Ohio State - Florida - and the BC$
I don’t want to say that I wasn’t upset by the outcome of the Ohio State game on Monday night. It certainly wasn’t fun watching the debacle. But I didn’t lose any sleep over it. By the end of this week, it will be ancient history. I have learned the 5 most important words all Ohio State fans should know: there is always next year. That being said, I still feel that on December 1, 2006, Ohio State was the best college team in the nation. And that is where it ended. College football has become an abomination and the biggest fraud perpetrated on the American public in a long time.
Let’s take a look at the situation on January 8. Fox Sports made a lot of money. The Arizona tourist industry made a lot of money. The BCS made a lot of money. The NCAA made a lot of money. Ohio State and Florida made a lot of money. The coaches made a lot of money. The bookies made a lot of money. The shirt printers made a lot of money. And the football players….well…made butkus. Why is anyone surprised that the brand of football played by the Ohio State players was less than stellar? The players played exactly equal to the compensation they received in what is a professional sport by any reasonable definition.
Many of the Ohio State players are seniors, or juniors who are turning pro. Their season ended November 18 in a highly emotional game against Michigan….and now it’s goodbye to those good ole college days. Troy Smith won his Heisman trophy while being ignored or denigrated by many of the sportscasters. Brady Quinn player of the year? Puhleez. The pro draft is coming, and behind the scene deals have already been made. Winning one for the Gipper, and Ohio State fans please excuse the mixed metaphor, just doesn’t cut it anymore, especially when the iron is being made by everyone but the players.
Nick Saban is following Charlie Weis from pro football to college football. He is being paid $32,000,000.00 - $40,000,000.00 for an 8 year contract. Alabama’s Crimson Tide must have turned green in making him the highest paid college coach ever. Notre Dame extended Weis’ contract for 10 years for a reputed $30,000,000.00 to $40,000,000.00. If Ohio State had won yesterday, Jim Tressel’s $2.6 million/year contract with Ohio State would have become void allowing him to renegotiate its terms or become a free agent. Even with his current contract, Tressel gets bonuses for winning the Michigan game and bowl games. He got a $200,000.00 bonus this year just for getting into the national championship game.
No rational human being can expect any college football player who is at the end of his college career to go out in a tack-on bowl game and play his heart out while everyone around him is getting rich. These players have seen the candy store, and you can’t tell these guys “don’t touch” anymore. Not with that kind of money flying around them.
Maybe it’s time for the NCAA to re-evaluate the “amateur” status of big time, big money, college football. Either clean up its house and spread the wealth around to the players playing in what are the minor leagues for the NFL, or get the big money out of the system altogether. Ya, like that is going to happen.
Let’s take a look at the situation on January 8. Fox Sports made a lot of money. The Arizona tourist industry made a lot of money. The BCS made a lot of money. The NCAA made a lot of money. Ohio State and Florida made a lot of money. The coaches made a lot of money. The bookies made a lot of money. The shirt printers made a lot of money. And the football players….well…made butkus. Why is anyone surprised that the brand of football played by the Ohio State players was less than stellar? The players played exactly equal to the compensation they received in what is a professional sport by any reasonable definition.
Many of the Ohio State players are seniors, or juniors who are turning pro. Their season ended November 18 in a highly emotional game against Michigan….and now it’s goodbye to those good ole college days. Troy Smith won his Heisman trophy while being ignored or denigrated by many of the sportscasters. Brady Quinn player of the year? Puhleez. The pro draft is coming, and behind the scene deals have already been made. Winning one for the Gipper, and Ohio State fans please excuse the mixed metaphor, just doesn’t cut it anymore, especially when the iron is being made by everyone but the players.
Nick Saban is following Charlie Weis from pro football to college football. He is being paid $32,000,000.00 - $40,000,000.00 for an 8 year contract. Alabama’s Crimson Tide must have turned green in making him the highest paid college coach ever. Notre Dame extended Weis’ contract for 10 years for a reputed $30,000,000.00 to $40,000,000.00. If Ohio State had won yesterday, Jim Tressel’s $2.6 million/year contract with Ohio State would have become void allowing him to renegotiate its terms or become a free agent. Even with his current contract, Tressel gets bonuses for winning the Michigan game and bowl games. He got a $200,000.00 bonus this year just for getting into the national championship game.
No rational human being can expect any college football player who is at the end of his college career to go out in a tack-on bowl game and play his heart out while everyone around him is getting rich. These players have seen the candy store, and you can’t tell these guys “don’t touch” anymore. Not with that kind of money flying around them.
Maybe it’s time for the NCAA to re-evaluate the “amateur” status of big time, big money, college football. Either clean up its house and spread the wealth around to the players playing in what are the minor leagues for the NFL, or get the big money out of the system altogether. Ya, like that is going to happen.
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