Category: NCAA Football

Should NCAA Student-Athletes be Paid: A Debate

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NCAA Football

Last night as I sat down to edit next week’s edition of our weekly newsletter, the Syllabus (click here to subscribe to the Syllabus), I found myself engaged in a contested debate with some good friends from college. The topic: should college athletes be allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL)? While that may be a “yes or no” question, the overall situation is far more complex as many members of the group (myself included) are beginning to understand. What is clear though is that in this debate there tend to be 4 different types of people which I will outline in this table. 

NameOpinion
Free-MarketersSchools and their donors should be allowed to pay the players as much as they want. Let free-market capitalism run its course.
Regulated MarketersPlayers should be able to profit off their NIL, however there should be regulation as to who is paying them.
RealistsWhile student-athletes should be able to profit off their NIL, which players will get compensated? The circumstances surrounding compensation are so intricate that there is no easy solution.
BoomersAthletes already get an education so they shouldn’t receive any additional compensation.

While I consider myself more of a “regulated marketer” I do tend to side with a few of the arguments the “realists” make. Let’s examine jersey sales. Sorority girls and frat stars love to strut around in the jersey of their school’s biggest athletic superstar. For Duke, it was students walking around in Zion Williamson jerseys. This past year, if you went down to Baton Rouge, LA you were greeted with a barrage of white and gold #9 Joe Burrow jerseys. Did Mr. Williamson or Mr. Burrow receive a dime for their marketability? I think you know the answer. However, this is where the conversation gets incredibly tricky. How would an athlete get compensated for a jersey sale?

Let’s use Johnny Manziel as an example. We all remember Johnny Football frantically running around defenders then finally throwing a prayer up to receiver Mike Evans who would somehow make the catch? Manziel was a household name. Make a trip to College Station and notice how he is revered like the second coming of Christ. His #2 jersey is everywhere. Let’s say he began getting paid a percentage of every jersey Texas A&M sold with his name on it. What would the offensive lineman who protected his blindside have to say? Or even star receiver Mike Evans who made several miracle catches that turned rather errant throws into touchdowns? I’m fairly certain those players would all say they played a role in Manziel becoming a star and a highly marketable player. Therefore, they too are going to want a piece of the action. So how would those players get paid? While the players from the 2012 Texas A&M football team have long graduated, how would allowing star players to profit off jersey sales affect team chemistry. When QB Trevor Lawrence is raking in money from jersey sales but his offensive linemen or receivers aren’t wouldn’t that negatively affect team morale? I don’t possess all the answers but I do know that whole situation could get messy.

Further, I don’t think players using their social media accounts to make money is as cut and dry as people think. Who is paying these athletes to post on their social media accounts? If the school directly pays the athlete to post on their Instagram account would that be considered direct compensation? Additionally, schools like Ohio State or Georgia with large athletic department budgets could potentially use that as a recruiting tool. They could possibly tell a recruit that they’d be able to offer them money for social media posts once they develop a large enough following. This would give them an advantage over mid-major schools such as Cincinatti or Memphis who do not have such deep pockets.

However, isn’t there already a gap in inequality between athletic departments? Larger institutions that are known for their strong athletic departments tend to have nicer facilities and better coaches that are used to recruit the most talented athletes. Would allowing a collegiate athlete to profit off their NIL drastically change this already large gap in inequality between schools? I find it hard to believe. Let’s take it a step further and look at the top schools in college basketball and football every year. For basketball, you typically see Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan State atop the rankings year in and year out. For football, it’s Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State. The top football talent is headed to these institutions because the amenities, such as the nicer facilities and better coaches, at these schools give these athletes the best chance to make it to the NFL. Not to mention, playing in the SEC, Big 10 or even Big 12 allows these athletes to face the stiffest competition that resembles what they will possibly face at the next level.

We see the same schools competing for championships in those two sports every year. I don’t think compensating athletes for their NIL would really change that. Football teams such as UCONN or South Florida probably weren’t going to land 5-star recruits to begin with. In fact, allowing athletes to profit off their NIL could actually be a playing card mid-major schools could use in their favor. Coaches could meet with a 4-star recruit and tell them: “Hey, you may not play your first couple years at a school like Alabama. But if you come to my school, you will immediately play and could become the face of the school. You could profit off your social media accounts right away and could even have local businesses wanting to endorse you.” That may sound like a much better alternative to a 4-star recruit who would undoubtedly not see the field for the first couple years at a blue-chip school. Bottom line: there is already an inequality gap in terms of recruiting and landing the top high school prospects so allowing athletes to profit off their NIL wouldn’t drastically alter the landscape of college football or basketball.

Lastly, athletes are getting paid by donors. We’re lying to ourselves if we don’t think it’s happening. Sports’ betting, too, is prohibited in most states yet the gaming industry rakes in billions a year. But some states are coming to their senses and passing laws that legalize sports betting. If it’s going to happen anyways why not legalize it and be able to tax it? Imagine the tax dollars that would come from large university donors who are giving these players cars, money and in some cases even houses. Further, legalization means high regulation. Allow donors to directly pay student-athletes and highly regulate it. Once again, I’m not advocating for student-athletes to be able to receive compensation from donors, however let’s not pretend it isn’t already happening. 

