Big East Changed Forever

In an article on CBSSports.com, Matt Norlander explains how the Big East has been forever changed for the worst with the news of its addition of Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, SMU and UCF. Boise State and San Diego have joined as football only members, while the other three will also join the conference for basketball. This is where the issue arises. The Big East has always been a dominant conference when it came to basketball, but with Pitt and Syracuse already headed to the ACC and with the new additions, this is no longer the case. The schools being added just aren’t up to par with what the Big East is used to. The conference still has basketball powerhouse UConn, but if they bolt for the ACC as well then all hope is lost.

This news is disheartening for Big East basketball fans everywhere. The conference will never be what it used to be which could have many long term effects. For example, people may not be as likely to watch the games if they aren’t as exciting as before. This could result in a loss of money for the TV markets.

In reading this article, it’s evident that Norlander is quite upset about the new Big East and its effect on basketball. He refers to the realignment as a critical point in the timeline of the downfall of the Big East. It would be interesting to see what basketball coaches of the old Big East teams have to say and if they also think adding the new teams is a bad idea. Either way it goes, the Big East is not the same Big East it used to be and it won’t ever be when it comes to basketball.

Neinas Wants Plus-One Playoff System

Joe Schad of ESPN.com analyzes Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas’ comments on the idea of a playoff system in college football. With all of the controversy going on in the BCS this season, he believes that the plus-one model should be taken into serious consideration. Using this season as an example, this structure would have paired LSU with Stanford and Alabama with Oklahoma State. The winners of the two game would then go on to play each other for the national title. In this scenario, the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions Wisconsin and Oregon would still get to play each other in the Rose Bowl. Preserving the rivalry of this game has been an important issue to those in the respective conferences.

The idea has been supported in the past by SEC commissioner Mike Slive and ACC commissioner John Swofford. With new commissioners in the Big 12 and Pac-12 who also support the idea of a playoff system, the idea could one day actually play out.

This article mostly just lists the facts of the situation without much analysis. I think it would be interesting to know exactly how the plan would be implemented. I would also like to know what kind of effect this decision would have on various teams and what those who oppose the plan have to say.

BCS gets it Wrong with LSU-Alabama Rematch

David Climer of the Nashville Tennessean gives his strong opinion on the subject of the BCS national championship game. He believes that Alabama and LSU are the two best teams in college football, but since we have already seen the outcome of that game, Oklahoma State should have gotten a shot at LSU. Climer blames the voters in the polls for going with the familiar name of Alabama over the deserving team Oklahoma State. He also blames this situation on the fact that there is a large amount of bias towards the SEC within the world of college football and teams outside of this conference don’t always get the respect they deserve.

At this point, there is nothing anyone can do about who gets to play in the national championship game. It’s unfortunate that Oklahoma State has to hear about how much they deserve to be playing LSU, but at the end of the day they won’t get to. It also must be tough for Alabama to hear that they don’t deserve a shot at the title when I’m sure they believe that they do. LSU doesn’t have much to worry about in the situation because either way it went they were still number one and were guaranteed to be playing in the game.

Throughout this article, Climer’s strong opinion on the subject is evident. You know for a fact that he is upset about the way the BCS played out. He doesn’t try to look at the situation from the other side, but he does a good job of explaining the reasoning behind why he think Oklahoma State should have been in the title game.

Ohio State and Florida in the Gator Bowl

Bill Rabinowitz writes in the Columbus Dispatch that Ohio State will be playing Florida in the Gator Bowl held in Jacksonville, Florida. The teams haven’t met since the 2006 National Championship game in which Florida topped Ohio State 41-14.

Both teams are perennial powers, but finished the regular season 6-6. The loser of the game will go on to have a losing record for the first time in a while. The game is also interesting because it puts Urban Meyer’s former team against his future team. Meyer will not be coaching the Buckeyes in this game, but will be recruiting and working out plans for next year.

With the game being held in Florida, there is an obvious draw of Florida fans to the game. However, Ohio State fans tend to travel in large groups so there should be a good number of them in attendance.

The article doesn’t quite address how the teams were chosen for this specific bowl game, which would have been some good information to know. The author talks a little bit more about Florida than he does Ohio State, but other than that he offers adequate coverage on the topic.

