The Syllabus: A Sports Letter for a Cause

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in Uncategorized

Four months ago, Grad School Sports was created with a single goal in mind: to provide an online platform for fans to debate and discuss their favorite sports. On Monday April 27, 2020, we are excited to release the first edition of Grad School Syllabus, a weekly sports newsletter delivered directly to your inbox. The Syllabus will include analysis and commentary on the latest sports news, as well as a collection of fun facts, satire, and viral videos that will ease the boredom of social isolation.

While the Syllabus content will surely brighten your day, please also consider the additional philanthropic benefits of subscribing. As Texas A&M University Alumni ‘19, we firmly believe in the school’s core values, particularly that of Selfless Service. One Aggie organization that admirably advances this cause is the 12th Can, a student-run food pantry.

The 12th Can strives to eliminate hunger in the Texas A&M community, raise awareness about food insecurity across college campuses, and exemplify the strength of the Aggie spirit. With campus shut down due to COVID-19 concerns, there are countless students, faculty, and staff uncertain where they will find their next meal. Thus, the 12th Can has sponsored a food drive through April 30, encouraging members of the local community to donate various food items.

While the timeless traditions and legendary school spirit underscore Texas A&M’s unique aura, it is the people – the students, faculty, and staff – that really transform College Station into a home away from home. By harnessing the power and resourcefulness of the Aggie Network, we can ensure that no Aggie gets left behind.

For each new Syllabus subscriber that joins between April 22-April 30, Grad School Sports pledges to donate two cans to the 12th Can. Visit gradschoolsports.net or click the link below to sign up.

Aggies everywhere – our beloved university has blessed us with priceless memories and lifelong friends. What better way to give back than to help a fellow Aggie struggling to make ends meet during these stressful times? Students and alumni of other institutions – we hope that you might subscribe as well, and potentially even donate to your local food bank.

Please consider sharing this with your family, friends, and coworkers. We welcome all to the Grad School Sports community, and remind you that any donation to the 12th Can – no matter how small – can truly change a person’s life for the better.

Subscription Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gADzJYrtNbsV14LrySVFCbpoz7N9trs0GxPqTBOr5f0/edit

What does Jalen Green’s move to the G-League mean for College Basketball?

by Brady Vaughan, posted in Basketball, Collegiate, NCAA Basketball, Professional, Uncategorized

This past week, Jalen Green, the number one high school basketball prospect according to the 2020 ESPN recruiting rankings, made his decision on where he would play next basketball season. No, it wasn’t Memphis nor was it Auburn, schools that had been considered the frontrunners for him. Instead, it was a one year, $500,000 contract with the NBA G-League that offers an additional development program outside of the league’s traditional team structure.

This move allows for professional development from NBA personnel for an entire year while being paid, which cannot happen in college, supposedly.

The move only adds more momentum to the already swift movement that is sweeping over the high school and college basketball ranks. More and more players are leaving, or rejecting, playing at big time colleges in favor of getting paid and playing in professional leagues at home and abroad. Just in the last year, RJ Hampton (former five-star guard out of HS) decided not to go to Kansas but instead to go to the NBL in Australia/New Zealand to play (Hampton has said he would’ve gone to Kansas should he have played in college). Lamelo Ball, younger brother New Orleans Pelicans PG Lonzo Ball, went the same route as Hampton. Isaiah Todd (five-star prospect out of HS in the class of 2020) decommitted from Michigan to pursue development in the G-League, just like Green.

This new movement is good for these players. If they’re good enough to go out and play professionally and, most importantly, get paid, why wouldn’t you choose this route?

Initially, this new wave seems as if it could be extremely detrimental to big time college basketball schools like Duke and Kentucky, who consistently reel in five-star prospects year after year, but I do not believe that is the case.

While top high school players will be more enticed to earn money and get professional development now, there is no shortage of high school basketball players who desire to play college ball. Players who want to go play college basketball will get the chance, and out of that group of players, the best will still likely want to go to the traditional “blue blood” schools like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas.

Thus, if this wave of top players leaving to pursue professional opportunities continues (and I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t continue), more and more emphasis will be placed on how well college coaches develop players who are not as good as some of those top prospects coming out of high school.