While the previous paragraphs may say otherwise, my position on the matter is quite clear. If the NCAA is going to designate collegiate athletes as “STUDENT-athletes” they should be allowed the same rights as their other classmates. These rights include the ability to profit off social media or sign marketing deals. If not, then the NCAA should assign a new name to college athletes because it has not viewed them as “students” first in quite some time.

NCAA’s NIL Recommendations

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football

According to the official website of the NCAA, the Board of Governors (“Board”) supported rule changes to allow student-athletes to receive compensation for third-party endorsements both related to and separate from athletics. These recommendations will now move to the rules-making structure in each of the NCAA’s three divisions for further consideration and will likely take effect at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

With pressure mounting from politicians, and other leagues beginning to poach their prospective athletes, the NCAA was forced to cave to the mob and begin actively pursuing ways to allow student-athletes to get paid. Now, it looks as if actual “pay for play” is not in any immediate plans as the board emphasized that at no point should a school pay student-athletes for “Name, Image and Likeness” (“NIL”) activities. However, the new rules would allow Compensation for third-party endorsements related to athletics, without school or conference involvement, and compensation for other student-athlete opportunities, such as social media, new businesses, and personal appearances, without institutional involvement or the use of trademarks/logos.

While these recommendations are rather vague and much clear legislation is required, this is a significant step for the NCAA and student-athletes. Currently, a student-athlete could not get paid for his social media accounts or even make money signing autographs at a local restaurant. However, the Board’s suggestions would allow players to profit off their NIL. In 2017, University of Central Florida Kicker, Donald De La Haye, ran a YouTube channel that had over 90,000 subscribers. The channel had videos which featured De La Haye performing trick shots. The NCAA ruled him ineligible after he refused to stop the monetization of his videos and he eventually lost his scholarship. The NCAA believed his videos were a direct violation to its rule that prohibits student-athletes from using their status to earn money. Under these new suggestions, De La Haye would be allowed to profit off the videos as long as he did not use any NCAA trademarks or logos. Further, there are plenty of student-athletes, specifically basketball and football players, who have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on various social media platforms. These players could now earn money off these accounts.

Sadly, unless the NCAA allows their athletes to unionize, there will not be a NCAA football video game in the future. However, athletes now have the ability to sign agents to help them make key financial decisions. The NCAA will install “guardrails” which will be heavily regulated, but good agents can be beneficial in the lives of an athlete as they can sometimes be mentors or even role models.

While the NCAA denotes players as “student-athletes”, their rules governing collegiate athletics have always signified that they are ‘athletes’ first. NCAA student-athletes are students first and ought to be treated as such meaning they should have the same liberties to profit off their NIL. The recent recommendations demonstrate that the NCAA is moving toward equity in the way both students and student-athletes can make money. While the NCAA was pressured by several external forces, the old adage ‘better late than never’ is sufficient in this situation. Student-athletes won’t be directly paid anytime soon by their prospective universities, but potentially having the ability to profit off their NIL will make collegiate athletics far more appealing.

Ohio State Ignorance and Some Post-Draft Thoughts

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NCAA Football, NFL

For those that came just for the Ohio State nonsense, please head down to that last bullet point. Instead of a night filled with the beauty and wonder of the Bellagio Fountain and Las Vegas lights, we got to see Roger Goodell hug his TV. Thanks a lot China. Here are some post-draft thoughts after a “boo-less” NFL draft.

  • With Jerry Jones drafting alone with no connection to the outside world the draft could have been an absolute disaster. Turns out, the man still has a couple tricks up the old sleeve. What a fantastic pick. The Cowboys offense could break records next season. The addition of CeeDee Lamb puts Dak Prescott in the MVP discussion, and for the gamblers in the crowd I’m sure you could find some nice value there. We all love to hate the Boys but that pick was downright beautiful.
Video by Bleacher Report
  • Dave Gettleman and the New York Football Giants organization once again let down fans on draft night. However, who all remembers draft night 2019 where Giants fans, I included, were up in arms over their selection of Daniel Jones? As it turned out, Danny Dimes replaced our beloved Eli Manning and has put himself in position to be the franchise guy for the foreseeable future. Perhaps we should wait and see before wanting to guillotine Gettleman.
  • The Raiders select the 3rd best WR in the draft over possibly the two best receiver prospects in the last 5 years and Al Davis just has to be turning in his grave. Henry Ruggs III can fly. No doubt about it. However, so can Usain Bolt and you don’t see him putting on the pads every Sunday. In all seriousness, Henry Ruggs is a playmaker who will have a fine career. But when you have an opportunity to get a guy like CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy you just can’t pass that up. I have a feeling we will be seeing Jon Gruden in the MNF booth in the near future.
  • While Cowboys fans were rejoicing over their pick (and rightfully so), the Eagles made a very nice selection of their own. Jalen Reagor mainly slid under the radar during his time at TCU thanks to underwhelming QB play. However, the dude can really ball and will pair nicely with Carson Wentz.
  • For those that haven’t yet watched film on Browns pick Jedrick Wills please take a minute out of your day and do so (I was even nice enough to include a video link here). The guy is a tank. He’s making a mockery out of some of the best defensive linemen in college football. The pressure is now on Baker to perform because that offense on paper is as good as it gets.
Video by LR Filmz
  • Joe Burrow gets drafted and Ohio State fans immediately jump up to claim him as one of theirs. What absolute stupidity! If the man had stayed in Columbus, he most likely would be starting his career right now as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs with his degree in financial services; which is incredibly generous considering its a degree from Ohio State (just kidding Buckeye fans). Nevertheless, he would never have won a Heisman trophy, become the #1 pick in the NFL draft, and he most certainly would not be a national champion had he not packed his bags and went to the Bayou. The football world persecutes the Aggie fans who claim Kyler Murray, but sit there silently while this blasphemy occurs. My head truly hurts.