BCS Championship game

Writing for the Hunstville Times, Mark McCarter addresses the BCS championship game between 13-0 LSU and 11-1 Alabama. The game will ensure that a team from the SEC will win the national title for the 6th year in a row. The game is also a matchup of two teams that met in the regular season with LSU beating Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

Another 11-1 team, Oklahoma State, was close to being the team to play LSU, but an over time loss to Iowa State kept them out of the race. Although they came close in their total number of points, they didn’t get enough to pass Alabama for the number 2 spot.

The article explains how the BCS is determined, so that’s pretty much all you need to know in order to understand the situation. I think the author does a good job of showing how both Les Miles and Nick Saban feel about their teams and playing for the national title. Both coaches believe their team deserves to be playing for the championship and see the challenge they have ahead of them.

Event #3

As I cheerleader, I was a part of the homecoming parade held the Friday night before the homecoming game. This was my first time attending, let alone being in, any type of parade. I was expecting to see lots of people out and excited about the event, but that wasn’t the case. Most of the people there were families with young children. All the little kids wanted was candy and since we didn’t have any candy in our float, the kids were not interested. I think whoever puts on the event was trying to send a message of school spirit and pride, but it didn’t really come off that way. The people in the crowd weren’t very excited and the parade was over in a short amount of time. If I were a visitor to UGA I would have been confused about the whole purpose of the parade. I would have thought that the school did take pride in itself, but maybe that people just don’t participate in the events that the school puts on.

Event #2

Since I am injured, the home football game against Kentucky was the first game I got to watch from the sidelines instead of cheering. UGA won 19-12 and clinched the SEC East title in the process. What I notice most often when down on the field is that there are a ton of people who work for the media. There are so many cameras and videocameras and you’ll find yourself tripping over cords from all the various equipment they carry along. I also notice that there is a lot of security. Towards the end of the game all of the security guards come down and create a barrier around the field in what I would think is an effort to stop anyone who shouldn’t be on the field from getting down there after the game is over.

I noticed that there is also lots of advertising going on throughout the entire game. Every time you look up at the jumbotron, you are bound to see the name of any given company. I think the message they were trying to send is that if this specific company supports Georgia Football, then you should take your business to them.

If I were visiting UGA I would think that everyone there loves football and that’s one of the main things they care about. I wouldn’t have learned much about the school itself, except for that it looks like a fun place to be if you’re interested in football.

Athletes speak up

As Jon Solomon writes in the Birmingham News, college athletes are beginning to realize that they have a voice and that voice needs to be heard. While the NCAA gets ready to make some big decisions, the National College Players Association (NCPA) mobilized 331 football and basketball players to sign petitions for their version of reform.

Among other things, the athletes want a portion of the  new TV money to go to a trust fund with which they can use to pursue undergraduate degrees. That money can and should also be used to fulfill title IX requirements. They also want the scholarship amount to increase by $3,200 to accurately cover the cost of attendance.

Also addressed in the article is how money is unequally distributed throughout the NCAA. Some say that cutting money in scholarships for athletes will ultimately end up putting more money in the pockets of AD’s and coaches. The government may even be involved in helping to settle antitrust and due process issues within college sports and no one wants for this to happen. The athletes just want their voice to be heard through petitions to the NCAA without having to turn to lawmakers to make these decisions.

This article lays out and puts into perspective exactly what the athletes want and what they are trying to do to achieve that. In reading, you have no choice but to be on the same side as the athletes. What I would to know is whether or not what they are asking is reasonable and could be implemented logically. In the end, it is good to know that some athletes are making a stand for themselves and not just letting other people make decisions for them.

Athletic Departments and Social Media

As Michael Tomko writes in the Medill Reports, many college athletic departments are using social media to better connect with their fans. This includes using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to create a different type of bond between the coaches, athletes and fans than ever before. It gives the fans behind-the-scence access to their favorite teams in a unique way.

This use of social media is important to the athletic departments because it gives them a way to gauge the interest in their teams and get instant feedback from the fans. It is also cost effective because they are getting valuable information without having to pay for it. In this sense, everyone benefits. Fans and the athletic departments are always connected to each other and are able to receive the information they want at any time.

While using these techniques, schools will only get out what they put in. The more time and energy devoted to updating statuses and posting tweets will directly effect how fans will respond. Knowing this, schools like Northwestern University are hiring people to specifically oversee social media content.