This is something that I think Jay Wright, Bill Self, Roy Williams, and even coaches like Mark Few, and Scott Drew are exceptional at especially in recent memory.

Among those coaches, they have produced a few notable players who have had significant impacts on their respective teams and made them some of the premier teams in America during their tenure in college. These guys include Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), Frank Mason (Kansas), Devonte Graham (Kansas), Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Johnathan Motley (Baylor), and Mark Vital (Baylor) just to name a few.

That list of players includes six Final Four appearances (one for Arcidiacono, two for DiVincenzo, one for Graham, one for Tillie, and one for Hachimura), three National Titles (one for Arcidiacono and two for DiVincenzo), one Wooden Award Winner (Mason), two more premier candidates for the Wooden award in their respective seasons (Motley ’16-’17 and Graham ’17-‘18), and arguably one of the best defenders and most athletic players in college basketball currently (Vital).

Now that is not to say that coaches like Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari are not good at developing players, because they are good. It just so happens that these two coaches are at the two schools – Duke and Kentucky – that consistently reel in five-star prospect after five-star prospect. Just look at the growth that players like Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Tyus Jones, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis have had over their careers.

This new wave is definitely an obstacle that college coaches will have to adjust to quickly, as many for these college coaches have probably been recruiting these five-star guys for over three to five years.

But let me get this clear: not every five-star prospect will choose to go play professionally. The vast majority will still likely play collegiately because the professional teams and leagues have to have interest in the player as well as vice versa. It’s a two way street.

College Basketball will be fine. This just means that college coaches will have to adjust their recruiting tactics. And in that sense, we get to see some of the best coaches in America face a little adversity and see how they will overcome it.

As always, follow me on Twitter for more sports related content @bradyvaughan30

Master(s) the Feel Shot

by lucasblk19, posted in Golf

I’m sorry boss-man, I cannot stop thinking about golf. It’s Master’s week what do you expect? I should be at my standing (*your standing desk company logo here*) desk watching the first round of the masters. Kidding, that was just in high school. And college.

Last time we were on the blog it was for a good chuckle, as I told the Spieth haters to pound sand. Hot start.

This time, I am going to help you shave a few strokes off the golf game. I need some competition and extra income after this whole COVID-19 shin-dig is over.

But before we save your golf game, you need to complete your check list. First, watch last year’s masters highlights. Second, contemplate who is going to complete the career grand slam next.

We see these guys play every weekend and we try to replicate their shots and their style of play the next day on the links. With no prevail, we lose half a dozen golf balls and pride that frankly we can’t afford to lose. Oh, you were not able to hit the eight iron one sixty today? Yea dude, because you are not good enough to hit that club perfectly. Every. Single. Time. You need to feel your way to the hole.

No one would try to major in physics in college to understand the science behind the golf swing (low key love this guy. Pony up). This is the epitome of a technical golfer. If you needed me to explain what a technical golfer was you are my perfect client. Too stupid to be a technical golfer.

A golfer whom you need to emulate a swing after, is not Bryson but, John Daly.

The first time I watched John play in person was at Colonial in ’12. He took a long drag off a cig in the middle of the fairway on hole ten. Most golfers are eating their protein bar with Gatorade after the turn. Nope, not the American hero I was watching. That is the American weekend golfer right there. Utilizing tobacco products to fuel the golf swing. That is why we love him; we wish we could be him. You can’t be John Daly, but maybe you can learn to play a little like him. John is what the golf world calls a “Feel golfer”.

Imagine yourself about one fifty out. No hazard between you and the green. You need to be thinking, “If I can roll up a five iron and miss it short, I’m on the front of the green with thirty feet for bird.” Not a bad miss. Minimizing the severity of your errors is tip number one in dropping strokes. You are going to screw up. Get over it. If your screw up only costs you one stroke instead of two or three strokes, it’s not a bad life. Being a feel player is how you drop a few strokes from your game.

No one likes the over technical guy that needs to know the club head speed, trajectory, and ball spin. We had a name for that guy in my adolescent years. A try hard. The golf course is the place you can be yourself. You my friend might have an engineering degree but you also have a twenty handicap. Trust me. Drop the data, pick-up a cig and be a feel player like John.