The Importance of Sports

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football

March 12, 2020 will live in infamy as a day in which both professional sports leagues and the NCAA decided to shut down their operations in hopes of slowing down a global pandemic.  It is an unprecedented situation that hopefully we will never see again in our lives.

Receiving the news yesterday that sports were cancelled for the foreseeable future was tough to fully digest. For those that don’t know, I am incredibly passionate about sports. The way I see it, sports are one of the few things in this world that truly unites every single one of us. In an era filled with hatred of one another for differences in religion and politics, sports gives us a chance to find common ground with our fellow humans. Each day, sports stadiums are filled with people from all different walks of life: rich or poor, conservative or liberal, Christian or atheist, who go to a ballgame to cheer on their hometown teams. Even during World War II, American professional baseball players serving in the U.S. military played baseball against German prisoners of war in order to keep their skills sharp. In times of great distress, sports act as a sort of peace treaty that provides common ground. Thus, when I saw the tweet below I was infuriated that someone who was directly involved in the sports industry could make such an ignorant comment.

https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1237930978909327360

While I respect others opinions, on a day in which thousands of college athletes learned they had potentially played their last game ever, a tweet so vile and out of touch with the reality of the situation was unnecessary. “Sports aren’t *that* important” writes someone whose livelihood depends on people tuning in to watch football. Tell the senior baseball player who had two Tommy John surgeries in college and was finally getting his chance to show scouts his true potential that sports are not that important. How about the hourly worker at the American Airlines Center who works nights in order to pay their way through school? Please tell them that sports are not that important. And how about the countless softball players who just played their last game because there is no professional softball league in the United States? Go tell them that sports are not that important.

As a former athlete, sports gave me some of the most memorable moments of my life as well as lasting friendships. Additionally, the life lessons I learned along the way are invaluable. My heart goes out to all of the athletes who learned they just put on the uniform for the last time. But, once again, their sport is really not that important.

Yes, it will be challenging, but we as a society will survive without sports. However, in this time of fear and panic I truly believe sports would have made people’s days just a little bit better. It would have given some people suffering from diseases or even the Coronavirus just a bit more hope to carry on and to make it to the next day.

I started Grad School Sports to connect sports fans around the country. We all have opinions about the game, yet often don’t have a platform to truly make our voice heard. While we may be without sports for the foreseeable future, there is no reason why we have to stop talking about them. Through discussion and debates, different sports topics make people think critically and analyze different situations. It truly is remarkable how pivotal sports are to our society. So, if you are just as distressed about the news as I am and want a safe space to talk about sports, please visit our website. Although it won’t be easy, if us sports fans stick together we can make it through these volatile times.

Adding Differentiation to Targeting Penalties

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NCAA Football

After watching Monday night’s College Football National Championship, two things were crystal clear: LSU was by far the best team in the country and the NCAA must change their Targeting rules. With LSU up 28-25 on Clemson in the middle of the third quarter, Clemson middle linebacker James Skalski was ejected from the game after his tackle of LSU receiver Justin Jefferson was ruled as Targeting.

After watching the replay, it was evident that the officials made the correct call as Skalski did lead with the crown of his helmet. However, many fans were upset that Skalski was thrown from the game as it was obvious there was no clear attempt from the linebacker to cause harm or injury to Jefferson. Skalski was just trying to make a tackle. Skalski was not only ejected from one of the biggest games of his life, but due to NCAA rules he will also be forced to miss the first half of Clemson’s season opener next September. While Targeting penalties are in place to ensure the safety of NCAA student-athletes, more often than not the consequences cause irreparable harm to great players who are forced to sit out key games just for trying to do their job on the field. In the midst of this controversy, it is time the NCAA drafts new legislation when it comes to the consequences players face for Targeting.

While there are gray areas in the NCAA rulebook as to what exactly Targeting is, for now I would like to focus on the consequences that student-athletes face when called for a Targeting penalty. Per NCAA rules, players found to have committed fouls pertaining to “Targeting and Making Forcible Contact With the Crown of the Helmet (Rule 9-1-3)” and “Targeting and Making Forcible Contact to Head or Neck Area of a Defenseless Player (Rule 9-1-4)” face automatic disqualification. Automatic ejection is a strong consequence for a NCAA athlete especially if they are seniors potentially playing in their final game. It is an even worse punishment when it forces players to sit out meaningful games that have an impact on the school and community around them.

