Sports Stuff

[Snaggletiger]

Not football related but I don't really care.  The NCAA did a good thing Monday by declaring that any athlete in a "Spring Sport", who had their season cut short by the pandemic, will get another year of eligibility. Glad to see that so maybe our softball team can pick up where they fell off....err, left off.  Despite a few pre-conference bumps in the road, I was looking forward to seeing how the biesbols team panned out.  I think they were primed for a solid season and definitely some post season play.

Yesterday, Finebaum interviewed Corch Pearlz.  As you might imagine, the majority of it centered around the Corona virus and how he and the team handled it.  Think about this.  They're coming off a miracle, Final 4 season.  They've just finished the regular season at 25-6 (12-6 Conference). According to Pearl, they were in Nashville for the tournament and get word that it's canceled.  On the trip home, they get word that the NCAA tourney is not going to happen.  When they arrive back in Auburn, they're told the school is shutting down and to pack their stuff and head home. 

That's 24 hours of WTF just happened?  Pearl said he fully realizes it's just sports and there are other far more important things going on right now, but that's a lot to process, especially for the seniors who just got hit with the fact that it's really all over. 

I've said it 100 times.  These are strange times, indeed.   

[wesfau2]

Not football related but I don't really care.  The NCAA did a good thing Monday by declaring that any athlete in a "Spring Sport", who had their season cut short by the pandemic, will get another year of eligibility. Glad to see that so maybe our softball team can pick up where they fell off....err, left off.  Despite a few pre-conference bumps in the road, I was looking forward to seeing how the biesbols team panned out.  I think they were primed for a solid season and definitely some post season play.

I though this was only relief for the seniors.

[Snaggletiger]

I though this was only relief for the seniors.

This was from the USA Today piece I read.  I think it makes sense to grant it to all SA's as they would all otherwise lose a year.

All NCAA Division I athletes in spring sports will be given an extra season of eligibility to make up for the one that was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the association announced Monday.
But the decision by the NCAA Division I Council, which handles day-to-day rules making for the association’s top-level schools, will allow those schools to determine how much scholarship aid to give next year to athletes who were in what would have been their final season of eligibility.
That means such an athlete could be offered a place on the team, but $0 in athletic scholarship money. 
NCAA rules normally prohibit schools in the Power Five conferences or any non-Power-Five school that makes a multi-year scholarship offer to reduce the amount of aid an athlete receives from one year to the next for athletic reasons.
However, the Council did agree to adjust scholarship limits to account for incoming athletes and athletes who decide to stay for an extra season. Under that arrangement, schools will be able to exceed existing scholarship limits if they give financial aid to any athlete who would have been in their final season of eligibility this year but chooses to return.
Athletes in winter sports will not get an additional season of eligibility, the Council decided. Winter sports NCAA championships, including the basketball tournaments, were cancelled because of the pandemic. 

[Kaos]

I'm finding I don't miss it much at all.  

That may change when football season comes around, but I'm not having any withdrawals from it at all.  

I'm disappointed in myself.  

[Snaggletiger]

I'm finding I don't miss it much at all. 

That may change when football season comes around, but I'm not having any withdrawals from it at all. 

I'm disappointed in myself. 

While I do miss it, I'm finding the lack of spurts has really only changed my TV watching habits.  Like you, I think I'll change my outlook if this does affect football season, mainly because I go to so many games, both high school and college.

   

[Kaos]

While I do miss it, I'm finding the lack of spurts has really only changed my TV watching habits.  Like you, I think I'll change my outlook if this does affect football season, mainly because I go to so many games, both high school and college.

 

I'm having one of those moments where I'm considering the entirety of it.  

Is Mark Ingram REALLY worth $5 million a year when Bethany Ingram, who teaches science to your kids, only makes $38,000?  Fuck that Ewok. 

I'm no Bernie Sanders. I wouldn't vote for that traitorous bastard or any of his "take it away and spread it around" sycophants if I had to.   I'm all for capitalism and the free market economy.  But I've reached a point partially because of this virus situation where I think we need to take a look at priorities.  

What if the Braves DIDN'T spent over a billion dollars on Suntrust Park?  What if the city didn't fork over $400 million of that?   What if Atlanta DIDN'T pay $147 million in salaries this season?  

What if they just shaved, say, 15% of the salaries off and contributed that to Atlanta area public schools?  That's an infusion of $22.5 million.   I think Freddie Freeman would avoid Food Stamps if he just made $19 million.  And I think he'd still play.  I think he'd play for $500,000 a year.  I know I would.  You could reduce ticket prices, put money back into the community and have their salaries actually be commensurate with the value they provide.  