This week you are probably going to spend your time dreaming on how you should be playing golf in early April and specifically somewhere in Georgia. Hey, I have another tip for you. It’s not going to happen. Stop dreaming. Put some money away in the retirement account because dude, you suck at golf. If you are sitting next to dreamer boy and are just trying to knock off a few strokes off your golf game yea, switch to a feel player mentality. No, it will not help your awful putting, but should help you drop a few strokes. Think your way through the course and feel your way to the hole. Thank me later.

The Effects of the 2020 MLB Draft

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

Last week, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and the MLB Players Association (“MLBPA”) reached an agreement on the framework of a delayed and shortened 2020 amateur draft according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The draft would be pushed back to July, the number of rounds would be drastically reduced to around 5-10, and bonuses would be severely restricted. Meanwhile, the NCAA will permit Division I, Division II, and Division III spring-sport athletes who had their seasons shortened by the Coronavirus pandemic to have an additional year of eligibility. So what does this mean for the future of amateur baseball, and are there any real winners from the aforementioned announcements?

First, the MLB First Year Player Draft has been 40 rounds since 2012. Assuming the 2020 draft is 10 rounds, 900 draft hopefuls will not hear their name called and will have mainly two options: sign as a free agent or go (for some, return) to college.

While the shortening of the 2020 MLB draft is unfortunate news for high school seniors who were hoping to forego collegiate baseball in order to cash in with a major league club, the real losers of this deal are the many college seniors who will most likely not be drafted within these 10 rounds. Now while these seniors are eligible to either sign with a professional club or go back to school there are cons to both. If they choose to sign the professional contract it will be for a lot less money than what has typically been given. Teams will be limited to spending no more than $20,000 to sign any undrafted player. According to Baseball America, of the 960 players who signed professional contracts last year, 680 signed for more than $20,000. This provision severely restricts the bargaining power an undrafted free agent has.

Now say the college senior decides to go back to school. While he may get another shot to prove himself and climb up draft boards, he does it while tacking on another year to his age. On average, college seniors are 22 years old. In 2021, these seniors will be 23 years old. While the 1 year age difference isn’t drastic, scouts and executives could use the player’s age as a bargaining tool during bonus negotiations after the player is drafted. Further, teams may opt to draft players from the high school or junior college ranks given that these players would be on average 3-4 years younger than the 2021 college seniors.  Unfortunately, a shortened 2020 MLB draft is negatively affecting this year’s college seniors.

Since the vast majority of 2020 seniors will head back to their respective schools for the 2021 season, there will be an overflow of talent at top Division 1, Division 2 and Division III schools. The beneficiary of this overflow of talent will be Junior College (“JUCO”) teams across the country. While JUCO is a route that is often looked upon with scorn by the average parent, it is a fantastic option for an incoming college freshman who realistically won’t touch the field at a top Division 1 or Division 2 school. Instead of sitting on the pine for a year at a 4-year school, an incoming freshman could go to JUCO and play 30 games in the fall, get in the weight room to get stronger, and then play a 50-60 game schedule in the spring. Not to mention if a player has a fantastic season they could enter the MLB draft after one year, whereas they would have to wait 3 years at a 4-year school. While the JUCO ranks already boast hundreds of elite-level prospects, next year there could be “must-watch” baseball at the local community college. If you are a baseball fan looking for something to do next spring, go check out your local junior college where the field could potentially be flooded by MLB level talent.

Major League Baseball has been hoping for an opportunity to decrease the size and amount of players in the minor leagues. The uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 has given them a chance to act on their wish. The NCAA did the right thing by granting spring athletes another year of eligibility. Next year’s college baseball season will be especially intriguing with an influx of talent that will be caused by a shortened 2020 MLB draft. The 2021 “Road to Omaha” will be fun to watch.

Quarantine and (Sports) Chill

by lucasblk19, posted in Entertainment

You really got around to reading this sports blog? You should probably spend this time researching how you could get $1,200 from the federal government. You care too much about sports if this is where you are allocating your finite time. Read into getting that $1,200 from Uncle Sam, and then come back here as we are finding the sports fix during the global pandemic. Did I just get you $1,200 from Uncle Sam? You’re welcome. (To be honest if you need help getting this payment comment and I’ll reach out it’s not difficult).