Two weeks ago, Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade was ejected from a College Football Playoff game after he was called for Targeting for his hit on Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. Wade, one of the best defensive players in the country, was disqualified from the game on a play that many saw as a clean hit because there was no intent to injure on the part of Wade.

When the play occurred OSU was leading Clemson 16-0, however after losing Wade the team struggled at times defensively and eventually lost the game. Losing in the semi-finals not only cost OSU a spot in the national championship game, but also the potential to earn millions of dollars in t-shirt and ticket sales. Once again, the consequences stemming from a controversial Targeting penalty played a key factor in a very important game.

Since Targeting is arguably the worst penalty a player can commit on a football field, the NCAA should look to how the NBA deals with players who commit the worst foul in basketball, the flagrant foul. Per NBA rules, there are two types of Flagrant Fouls: Flagrant Foul Penalty 1 and Flagrant Foul Penalty 2. Penalty 1 is defined as “Unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent” whereas, Penalty 2 is “Unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.” When Penalty 1 is called on a player, the offender is called for a foul and is given a warning. However, if Penalty 2 is called the player is immediately ejected from the game. The NCAA should adapt these policies for its Targeting penalties.

The word intent, mentioned above, is one not found in the NCAA rulebook, however it is one that should be enforced immediately. The NCAA should have Targeting 1 and Targeting 2. Targeting 1 penalties should be called on hits such as Skalski’s when the player leads with the crown of his helmet. The penalty would result in 15 yards gained for the opposing team, however the player would not be disqualified. Targeting 2 should be called on hits such as the one Oklahoma DB Brendan Radley-Hiles had on LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire two weeks ago in the College Football Playoffs. 

Targeting 2 would be called when there was clear intent to injure on blatant head to head hits such as the one above. When Targeting 2 is called, the offending player would be ejected. This differentiation in penalties gives players a second chance to remain in the game especially when there was no clear intent to cause harm to a player like in the Skalski play. While this makes these penalties “judgment” calls for officials, it still gives them options rather than immediately disqualifying a player per NCAA rules.

This proposal is in no way bulletproof and there are logical fallacies in my argument. However, having only one consequence for every Targeting call has been a disaster for the NCAA. Providing a differentiation of Targeting calls will allow great athletes to stay on the field especially when there was no intent to cause harm or injury to an opposing player.

Why Baylor’s New Head Football Coach is an Excellent Choice

by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

Thursday afternoon, news broke that Baylor hired former- LSU defensive cordinator, Dave Aranda to be the new head football coach for the Baylor Bears. This news came as a slight surprise to most as media outlets were trending towards associate head coach, Joey McGuire, and Virginia Tech head coach, Justin Fuente. However after the conclusion of the National Championship, Baylor athletic director, Mack Rhoades went after and hired LSU’s defensive coordinator as the new football coach.

Here is a preview of coach, Dave Aranda is and why he is such a great choice for the Baylor Bears:

Coaching History:

Dave Aranda coached the defensive line for Hawaii back in 2009. It was then a couple years later where he got promoted to defensive coordinator for Hawaii. He then went on to Utah State at the defensive coordinator for a year in 2012 where is defense ranked 15th in the country.

The next year, Aranda became the defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers. He served as the coordinator there for three years, where he made Wisconsin ranked top-10 in total defense in three straight years, including a Big-10 championship appearance in 2014, and 2nd in total defense in 2015.

In 2016, Aranda got hired by the LSU Tigers after many programs were wanting Aranda as their defensive coordinator. He lead LSU defense to be ranked 5th in total defense in 2016, and 12th in 2017. This year, he coached the defense on a LSU team who arguably had the best college football season ever, and won a national championship.

Why is Aranda such a great hire for the Bears?

1.Aranda Fits the Build for Baylor

First off, Aranda has coached some of the best defenses in the country for a couple of the best teams in the country. He has coached the best, and has played the best. In 2019, Baylor had one of the best defenses in their the Big-12, a conference not normally know for defense. Now Baylor, has an well-qualified defensive minded coach coming to a team who heavily relied on its defense to win games.

Normally, Baylor hires up and coming coaches who show promise and hope, but Dave Aranda is a guy who has already has proven himself by consistently having some of the best defensive success in the country. Baylor is getting a big time defensive name to come to Waco.

2. Aranda Has Championship Experience

Any fan of football knows that experience plays a huge deal in the sports. Teams and coaches with more experience have a significant advantage. Good news for the Bears is Coach David Aranda has that elite/championship experience. He has coached a top-10 defense in the the 2 toughest conferences in College Football. Therefore, Aranda has had success against the best talent. Not only, has he had just success, he’s had championship level success. He has held opponents in the College Football Playoffs to 22 total points in the 2nd half. That is elite to do against the top offenses in the country.