One of the downsides to this new craze is giving coaches and athletes complete, free access to social networking sites. By allowing them to update on their own, there is always the possibility that will say something they shouldn’t. This, however, isn’t much different than coaches and players having the ability to say whatever they want in an interview so not much is changed in these situations.

Throughout the article, Tomko uses many different universities as examples on how social media is being used. By doing so, he makes his point clear and helps you fully understand the situation. He also shows how people on both ends can benefit from this and the impact it is having. The main goal of using social media is to keep current fans engaged and draw new fans in and each school is constantly finding new ways to do so. Overall, social networks are continuing to grow and these universities have really only scratched the surface in seeing what type of impact they will have on athletics.

Emotions surrounding Auburn’s clearance by the NCAA

Writing for the Montgomery Advertiser, Josh Moon address the somewhat comical situation surrounding the aftermath of the ending of Auburn’s NCAA investigation. Wednesday, the NCAA officially closed its investigation of Auburn finding no substantial evidence that the university did anything wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton.

Moon first states that Auburn fans are too happy about the situation in general. Auburn never did anything wrong, and all along there was never any evidence that they did. The only reason the investigation started was because Newton’s father tired to shop his son to Mississippi State- a known fact. Auburn can now keep their title and Cam Newton can keep his Heisman trophy.

Next, he explains how Alabama fans are too upset about the situation. They’re all still bitter about Auburn’s come from behind victory at Bryant-Denney Stadium last season and were holding on to anything that would have made Auburn less deserving of that win. Now that Auburn has been cleared, the loss is real and there is nothing they can do about it.

Even with the ending of the investigation, some people just can’t let it go. Many reporters are clinging to the fact that the NCAA stated in their letter to Auburn that it can reopen the investigation if additional information is found. But this isn’t any different than what the NCAA would have said to any other school. In the end, everyone just needs to move on. The investigation is over and hopefully Cam Newton and Auburn will stay out of the news.

Volleyball game

Yesterday I attended and cheered at the volleyball match against Auburn. The game was held at the Ramsey Center and after losing the first set 25-19, Georgia came back and won the next three sets with scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-19. The game was also broadcast on ESPN U. I noticed that there were a lot of promoters at this game. They were outside handing out free pizza and inside giving out t-shirts, posters and other items. They were really trying to get people pumped up and excited for the game and even asked me and some of the other cheerleaders to help them in encouraging people to get the pizza or sign up for a raffle. I mainly think promotional messages were being sent throughout the game. The main goal was to get people interested in volleyball and have them there to support the team. I think this was stressed even more this game because it was being broadcast on TV and they wanted to make it look like a good number of people come out to UGA volleyball games. There was a sizeable crowd in the arena and I think it had a lot to do with the many incentives offered to those who attended. If I were a visitor at UGA I would assume that the school is a good place to be with a positive atmosphere. Everyone at the game was in good spirits so I would have taken it to mean that everyone at UGA is that way. The president of UGA was also in attendance at the game, so if I would have known that as a visitor, I would assume that the school takes athletics seriously and that it is a major part of life at the university.

Is cheerleading a sport?

An article by Jackie Gorman in the UNCW Seahawk addresses the controversial question as to whether or not cheerleading is a sport. Many will argue that the activity doesn’t require as much skill or physical demand as say football, but this isn’t true. Cheerleaders have to be fit, strong and tough just like all other athletes. In the article, cheerleader Abby Kuitems asks of people who say cheerleading is not a sport, “Can you throw yourself into a back-hand spring or throw someone equal to or greater than your weight in the air and then catch them?” This shows that cheerleading takes skill and not everyone is cut out to participate.

Also addressed is the fact that cheerleaders have to live up to many expectations while being members of their respective teams. For the cheerleads at UNCW, appearance is important at all times, Facebook profiles must be kept clean and going out the night before a game is condoned- all similar standards held for cheerleaders at most universities including UGA.

The debate as to whether or not cheerleading is a sport could go on forever. As it is, cheerleaders don’t always get the respect they deserve as athletes and this could have a negative effect on them. They work so hard day in and day out, without the recognition that other athletes receive. The article doesn’t exactly cover this issue in detail, but it still exists. It would have also been beneficial if the article covered not just public opinion on the topic, but maybe how universities are addressing the issue and what their stand is on the status of cheerleading as a collegiate sport. In the end, most cheerleaders will continue to participate in the sport they love regardless of whether or not others accept it as such.