If grad school is anything like under grad, I am going to spend time procrastinating from my real responsibilities by reading about sports. Yes, I am that odd ball that would watch Moneyball with Brad Pitt for the third time compared to watching episode 168 of The Office.

              You are stuck in your seven hundred square foot apartment to eat, sleep, work, and use the restroom. You need time to relax as well as do all those things. What is your butter zone? For most of us, as long as we can remember, we enjoyed watching sports. Waking up before school not to watch Zoboomafoo (rest in peace buddy), but to catch the top ten plays from the day before. There is something great about a sports fairy tale told from the television screen. Wipe those tears off your face, I got you buddy. Here are my top three sports movies that can be streamed from the comfort of your couch.

3) 7 Days in Utopia (Prime & Netflix)

              Not every fairy tale is based on a true story. This one is no exception, it’s a helluva movie. Too bad it never happened. First, the main actor, Lucas Black, has a great name. We found out earlier this month that our favorite golf tournament, during the most beautiful time of year, with our favorite golfers, has been postponed. Yes, I have watched the USGA’s YouTube specials, Tiger Woods: Perfection at Pebble and our hometown guy Spieth’s Northwest Conquest. Two of the most dominant performers at the masters in recent history (if you even think about disrespecting Spieth, pound sand you 25 handicap). Those short documentaries heal the wound from the postponed Masters tournament, no doubt. What about my golf fix? Almost every course is shut down because the government decided to run the working man’s business for them. I want to get back out there and swing the sticks. I want to get back out there and mentally battle against the course, and win. I hear you guy. There is nothing that will heal the wound. I got the grad school fix, jungle juice. A recipe that includes a corny storyline, a touch of romance, and before you can say Everclear you realize you are watching one of the most underrated golf movies in recent years. It’s no Tin Cup, or Happy Gilmore. Even if you don’t know what a four iron is, you have seen both those movies. Seven Days in Utopia is one of the more underrated golf films to date. You’re Welcome.

2) SpaceJam (Netflix)

              If grad school is a reflection of undergrad, we will all have that one friend that will wear his MJ Space Jam jersey to every house party there is. Saturday night fire at the house? Wearing the jersey with the long sleeve underneath. Out at the bars after a conference football game dub? He’s still wearing the jersey. Unfortunately for those of us that think this guy is a clown, we also have this unspoken rule that wearing the Space Jam jersey at any time is ok. Do we like the guy? Hell no. Do we like the jersey, and the movie that it originated from? Yessir. There is something about when that movie was released (1996) and how that related to our childhood. If you are at the age of year one or year two of grad school, this was the butter zone between dreaming to be a pro athlete and watching Looney Toons. Even if the movie was released before some of us were born, the movie still deemed itself relevant when we knew who MJ was and who the og Bugs Bunny was. Good work to Disney and the producers in the creation of this movie because I will never get sick and tired of the film. In a time where the NBA literally shut down the season mid-game, which gave fans another great courtside reaction from Mark Cuban, we all need a little basketball in our lives again. Yesterday morning Karl-Anthony Towns posted a video on Twitter addressing his parents and their war with COVID-19. I would argue that the sport that took the biggest hit from a financial and relevance standpoint is basketball. Bugs Bunny, make a dunk highlight film for me. Hey LeBron, if you treat Space Jam 2 the same way you treated Taco Tuesday, take something that we all love before you came around and just cheek your way into the picture, you will have no fans by the time you retire. You have been warned.

1) Miracle on Ice (Disney+ & Netflix)

              Unfortunately, we are in a war. This war is not as apparent as traditional war. In this war, no one is the enemy due to the fact the enemy has no face. The enemy only has two things in common with us humans. It exists, and it has a name. Kind of like the communists in the 80’s. I will not use this platform to allow myself to deliver a piss poor explanation of the history of communism during the 1980s. I just won’t do it and honestly, I am too lazy to study it. If I were in the United States during the ‘80s, I doubt I would have a full grasp on the world and all the conflicts that arose right in front of me. I would know two things. That communism exists, and the USSR was the face of communism. With everything that is going on in the world, it is evident we must unite and do what is right for the collective whole in comparison what feels right for us individually. As a state, country, and world we must know that we were made for this moment. There is no greater test of one’s character when stuff hits the fan. When the world is rotating on the axis per usual and all is going according to plan, it is easy to confuse a wise man from a faux man. The boys are separated from the men when the guns are going off and the bombs are bursting in air. This is a crappy situation we ALL are in. Luckily, You Were Made for This. If you need a kick in the butt even after this rah-rah paragraph, watch Miracle on Ice. “The name on the front is a helluva lot more important than the name on the back. Get that through your head. Again.”