His championship experience will go miles at Baylor. It raises his ceiling for what this Baylor team can do since has been there before. Fellow coaches and players will buy into his program because he succeeded at the highest level before. Not many head coaches can say that.

3. David Aranda is Great at Making Adjustments

In the big games LSU defensive coordinator, David Aranda was able to make some key adjustments for his team. In the game vs Florida, it was tied 21-21 at halftime, a game that was very back and fourth. LSU’s defense only allowed a single touchdown the entire 2nd half allowing LSU to beat Florida 42-28.

In addition, Aranda’s defense played the best in the games at the end of the year when the games mattered the most. LSU played three straight “elimination” games in a row, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson. In those 3 games, they allowed just around 16 points a game in non-garbage time. Aranda showed the country his defense plays the best in big games.

Mack Rhoades just brought one of the top defensive talents, and sought after coaches to Baylor. If Dave Aranda can choose a great offensive coordinator, and recruit some great talent to Baylor, Aranda could not only keep Baylor as one of the top teams in the Big-12, but sustain that success for years to come.

The Wednesday Morning News Dump

by noblequy, posted in MLB, NCAA Football, NFL, Sports Talk

Wow. Only two weeks into the new decade and the last weekend alone had huge breaking news in the sports world. This will be a succinct rehash of the many storylines that came out in the last week; more details to follow in their own articles.

Monday, January 7, 2020: Jerry Jones Hires Mike McCarthy to be new Dallas Cowboys Head Coach

After an interview that included a sleep over at the Cowboys practice facility with owner Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy was announced to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. This comes out a week after the Cowboys announced they would not be renewing Jason Garrett’s contract, and supposed head coaching candidates such as Marvin Lewis, Urban Meyer, and Lincoln Riley. The McCarthy hire has been viewed mostly with mixed to ambivalent feelings by most of the media and Cowboys fan, though most people do view this as an upgrade over Garrett. It appears that McCarthy will be able to hire his own staff and will retain Kellon Moore at Offensive Coordinator. The Cowboys organization and the fans hope that McCarthy will be the final piece to bring the Cowboys back to playoff success.

Saturday, January 11: Tennessee Titans Crush #1 Seed Baltimore Ravens

The Titans rolled into Baltimore and to everyone’s astonishment, absolutely destroyed the #1 seed Ravens that came in as heavy favorites to make it to the Super Bowl. On the legs of Derrick Henry, the stout Titan defense, and 88 passing yards from Ryan Tannehill, the Titans stymied and frustrated the NFL MVP candidate, Lamar Jackson, and ran rough shod all over the Ravens. The Titans have now knocked off the #1 and the #3 seed in the AFC and are headed from wild card to the AFC Championship.

Sunday, January 12: Epic Meltdown & Epic Comeback: Patrick Mahomes vs. Houston Texans

We witnessed what a fully functional Chiefs offense can do and how bad Bill O’Brien is really at coaching. Also, all the metrics that attempt to disprove the existence of momentum in sports, apparently didn’t take into account people like Patrick The GOAT Mahomes, and how a single explosive kick off return could set off a Chiefs offense that would put up 41 unanswered points, quickly erasing a 24-0 lead the Texans had, to cruise to a 51-31 to make a consecutive return to the AFC Championship to face the red-hot Tennessee Titans.

Sunday, January 12: Coach Jimmy Johnson is announced to join the NFL Hall of Fame on live TV

During the halftime show of the Sunday night NFL playoff, Jimmy Johnson- 2 time Super Bowl winning coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s-, in front of his colleagues and a national televised audience, was announced into the Pro Football Hall of Fame much to his shock and surprise. The emotion was quite visible as Coach Johnson struggled to stifle the tears of joy and speak as he was being congratulated by his colleagues and TV studio members. Troy Aikman, the Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback during Johnson’s tenure, watched on his monitor from his commentator’s booth and was clearly emotional as well as he saw his former coach join the hall of all-time greats, that includes himself as well. It is important to note that it is upmost tragedy and injustice that Johnson was admitted into the prestigious NFL HoF before getting into the Cowboys’ own Ring of Honor, and it is safe to say that all this deserved praise for Coach Jimmy Johnson has once again brought to light the enormity of Jerry Jones’ personal ego which drove Coach Johnson away in the first place. Only time will tell if Jones and the Cowboys organization will give Coach Jimmy Johnson the recognition he is due, which has already been acknowledged by the league.

Monday, January 13: Houston: Bad News- Texans Meltdown, Worse News- MLB suspends Astros Manager & GM, Worsest news- Astros owner fires GM & Manager

The last couple days have been reallyyyy rough on Houston sports fans. First the Texans blown lead against the Chiefs on Sunday and now the release of the MLB’s findings from their investigation of the Houston Astros and their now-confirmed cheating in their World Series winning team in the 2017 season. The penalty passed down from the MLB was a $5 million fine, the loss of 1st & 2nd round pick for the 2020 and 2021 and the suspension of manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow from all MLB activities for one year. Astros owner, Jim Crane, followed up immediately with a press conference where he fired both Hinch and Luhnow on live TV. While the MLB and the Astros organization are all in a very serious and somber mood, most of baseball is outraged by what is viewed as a slap on the wrist. Other baseball owners believe that the cost of draft prospects, the suspension of a GM and a manager, and $5 million (pocket change for baseball owners) would be worth it to hold onto a World Series title.