What if the movie studios simply stopped paying Chris Hemsworth $76 million?  You think he might still agree to play Thor for, say, a million?  If he didn't? Fuck him.   Then movie tickets could drop from $12 to $3.  Maybe more people would go see the damned things.  Or pay to rent them.  Or whatever. 

Why should some moron who films himself acting like an idiot on some social media platform rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars?  Stop it.  Stop it now.  

I'm not asking for a redistribution of wealth at all.  I'm more thinking in terms of a re-examination of what we, as a society, value and what we spend our money on.  

I absolutely loathe the people all over social media who are quoting Revelations or claiming that this is some retribution for some behavior.  While I do agree that God sometimes gets tired of our antics and tries to set us right, and while I don't rule out that this current situation could be nature's normal, regular way of thinning the herd a little bit (it happens to all species) I just don't need to see any of that.  

It does, however, give me time and quiet to think about all that.  You're welcome. 

[Snaggletiger]

I'm having one of those moments where I'm considering the entirety of it. 

Is Mark Ingram REALLY worth $5 million a year when Bethany Ingram, who teaches science to your kids, only makes $38,000?  Fuck that Ewok.

I'm no Bernie Sanders. I wouldn't vote for that traitorous bastard or any of his "take it away and spread it around" sycophants if I had to.  I'm all for capitalism and the free market economy.  But I've reached a point partially because of this virus situation where I think we need to take a look at priorities. 

What if the Braves DIDN'T spent over a billion dollars on Suntrust Park?  What if the city didn't fork over $400 million of that?  What if Atlanta DIDN'T pay $147 million in salaries this season? 

What if they just shaved, say, 15% of the salaries off and contributed that to Atlanta area public schools?  That's an infusion of $22.5 million.  I think Freddie Freeman would avoid Food Stamps if he just made $19 million.  And I think he'd still play.  I think he'd play for $500,000 a year.  I know I would.  You could reduce ticket prices, put money back into the community and have their salaries actually be commensurate with the value they provide. 

What if the movie studios simply stopped paying Chris Hemsworth $76 million?  You think he might still agree to play Thor for, say, a million?  If he didn't? Fuck him.  Then movie tickets could drop from $12 to $3.  Maybe more people would go see the damned things.  Or pay to rent them.  Or whatever.

Why should some moron who films himself acting like an idiot on some social media platform rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars?  Stop it.  Stop it now. 

I'm not asking for a redistribution of wealth at all.  I'm more thinking in terms of a re-examination of what we, as a society, value and what we spend our money on. 

I absolutely loathe the people all over social media who are quoting Revelations or claiming that this is some retribution for some behavior.  While I do agree that God sometimes gets tired of our antics and tries to set us right, and while I don't rule out that this current situation could be nature's normal, regular way of thinning the herd a little bit (it happens to all species) I just don't need to see any of that. 

It does, however, give me time and quiet to think about all that.  You're welcome.

Agree with a lot of that.  First, fuck that Ewok!  Okay, I'll move on.  

No doubt that our priorities are out of whack.  We place a ton of emphasis and pump a lot of money into our entertainment.  However, I've long maintained that as outrageous as salaries for pro athletes seem, the simple fact is teams wouldn't pay it if there wasn't a shit load of money to go around. But, the big question is whether or not the 1%'ers, and let's face it, that's what we're talking about here, will take the attitude or position of taking even a small bite out of that profit margin and using it to help in countless areas of need in society. Not a forced redistribution, as you said, but more a sense of doing the right thing, whatever that may be.

I have been spending the last few months looking to start a company that does that very thing, dealing with fighting hunger.  And it's ironic that we're talking about this because probably as you were posting, I was reading up on a company called Bombas, who sells specially made socks and t-shirts.  For every pair purchased, they donate a pair of socks to the homeless.  The company is now worth over $100 million and they've donated around 35 million pairs.  That's pretty cool and right along the lines of what I'm talking about.  

[War Eagle!!!]

I'm having one of those moments where I'm considering the entirety of it. 

Is Mark Ingram REALLY worth $5 million a year when Bethany Ingram, who teaches science to your kids, only makes $38,000?  Fuck that Ewok.

I'm no Bernie Sanders. I wouldn't vote for that traitorous bastard or any of his "take it away and spread it around" sycophants if I had to.  I'm all for capitalism and the free market economy.  But I've reached a point partially because of this virus situation where I think we need to take a look at priorities. 

