick the tires on the new regime. I’m guessing that, if nothing else, May has a charisma which connects with younger people. Hope it can prove fruitful heading into a transition year where any success will look good.
Those ads were an effort to rinse some of the stink off the NCAA’s image.
+1 for you, sir, for getting your daughter there. Another link in the long chain of Michigan memories is forged.
Don’t leave the Fords off that list. While they aren’t as malignant as the others you mentioned, they’ve demonstrated staying power in the field of incompetence.
Plus, he has the experience of stepping away from a fading Patriots team and electrifying the Bucs to a Super Bowl win at, what, 43 years old? Gotta give him credit for believing in himself. Can’t give him credit for knowing to leave well enough alone, though.
I’m not opposed to wishing he stayed retired if he can’t put this foolish notion out of his head.
Notes-stealing
FIFY
Or possibly in a van down by the river…
Which is to say the problem with OSU’s running game does not lie with the talent of their running backs.
I suspect if his former position coach at OSU is interested in him, we’ll make some kind of pitch.
Blake’s 6-5 says ‘Hello’!
Nobody on Iowa figured out how to stop Cardoso.
Magic Johnson says ‘Hi!’
Caitlin, to me, is more like what Arnold Palmer was to golf. When Palmer got out of the Coast Guard and started playing golf as a pro, the PGA was kind of a sideshow in the sporting world. Don’t get me wrong, it was respected by those who knew golf and they (obviously) had superbly talented athletes (Ben Hogan says ‘Hi’), but it lacked mass appeal. Along come this utterly American golfer (Palmer, that is) who is brash, swaggering and had a photogenic flair for drama on the new mass media of TV. If the interest in NCAA WBB is sustained, Caitlin will have accomplished what Arnold did, but we won’t know that for a while and those are some mighty big Foot Joys to fill.
Caitlin is a generational player, much like Curry, but we’ll see. Watching them head to head, I might prefer to build a franchise around Cardoso (ignoring the PR/Marketing that Clark brings to a gypsy business like the WNBA).
Banging time to be selling beer, ice cream, and parking spaces. Get it while the getting’s good.
If that’s the case, Day needs to start with better talent if he’s going to follow in lil’ Nicky’s footsteps.
Like I said…
No, it isn’t odd, it’s about the ridiculously large alumni bases in Fox’s stable, Las Vegas, and eyeballs (even if it’s only alumni-adjacent).
the ease of content distribution makes this kind of gong show profitable.
The ESPY says “Hi!”
Johnny LaRue, host of "Jumping for Dollars"...