Monday, January 13: LSU Completes the Undefeated Season of Destiny- One of the Greatest to Ever do it

LSU left no doubt as they wrapped up the 2019-20 college football season and defeated the reigning national champions, the Clemson Tigers, 42-25 in the New Orleans Super Dome. In a stadium that seemed to be filled 75% LSU fans, LSU won their first national championship since 2007, the 3rd in the last 20 years. Initially Brent Venables, the Clemson defensive coordinator, stymied the prolific LSU offense and forced 3 punts on LSU’s first 3 possessions. However, Coach Orgeron and his staff did what few have been able to do before: out-coach Dabo Swinney. After trailing for most of the 1st half, LSU made the necessary adjustments and were able to better protect Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, allowing him the time to find his receivers downfield for gigantic chunk plays and take the lead going into halftime. The 2nd half, LSU’s offense continued to fire on all cylinder as the LSU defense tightened down and handed Trevor Lawrence his first loss in his collegiate career. LSU became the first school in NCAA history to defeat 7 Top 10 opponent, with 4 Top 4 opponents, to finish, not only as National Champions, but also potentially as one of the greatest college football teams to ever play.

Tuesday, January 14: Boston Red Sox Fire Manager Alex Cora

On Tuesday evening, the Boston Red Sox ballclub has decided to “mutually agreed to part ways” with Alex Cora in an official statement, effectively firing him, one day after serious cheating implications came to light from his days as a bench coach with the 2017 Houston Astros, and potentially with his own ballclub in the 2018 year when the Red Sox won their own World Series title. Alex Cora was mentioned explicitly in the official MLB investigation report that cited him as one of the primary ring leaders in their sign stealing cheating scheme. Time will tell what kind of punishment the Red Sox organization may have to face, depending on what the MLB investigation report reveals.

High Risk, High Reward: The story of the 2019 LSU Tiger Team and Season

by andrewcline33, posted in NCAA Football

In the aftermath of his team’s decisive 42-25 rout over the reigning national champion Clemson Tigers, Ed Orgeron took in the moment. He stood on that stage and watched, as his players raised that beloved trophy and took turns holding and kissing their new prize. Ed turns to one side and sees a sea of orange heading for the exits. The Clemson fans came and supported well, but were now leaving after watching their beloved Tigers lose their first game since the 2017 College Football Semi-Finals, that also happened to take place in New Orleans. The new dynasty in college football had hit a snag and their long streak of 29 straight wins came to an end on a gloomy night in New Orleans. Ed turns to his other side and sees the victors and their fans hugging their loved ones and singing those provocative words to the song “Neck”. For the LSU fans, this was a great deal. Winning their 4th National Title, 3rd in the BCS/College Football Playoff era meant all of their nightmares of their last trip to New Orleans for a national title could now be washed away. Ed looks out and wraps his arms around his team and begins to think what we all were thinking. How did they get here?

It was not long removed from Ed Orgeron being considered a bad hire. When LSU was looking for their next head coach, Ed Orgeron was number 3 on the wish list at best. But when Jimbo said no, and Tom Herman sold his soul for burnt Orange, Ed got the call. Uncertainty surrounded Orgeron thanks to his time at Ole Miss in the early 2000’s. His inability to win when he was a head coach in the SEC deterred many, and even though he had been fired, some people were not sure if Coach O could live up to his predecessors at LSU in Nick Saban and Les Miles. That uncertainty did not go away the next year as they went 9-4 and had to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada. After switching back to Steve Ensminger to call the plays, Orgeron knew he needed a field general. Little did he know that his quarterback would have as much uncertainty as he did.

At around the time Louisiana’s premier college football program was making changes about it’s offensive coordinator, Ohio’s premier program was trying to figure out who would be the heir apparent to J.T. Barrett who was now off to the NFL. Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow competed day in and day out in the spring of 2018 to see who would be QB1 for the Buckeyes. At the end of the spring, Haskins had nudged out Burrow for the job, and that Burrow looking for another school to call home. In comes the unproven coach on the Bayou who saw something in Burrow and said that he would be the starter for the Tigers. While Joe Burrow had the mind and the size of a quarterback, like Coach O, uncertainty surrounded him. How would a kid who has hardly received valuable snaps in games be a starter in the SEC? How would a kid from Athens, Ohio handle the culture change of Baton Rouge and South Louisiana? In year one Joe Burrow showed that he could win games and he could lead this team to a New Year’s 6 bowl, but could he really be the guy to lead them to a national title? Coach O needed an ace in the hole. He found it in an unproven assistant from the most prolific passing team in the NFL.