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.

Sportsbooks Obligations to Bettors

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in Action

Last week, a good friend of mine traveled to Boston, MA to partake in the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (“Conference”). According to its official website, the conference’s goal “is to provide a forum for industry professionals (executives and leading researchers) and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry” and it has attracted icons such as Mike Leach, Larry Fitzgerald, Daryl Morey and Matthew Berry among others. The conference has grown steadily over the years and is regarded as a “can’t-miss” event in the world of sports analytics.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. NCAA gave states and other governmental bodies the right to authorize sports betting. This in turn led some state legislatures to draft legislation that would legalize sports betting in their states. As sports wagering has grown at an exponential rate in states where it is legal, there are more and more discussions on different policies that must be enacted in order to maintain fairness and integrity. With the Houston Astros scandal and sports betting being the talk of the Conference, a hypothetical was asked among the patrons: Do leagues have a responsibility to bettors when the integrity of the game is challenged? For example, should sportsbooks/leagues reimburse bettors who bet the Yankees to win the 2017 ALCS?

At first thought it sounds like a great idea. There is conclusive evidence that proves the Astros players knowingly cheated during the 2017 playoffs. Thus, any bettor who had the Red Sox, Yankees or Dodgers (the three teams the Astros beat that postseason) should be reimbursed. While the numbers undoubtedly say the Astros benefited from their illegal actions, are we 100% certain the Red Sox, Yankees or Dodgers would have beaten them if the Astros hadn’t cheated? To that, I believe there is still uncertainty which would make it impossible for sportsbooks to reimburse fans who bet against the Astros and I, myself, am a die-hard Yankees fan. Additionally, based on the evidence it looks as if the Astros cheated for the majority of the 2017 season. Are sportsbooks supposed to refund anyone who placed a bet on a game in which the Astros were participating in and won? What about the games in which the Astros lost? Do sportsbooks allow fans to keep their money over a game that was inherently ‘rigged’? Additionally, baseball in general has been tainted the past 20-30 years over player’s alleged steroid use and there are still many players who juice today. Steroid usage is strictly prohibited by Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and players who engage in the illegal activity would be “challenging the integrity of the game.” Would sportsbooks have to refund those fans who bet on MLB games in which there were players who were doping? When it’s all said and done it is a completely ridiculous notion due to the unpredictability of sports in general.

Sports have been entertaining the masses for years due to their randomness. In essence, sports are truly a game of chance. Yes, there are players and teams that are vastly more talented than others, however in the grand scheme of things anybody can beat anybody on any given day in the world of sports. Just look at all the monumental upsets that have happened just in the last 15 years. In 2008, the New York Giants (+14/+475) shocked the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl which cost the Patriots an undefeated season. In 2007, Appalachian State (+42.5) upset the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House which many consider to be the greatest upset this century. While there wasn’t foul play in either of these games, it goes to show that there are no sure bets in sports. Even the heaviest of favorites can fall prey to the underdog. Ultimately, sports are a game of chance and bettors are aware of this fact each time they enter a sportsbook to place a bet.

Lastly, sportsbooks are essentially just third-party vendors. They share no ties to the sports leagues in which they offer fans odds. Therefore, they have no duty to ensure fairness or integrity to the fans who place bets. Now, in a few years if leagues themselves ever wish to offer odds to fans then I believe they would need to ensure there is no foul play in their games. And if there was found to be any then there would need to be reimbursement options for fans who placed bets. Leagues can control what occurs in their games. Sportsbooks have no control because they have no direct relationship to any professional sports leagues. Until the leagues themselves offer fans odds, then bettors ought to understand there is a great risk in wagering on sports due to the unpredictability of athletic games and should assume all liability.