What if the Braves DIDN'T spent over a billion dollars on Suntrust Park?  What if the city didn't fork over $400 million of that?  What if Atlanta DIDN'T pay $147 million in salaries this season? 

What if they just shaved, say, 15% of the salaries off and contributed that to Atlanta area public schools?  That's an infusion of $22.5 million.  I think Freddie Freeman would avoid Food Stamps if he just made $19 million.  And I think he'd still play.  I think he'd play for $500,000 a year.  I know I would.  You could reduce ticket prices, put money back into the community and have their salaries actually be commensurate with the value they provide. 

What if the movie studios simply stopped paying Chris Hemsworth $76 million?  You think he might still agree to play Thor for, say, a million?  If he didn't? Fuck him.  Then movie tickets could drop from $12 to $3.  Maybe more people would go see the damned things.  Or pay to rent them.  Or whatever.

Why should some moron who films himself acting like an idiot on some social media platform rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars?  Stop it.  Stop it now. 

I'm not asking for a redistribution of wealth at all.  I'm more thinking in terms of a re-examination of what we, as a society, value and what we spend our money on. 

I absolutely loathe the people all over social media who are quoting Revelations or claiming that this is some retribution for some behavior.  While I do agree that God sometimes gets tired of our antics and tries to set us right, and while I don't rule out that this current situation could be nature's normal, regular way of thinning the herd a little bit (it happens to all species) I just don't need to see any of that. 

It does, however, give me time and quiet to think about all that.  You're welcome.

That only happens if demand is lowered. If demand isn't lowered, there is an even larger net worth disparity as only the owners make the money. As of now, the employees (actors and players) are making a lot of money as well. You can't look at it as a whole, you have to look at it per industry. What you are saying is to shrink the particular industry as a whole, whether it's Hollywood or Pro Sports. In doing this, the owners don't make as much, the employees don't make as much, and people spend their money on other things (education). I don't mind that, but it ain't happening.

Your whole thought process is flawed. You're welcome.

[WiregrassTiger]

Your whole thought process is flawed. You're welcome.

You do realize that you just told kaos that he is wrong, right?

[Kaos]

Your whole thought process is flawed. You're welcome.

[Snaggletiger]

Your whole thought process is flawed. You're welcome.

[GH2001]

That only happens if demand is lowered. If demand isn't lowered, there is an even larger net worth disparity as only the owners make the money. As of now, the employees (actors and players) are making a lot of money as well. You can't look at it as a whole, you have to look at it per industry. What you are saying is to shrink the particular industry as a whole, whether it's Hollywood or Pro Sports. In doing this, the owners don't make as much, the employees don't make as much, and people spend their money on other things (education). I don't mind that, but it ain't happening.

Your whole thought process is flawed. You're welcome.

And much of that "demand" is artificially drummed up, or created via slick marketing and other things. But you are right, its still demand. And that's the way the game is played. 

I agree with his general sentiment though that I wish that's how the system was. Its just not. Nor do I want to force it to be that way. Thats what Bernie Sanders and his cult want. No thanks. 

[The Six]

IF we get college football this fall, I get the sense it will be truncated. Conference schedules only. The G5 and FCS schools who depend on the beat down checks will be financially crippled probably resulting in the disbanding of several and the non-revenue sports that money supports. Could be a few lean years in college football. The effects of COVID-19 will linger longer than the virus does, I fear. Sports is a small part of the economy, but keep this in mind. I work at a G5 school and I can tell you, the coaches won't be losing jobs. However, the support staff and those ancillary to the program might be left looking for other places to be after this.

[Kaos]

IF we get college football this fall, I get the sense it will be truncated. Conference schedules only. The G5 and FCS schools who depend on the beat down checks will be financially crippled probably resulting in the disbanding of several and the non-revenue sports that money supports. Could be a few lean years in college football. The effects of COVID-19 will linger longer than the virus does, I fear. Sports is a small part of the economy, but keep this in mind. I work at a G5 school and I can tell you, the coaches won't be losing jobs. However, the support staff and those ancillary to the program might be left looking for other places to be after this.

Does Quartermaine State even really need a football program?  

I don't think they will shorten the season that much.  Delay it, maybe.  I could see waiting until September to start and pushing the playoffs (which shouldn't exist anyway) into late January, early February.  I honestly don't care much for the game when it's 98 degrees on the field the first week of August.  