In the summer before this season, Coach O traveled down I-10 to the Big Easy to speak to New Orleans Saints and their offensive staff. Orgeron was looking to pick their minds and take some ideas back to Baton Rouge. What he took was a little bit more valuable, as he hired on Joe Brady, an offensive analyst of the Saints who wasn’t even 30 years old, to oversee the passing game for the Tigers. Like his head coach and quarterback, Brady came in with many question marks and uncertainties as well. First off he was extremely young, and had only been with the New Orleans Saints for a couple of seasons. Second with such little experience in the college game, and coming into a situation with a veteran offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger, no one was sure how that relationship would work. After beating Georgia Southern in game 1 of season, LSU played Texas in Austin and had their full offense on display. With a 3rd and 17 in the 4th quarter and when former LSU coaches and offenses would have played it safe, Ensminger and Brady dialed up a tremendous play that led to a Burrow to Justin Jefferson touchdown. This was the defining moment for the Tigers and showed that the Ensminger and Brady relationship could and would work.

With Burrow at quarterback and Brady and Ensminger calling the plays, LSU went into 2019 with new expectations. Along with other stars and weapons who had own uncertainties in their time at LSU like Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Size), Justin Jefferson (recruiting stars), Thaddeus Moss (Health), and Derrick Stingley Jr. (True Freshman), This LSU team took off. Embarking on what could go down as the most impressive resume in college football history by beating 7 Top 10 teams at the time of the game. They beat all 4 of the preseason top 4 teams (Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Oklahoma). That win against Alabama, snapped an 8 game losing streak to their SEC rivals. They had the greatest offense in college football history, as they scored the most points ever in a season. They finished with a 5,000 yard passer, 1,000 yard rusher, and 2 1,000 yard receivers. They took home so many individual honors from the Broyles award, Coach of the Year, Biletnikoff, and Jim Thorpe award. Not to mention that they will have to create a new wing at their football operations building just for Joe Burrow. The senior quarterback took home the Davey O’Brien, Maxwell, Walter Camp, Johnny Unitas awards, and became the 2nd Heisman Trophy winner in school history. All of this was culminated Monday with the team standing center stage in the Superdome raising the National Championship trophy after beating the juggernaut that is Clemson.

So How did they get here? They got there because Coach O took chances. He saw the program in his image when he interviewed for the job. He envisioned building a program that could beat Alabama, and compete not only for an SEC title, but a national one as well. He recognized that he had to the hire the right people and recruit the right kids, no matter the uncertainty behind them. He was going to do this his way and not care about the outside noise. Coach O lived and coached this season by the famous motto “Go big or go home”. In the city where poker was created, Coach O went all in, and his dream came to fruition. Coach O took in that moment, but let’s be real, only two words were in his mind: Geaux Tigers!

If You Care About Integrity in Sports, Boycott the National Championship

by Ethan Myers, posted in NCAA Football

The College Football National Championship is here, and from the looks of it, it should be a good one. LSU against Clemson, two unbeaten powerhouses, square off tonight. The storylines write themselves: Joe Burrow vs. Trevor Lawrence, Dabo Swinney taking on the SEC again, and LSU dominating in the best conference in the country. All of this sounds just fantastic, however there is a dark underbelly to this contest. ESPN and the national media has sold the country a bill of goods once again, and they expect us to just sit back and lap it up.

Let’s start with the obvious: ESPN has always had a clear SEC bias. This dates back even before the College Football playoffs, however it became truly evident once the playoff system was created. According to ESPN, the SEC is the king of football, and if you don’t play in the SEC, you are trash. This year there were really only 4 teams that made sense for the playoffs: LSU, Clemson, The Ohio State University, and Oklahoma. This made these selections have very little controversy. However, whoever got the #1 seed had a massive advantage, as it was clear that Oklahoma was going to have the #4 seed, and getting to play OU in the semifinals was essentially a bye week. For the last couple weeks leading up to the final rankings, The Ohio State University held the #1 spot, which made a lot of sense. They were the only team that had truly dominated every game this season (LSU fans, don’t embarrass yourselves by claiming that giving up 38 to Texas and barely winning was a quality game for you). Come Conference Championship week, both tOSU and LSU had great games. The Ohio State University beat Wisconsin for the second time this season by multiple scores, and LSU trounced an anemic-looking Georgia. It appeared that the rankings would stay the same and tOSU would get the #1 seed.

Once the final rankings were released, ESPN once again showed their SEC bias. LSU ended up with the #1 seed and essentially a “bye-week” by getting to play Oklahoma, where as tOSU fell to #2 and drew Clemson. The best part is how they justified giving LSU the #1 seed. The committee kept Georgia at #5 in the final rankings, even though Georgia has look absolutely terrible all year. This was a team that lost to 4-8 South Carolina at home! Thinking Georgia deserved to stay so high is only possible with a severe brain injury. However, this allowed the committee to point at LSU and declare that they beat the #5 team, such a fantastic win! This allowed ESPN and the powers that be to fulfill the first step in their plan of making sure the SEC is in that championship game. The next step? Getting Clemson in that title game.