Georgia State to add sand volleyball

A recent article by Doug Roberson in the AJC brings news of Georgia State’s intentions to add a sand volleyball team to its athletic program. With the addition of a football team in 2010, the school must add at least two new sports in order to remain Title IX. Athletic Director Cheryl Levick says that student interest, regional interest and ability to create a successful team all went into deciding on sand volleyball as the newest sport.

The NCAA recognizes sand volleyball as an “emerging sport” meaning that it is new to the scene. There are only 15 other schools with teams and no schools in the Colonial Athletic Conference, the one to which Georgia State belongs, have teams. The program is estimated to have a start-up cost of about $1.5 million, but the increased student fee used to support the football team will also be used for volleyball.

The addition of a new sport draws even more attention to Georgia State. Because sand volleyball is an emerging sport, people may become more interested over time, giving the school an advantage because not many places around provide the same opportunity. The coaches have already begun recruiting in the southeast. This gives Georgia State the chance to get their name out in more places and possibly have more appeal to some who may have never looked into the school as a choice.

The descriptions used by the author in this article detail the situation and provide answers to most of the questions one would have when presented with this information. The addition of sand volleyball is just one of many steps taken by the university to give them more prestige. Other sports being considered to join the athletic program are lacrosse, crew, and stunts and tumbling, another emerging sport. Whatever sport they choose to add will in turn have an effect on the university as a whole.

Dan Beebe out as Big 12 commissioner

With so much drama surrounding the Big 12 and it’s ongoing struggles, news of the departure of commissioner Dan Beebe may not have come as much of a surprise. After serving for 5 years, Beebe is out and former Big 8 commissioner Chuck Neinas is in as an interim commissioner. While Beebe was in charge the conference was able to secure a TV deal with Fox Sports, but was unable to keep Nebraska, Colorado and now Texas A&M from fleeing. Beebe seemed to be an easy target for those who were upset about the instability of the conference.

Although the commissioner is gone, the Big 12 still faces the same issues. Schools are still looking for ways out and Texas is still seen as the “bully” of the conference. Under new management there have been talks to work on expanding the league to 12 teams, while Texas wants it to stay at 10.

Conference realignment has been one of the biggest topics in the news lately and this story isn’t any different. The Big 12 is one of the more high profile conferences and is a subject of interest to many. While writing for the Associated Press, Jim Vertuno covers the things that are most important in this article. It was easy to see how the conference feels about the issue and what they plan on doing to better prepare themselves for the future.

Flashy Uniforms in College Football

In an article in the Washington Post, Dave Sheinin addresses the new fad in college football- outrageous and over the top uniforms designed by big time sports apparel companies like Nike and Under Armor. Prime examples include the Under Armor uniforms worn by the University of Maryland in their game against Miami and the Nike Pro-Combat uniforms worn by theUniversity of Georgia when they played Boise State in the Georgia Dome. Although the uniforms themselves received mixed review from fashion critics, they serve to benefit both the teams that wear them and the companies that produce them. The teams benefit in the fact that recruits are more interested in what the team is wearing and a cool uniform will draw them to the school. As for the companies, exposure from high profile teams boosts their sales.

Critics of this new trend include fans and alumni who support the traditional uniforms worn by their respective universities. But, despite what critics may say, the system works and more and more schools are starting to catch on. Going back to the late 90’s, the University of Oregon may have been the first school to note the importance of uniforms in college football. Having co-founder of Nike and Oregon alumnus Phil Knight design their flashy uniforms, the Ducks began attracting better athletes and saw themselves in the national championship game in 2010. This same process is being echoed at Maryland where they have ties to former Terp and Under Armor founder Kevin Plank. If there continues to be a link between uniform and success, more schools will adopt this trend and who knows what type of uniforms we will see in the future.

By giving the opinions of various people in the college football world, Sheinin does a good job of completely covering the topic. There are many individual thoughts on what should and shouldn’t be done when it comes to uniforms and everyone wants to share theirs. As the season continues there is sure to be just as much attention on what a team is wearing as there is on their performance on the field.

Big 12 Expresses Interest in Arkansas

As conference realignment continues to be a hot topic, not only are there teams looking for new homes, but also conferences looking for new teams. According to the article, the Big 12 has recently reached out to Arkansas to gauge their interest in joining the conference. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, however, states that the school is “strongly committed to the SEC.” He goes on to express that he knew this was coming but the school has no intentions of ever leaving the conference.

