A small thread about the comically corrupt college football…

Twice yesterday I heard announcers mention players who were fathers. One player is the father of 2-year old twins. I couldn't help but think of the sick, twisted fact that NCAA rules prevent schools from paying him a salary that would allow them to provide those kids. (2/?)

I don't know the individual circumstances of the players metioned. Maybe those kids have (presumably young) mothers who are able to work full-time jobs that provide for those kids. Maybe the kids have grandparents comfortable enough to provide the essentials to them. (3/?)

And some small percentage of those kids will, in a couple years have a dad playing in the NFL. If dad lasts longer than 2 or 3 seasons, they should be set. But the vast majority of them will not. (4/?)

The primary justification for this rule is that if we let colleges pay kids then it would allow a small set of rich schools to dominate the sport, the way the Ivy League schools dominated it in the early decades of the sport. (5/?)

Seriously-look it up. Princeton has 26 national championships, last one in 1935. Yale has 18, last one in 1927. (6/?)

The current way we choose a national champion is thru a 4 team playoff. This system has been in place for seven years. The teams who made the field this year are:
1. Alabama. They have made it 6 years out of 7.
2. Clemson. They have made it 6 years out of 7.
(7/?)

3. Ohio State. They have made is four years out of seven. (Won once-with a shot at number 2 next week.)
4. Notre Dame. They have made it twice out of seven years but never won a game. In fact, they got blown out both times they were picked. But that's okay. (8/?)

They didn't actually deserve to be picked either time they went. They were picked because they have a large national TV audience who have been rooting for them back when they were good under the old corrupt system of picking national champions. (9/?)

Seriously, look it up. Notre Dame has 13 total championships, but only one since the Ford Administration.
(10/?)

There are 130 schools that compete for this championship. But 18 of the 28 selections have gone to just four schools. (Oklahoma has been chosen four times.) For six consecutive years, the field has consisted of three of these four schools and one special guest. (11/13)

So whatever reason we perpetuate this system of not paying athletes who play a sport that takes in over $800M just in TV rights, it is not fairness. This is as rigged a system as the bad old days when you could down to the neighborhood speakeasy and hire a couple pros. (12/13)

It's just a lot more sanctimonious and a lot less entertaining.

(13/13)
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