And before anybody starts whining about "who's gonna play in Wisconsin in January!" check the NFL.  

When I lived in Australia, they did it right.  School met for three months and was out for a month.  Each of the three-month sections had a sport season.  We could do that (maybe not for college, but definitely for high school). 

Sept, Oct, Nov - Football
Jan, Feb, March - Basketball
May, June, July - Baseball

Month out in December for Christmas, month out in April for Easter/Spring, month out when it's hot as balls August.   Except down there it was cold as balls August and April was fall, but still.   

[The Six]

Does Quartermaine State even really need a football program? 

I don't think they will shorten the season that much.  Delay it, maybe.  I could see waiting until September to start and pushing the playoffs (which shouldn't exist anyway) into late January, early February.  I honestly don't care much for the game when it's 98 degrees on the field the first week of August. 

And before anybody starts whining about "who's gonna play in Wisconsin in January!" check the NFL. 

When I lived in Australia, they did it right.  School met for three months and was out for a month.  Each of the three-month sections had a sport season.  We could do that (maybe not for college, but definitely for high school).

Sept, Oct, Nov - Football
Jan, Feb, March - Basketball
May, June, July - Baseball

Month out in December for Christmas, month out in April for Easter/Spring, month out when it's hot as balls August.  Except down there it was cold as balls August and April was fall, but still. 

College football doesn't start until September.

And what would you replace the playoffs (that shouldn't exist according to the above) with? Polls again?

Also, there are plenty of studies that show a football program does indeed aid a university in growth. That's nothing new and it's why so many places have started them.

[AUJarhead]

I work at a G5 school and I can tell you, the coaches won't be losing jobs. However, the support staff and those ancillary to the program might be left looking for other places to be after this.

And if this COVID lingers, look for huge enrollment drops at 4 year schools.  Why pay 20k a year tuition, when you are sitting in your kitchen taking a calc class, when you could pay 3k, and take the same calc class from your local junior college, and sit at the same kitchen table?

The school I'm working at right now is supposed to have fall enrollment open up in 2 weeks, and they've pushed that back into Mid-May.  Their endowment has taken a hit, I'm expecting them to put my current project on the side, and tell us to come back in a year.

[CCTAU]

And if this COVID lingers, look for huge enrollment drops at 4 year schools.  Why pay 20k a year tuition, when you are sitting in your kitchen taking a calc class, when you could pay 3k, and take the same calc class from your local junior college, and sit at the same kitchen table?

The school I'm working at right now is supposed to have fall enrollment open up in 2 weeks, and they've pushed that back into Mid-May.  Their endowment has taken a hit, I'm expecting them to put my current project on the side, and tell us to come back in a year.

That is a good point. While I had a great time at AU, it would not have been worth it at the price today.
I was able to work and pay/play my way through without any student loans.

That is damn near impossible today. So if I can stay home and still party for a couple of years on the cheap, that seems to be the smarter choice.


But I marvel at the people out there who will send their kid to college and pay for everything at the blink of an eye, at the prices of today.

[Snaggletiger]

That is a good point. While I had a great time at AU, it would not have been worth it at the price today.
I was able to work and pay/play my way through without any student loans.

That is damn near impossible today. So if I can stay home and still party for a couple of years on the cheap, that seems to be the smarter choice.


But I marvel at the people out there who will send their kid to college and pay for everything at the blink of an eye, at the prices of today.

We have the PACT plan for our kids.  Doesn't pay as much as they originally intended, but right now, my boy is in Junior College here and living at home.  So, it's pretty much covering everything.  The plan is two years here and then off to AU.  Hopefully, we have enough put back to get him through 2 years. 

[CCTAU]

We have the PACT plan for our kids.  Doesn't pay as much as they originally intended, but right now, my boy is in Junior College here and living at home.  So, it's pretty much covering everything.  The plan is two years here and then off to AU.  Hopefully, we have enough put back to get him through 2 years.

Smart. My boy went to JUCO for two years on the HOPE scholly and some ROTH money we had saved. Then decided he wasn't sure what he wanted to do and withdrew from classes. He owes no money and now the Air Force is paying for his classes!

[Kaos]

I got one at South in the dorms.  Last semester she had two classes she had to physically attend.  Two. The rest were either online or she went once and they gave them a stack of online assignments to complete and turn in.  

But we're soaked for a dorm room, a meal plan, the exercise facility, frisbee golf, the clock tower and so on.  

Higher ed is a scam.