Such a move would have been beneficial to the Big 12 who have a hole to fill with so many teams leaving the conference as of late. Arkansas would be  an obvious choice to fill the gap because of their ties to the former Southwest Conference and it’s geographical location. But, with the SEC being the powerhouse conference that it is, Arkansas has no reason to leave. Also, the likely move by Texas A&M to the SEC already has an effect on Arkansas. The two teams are in their 3rd year of a 10 year deal of a non-conference game at Cowboy Stadium. With Texas A&M joining the SEC it is now a conference game so details of whether or not to keep the game at Cowboy Stadium would have to be worked out.

To fully understand this situation it would be interesting to hear from a Big 12 representative. With Arkansas clearly uninterested in joining their conference, it brings up the question as to who else they invited and what the conference plans to do in the future to strengthen itself. I think the author focused mostly on the Arkansas side of the issue and left out any insight on the Big 12 itself. Once Arkansas declined the invitation, that was that. They now move on and the Big 12 is in the same predicament, but this wasn’t addressed in the article.

 

Possible Additions to SEC

John Talty
International Business Times
1 September 2011

With the likely addition of Texas A&M to the SEC, this article addresses the question of which other team would join the conference to balance things out. Potential schools include Maryland, Missouri, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and West Virginia. The author makes a point to address the pros and the cons of each school joining the SEC.

The information given in this article affects the schools listed as possible moves as well as other schools inside and outside the SEC. For example, if Florida State were to join, this would have a direct effect on Florida, as the school would not want it’s in state rival in the same conference.  Also brought up in the article is the close relationship between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and how although Oklahoma would be a good fit, they would not want to leave Oklahoma State behind. Overall, any move by any team would have an effect on just about everyone involved including coaches, players, fans and the SEC itself.  Another interesting point brought up by the author is the importance of TV deals when deciding which team to add to the SEC. A main concern is how much a new team would contribute to the television market in that area.

By including an explanation of why each school would or wouldn’t be a good fit in the SEC, the author gives a full perspective of the situation. The author also made a point to include basketball in the equation, along with football. Most often a move into a new conference is only concerned with football when in actuality all sports at a particular school are effected.

Overall I believe the author included all necessary information in the article in order to fully understand the situation. After reading this article it is easy to see which teams would or would not make a good addition to the SEC and what types of things are put into consideration when choosing a new team to add. It will be interesting so see how the talks amongst the SEC play out and what will happen in the end when a decision has to be made.

Coaches should face punishment for NCAA infractions

Article by: Christian Caple
Seattle Post Intelligence

 

This article poses the question as to whether or not infractions acquired at the collegiate level should be punishable at the professional level. The example given involves former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor who, after being involved in a scandal where memorabilia was traded for tattoos, was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the supplemental draft. He now faces a 5 game suspension in the NFL as a result of his entry into the draft because of the fiasco at Ohio State.

In addition, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer believes that this type of punishment should apply to coaches as well and that no one should be able to do something wrong and just move on to the next level. For example, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was the coach at USC when the Reggie Bush scandal occurred. Carroll, however, took the job in Seattle while USC was still being investigated and before the NCAA had reached a verdict. Many took this to mean he was trying to get out before the sanctions came.

Finally, the author concludes by stating the difference between the two cases and asking whether or not the same rules can be applied to both situations. Mainly, the fact that USC had not been proven of any violations at the time of Carroll’s departure leads the author to believe that the two instances cannot be compared side by side.

This article mainly affects Pete Carroll and Terrelle Pryor in the fact that their individual cases are the ones being discussed and criticized. After reading this article most people would construct their own opinion of each of them, which would then have an indirect effect on the two. To fully understand the situation you would need to hear from the commissioner Roger Goodell himself as to why he thought the suspension of Pryor was necessary, what his thought process was in coming to this conclusion and whether or not he plans to extend this type of punishment to anyone involved in an NCAA violation, including coaches.

I believe the author provides a full perspective on the situation by including multiple sides of the story. Although the author does not completely agree with Beamer’s reasoning that Pryor and Carroll’s situations are the same, he still chooses to include those thoughts in the article. The author gave enough information within in the article so that after reading it, it is possible to formulate your own opinion on the situation and answer the question posed initially.