Before it is explored how the Clemson-The Ohio State University game was fixed to make sure Clemson won, it is important to see why the powers that be want Clemson in that title game playing the SEC. According to the national media, only one team has been successful in beating SEC teams consistently: Clemson. They also like to ignore what happened the last time Ohio State played the jewel of the SEC in Alabama, but that wouldn’t fit their narrative. The problem with Clemson beating SEC teams is that it weakens the narrative that the SEC is king: how can they be king if they lose to an ACC team? The answer is simple. Prop up Clemson as essentially a quasi-SEC team. That way, even if the SEC loses, they really just lost to another southern powerhouse, so the SEC narrative can live. Now if an SEC team loses to a Big Ten school, that doesn’t exactly connect with the narrative. Thus, something had to be done to make sure The Ohio State University lost to Clemson.

Looking at the game on the surface, it appears that The Ohio State University lost a 29-23 heart-breaker to a superior Clemson. Upon closer review of the game, it is quite evident to see the Buckeyes weren’t just playing Clemson, they were also playing against the refs. The crew used for the game was an SEC referee crew. Isn’t that just awfully convenient for the powers that be to fix the game?

Let’s start with the targeting call on tOSU DB Shaun Wade. Shaun Wade was sacking Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, going in right for 6′ 6” Lawrence’s chest. At the absolute last second when Wade had 0 time to react, Lawrence ducked his head down and Wade grazed helmets. This was a perfect opportunity for the SEC refs to kick out one of tOSU’s best defensive players. They launched the flag and immediately threw out Wade for “targeting”. Such an embarrassing call and so transparent to keep Clemson in the game. Plus this allowed ESPN commentators Herbstreit and Fowler to sing Lawrence’s praises the rest of the game. You’d think Lawrence deserved a Medal of Honor for staying in the game after that sack; the commentators were surprisingly silent on talking about tOSU QB Justin Fields or tOSU RB J.K. Dobbins when it came to toughness, even though both players could barely move out there and were still competing.

The most egregious call came in the 3rd quarter with the Buckeyes trailing 21-16. Lawrence threw a pass to Clemson WR Justyn Ross, who appeared to secure the ball and take multiple steps before tOSU DB Jeff Okudah stripped the ball. The Ohio State University recovered the supposed fumble and took it back for a touchdown, giving tOSU the lead again. However, the SEC referees decided to review the play. Even though the call on the field was that the play was a fumble, the SEC crew decided that holding the ball with two hands and taking multiple steps wasn’t enough for possession, and reversed the call to an incomplete pass, taking the touchdown away from the Buckeyes. So much for needing “conclusive evidence” to overturn a call, the SEC crew and the powers that be decided this was a perfect chance to stop the Buckeyes from scoring and make sure Clemson won.

By the time it was all said and done, ESPN got exactly what they wanted. The SEC champion and Clemson are squaring off for the national championship. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany dared to spur ESPN by signing a TV deal with Fox, and ESPN is still trying to make the Big Ten pay to this day. It is so clear how rigged the system is and how awful it is that they would actually fix a game to make sure Clemson won. The only way to stop such blatant corruption from happening is to show the national media that the fans will not tolerate this farce of an event. I for one will not be tuning in to ESPN to watch this game, as I refuse to give them any of my business after they showed they’re willing to spit in the face of fair competition. If you also care about integrity in sports, the best way to fight back is to not watch this game, and refuse to buy into this lie the national media is trying to perpetrate.

Thank You Matt Rhule

by Clayton Neider, posted in NCAA Football

Thank you Matt Rhule. Thank you for taking the chance on a broken program. Thank you for stepping in and being the leader Baylor Football needed. Thank you for building a program that Baylor Nation can be proud of. Thank you for giving us hope again.

Matt Rhule has been the hottest coaching name in sports in the past couple of weeks. He has accepted a head coaching position at the Carolina Panthers. He struck a deal for 7 years, 60 million dollars with incentives up to 70 million. I could not be happier for him and his family.

I was lucky enough to give some tennis lessons to his son and the thing that was very evident is that he is a family man first. His son loved everything tennis and football related. It was clear that Coach Rhule is a dad to his children and a husband to his wife before he is a coach.

1-11. The 2017 football season is one I will never forget. I was at every home game and was wondering if this guy could turn it around. Against my better judgement I trusted him in these moments of absolute failure but he told us of a better time ahead. He talked about a time where Baylor would be contending for a Big 12 Championship. Baylor nation was just too blind to whole heartedly trust the process.

The bad times make you appreciate the good times. This last season could not have been more sweet. Standing in Mercedes Benz stadium after the crushing loss to Georgia I looked back and was proud of how far the Baylor Bears had come. This was in large part due to Matt Rhule.

Matt Rhule, Baylor Nation is sad to see you go. Many are grumpy and angry but we will always remember what you have done for this program. We will always remember how you instilled strength, hard work, and consistency. We will always remember the 2019 season with a shot at the playoff. We will remember your vision for Baylor Football and the young men that you had a huge impact on. We will always remember your dedication to your family first and your love for the game of football.

Baylor Nation thanks you and wishes you the best at the Carolina Panthers.