Do The Conference Shuffle

Image via WikipediaIf you follow college athletics, reading the sports section or websites these days has become a bit like reading a supermarket tabloid or TMZ.  Who's breaking up, who's staying together, and who's getting hitched.

No, we're not talking about Brad and Angelina, or "Dancing With The Stars".  We're referring to the shuffling of the deck--rumored or confirmed--between big name universities and their athletic conferences, all in the pursuit of more money and prestige, at least as far as football is concerned.

The catalyst for all this is the apparent demise of the Big 12 and Big East conferences, for whatever the reason.  In the Big 12, Colorado and Nebraska have already left for other conferences, Texas A&M is leaving for the Southeast Conference (pending legal appeals), and four other schools--Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State--were all set to bolt to the Pac 12 until that conference decided not to take in any more teams.  As it currently stands, the Big 12 doesn't have enough schools to equal 12.

In the Big East, which began as a basketball-only league in 1979 before adding football, Syracuse (a charter member) and Pittsburgh have said they are leaving to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Which leaves the rest of the Big East in a bind because half of its members don't have football programs.

Even Notre Dame, which is a Big East member in nearly every sport but football, is thinking about jumping ship.  As long as it's not the Big Ten.  The Fighting Irish already has its own TV network, better known as NBC.

More rumor has it that the Big East and Big 12 are talking merger.  Others report that both conferences would stay put and try to add more schools.  Hard to keep up, isn't it?

All of this realignment is being driven by football, and the profits, prestige and exposure it brings to a university.  But what about the rest of the athletic program?  How will they be affected by the shuffling in terms of costs, student participation and fan support?

Let's talk about academics for a minute.  You know, grades and degrees, which is the reason you go to college in the first place.  There are no majors in football, and you can't earn a Masters in basketball.  If university presidents believe changing conferences will solve their problems while it is getting next to impossible for real students to pay off their tuition in their lifetimes, then they're sadly mistaken.

Come to think of it, maybe those university presidents aren't the ones running the show.  It's the athletic directors, coaches and boosters who are driving this rush to realign.

Everyone knows college sports is just a glorified feeder system for the NFL and NBA, at least for the major universities, conferences, TV networks and sponsors who support them.  It's a great deal for everyone except the piously named "student athlete", whose school gets punished by the NCAA for accepting so much as a dime.

Change is inevitable.  Summer turns into autumn.  People get older.  Nations topple dictators.  Colleges abandon longtime rivalries to start new ones.  It's the turning of the page, the flipping of the remote, and hitting F5 on your computer.  Nothing lasts forever.

And just so you know, Ron Artest (aka Metta World Peace) was the first celebrity voted off "Dancing With The Stars".

After 9/11/01: No More Fun and Games

Ten years ago, after a shocking lapse in security resulted in the World Trade Center in New York being destroyed, the NFL and Major League Baseball canceled their games for a week or two while the country mourned.

Ten years later, the events of September 11, 2001 are commemorated by both leagues in ceremonies across the country to honor those who died that day.  Because the attacks occured in New York City, the NFL games between the Giants and Redskins and Cowboys and Jets were marked by players and coaches who wore 'NYPD' or 'FDNY' caps, as if they're really police officers and firefighters (which they're not).  There were also American flags and ribbons dotting the stadiums.  On TV, advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch and State Farm used the anniversary to put love letters to New York in their messages.

How has 9/11 changed sports?  Stadiums and arenas now have security check points, searching paying customers for explosives or unapproved bottles of liquor.  Major League Baseball shoves the playing of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch down our throats, replacing the time-honored "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

You may have also noticed that going to a ball game has become a lot more patriotic, even if it makes some fans uncomfortable.  There is no anti-war sentiment in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In fact, the sports leagues seem to be glorifying those wars.  Active-duty soldiers are rewarded with free passes and other perks not available to Joe Fan.  On TV, they're saluted in commercials and in live remotes from the war zones during the holidays.

Commentators who take time out from criticizing players and officials to salute "our troops" for all the "tremendous sacrifices" they do sound as if they're auditioning for Rush Limbaugh's, Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's jobs.  Is it any coincidence that Fox has TV contracts with the NFL and MLB?

Sports is certainly not going to glorify the case of Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals football player who quit the game to join the army.  Most everyone admired him for his brave and patriotic decision, while others thought he was nuts.  But when Tillman was killed in Afghanistan under mysterious and less-than-heroic circumstances, it didn't fit the conservative narrative.

Sports used to be the place where you could get away from it all.  Since 9/11, not only has there been a climate of fear in the country, but the pro sports leagues and the TV networks that enable them have been pushing a political agenda that appeals mainly to Fox News-watching conservatives.  It is not a welcome sight to those of us who buy the tickets, or turn on the TV.  We just want to watch the game.

As the events of 9/11/01 recede farther into our history, so should the tendency of fans and commentators to shout 'USA!', 'USA!' after every score.  Remember, folks, it's only a game.

NFL '11: What Hath The Lockout Wrought?

Image via WikipediaThe National Football League's recent lockout of its players resulted in no regular-season games either canceled or rescheduled, but it did have its effects in other ways.  For instance, those pre-season games that everybody loathes except the owners and TV networks were really necessary this year, if only to make up for the lack of year-round training (particularly for rookies) coaches like to use to evaluate talent.  Also, some players used the lockout as an excuse to report to training camp out of shape.  Which is why all-pro Bryant McKinnie was cut by the Minnesota Vikings for being overweight, only to be picked up by the Baltimore Ravens.

Also of note are rule changes created in response to the alarming number of concussions in sports, especially football.  The most prominent of those is that kickoffs will now be from the 35-yard line, with a narrower margin for error on the kicking team.  Unfortunately, since most of today's kicking specialists seemed to have honed their craft in soccer, footballs tend to sail too far past the goal line to be returned.  So we offer this suggestion:  Limit kickoffs to the start of the first and second halves, just as basketball has done with its tipoffs (mainly because the players have gotten so big and the officials so small).  After each score, just hand the opposing team the ball at their 20-yard line.

As for who will be playing on the field, the fortunes vary.  Michael Vick signed a reported $100 million-dollar deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, proving there is life after a dog fighting conviction, even if not everyone is celebrating.  Donovan McNabb, who was Vick's predecessor at quarterback for the Eagles, has migrated to the Vikings after a disastrous year in Washington.  Rookie Terrelle Pryor will become an Oakland Raiders quarterback as soon as he serves a five game suspension, which was imposed by the league for his alleged misdeeds in college.  Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth are playing for, of all people, the Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots.  Terrell Owens and Randy Moss aren't playing anywhere.

The Vikings are starting over after a disastrous 2010 season.  Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Sidney Rice and coach Brad Childress are gone.  In their places are McNabb and Christian Ponder at quarterback, and Leslie Frazier as the new coach.  But it will take a couple of seasons for the Vikings to get back to championship-level football, so a 6-10 record sounds realistic.  At least they're returning to the friendly confines of what is now Mall of America Field at the Metrodome, complete with a new roof and turf to replace the ones that were damaged by a snowstorm.  How long the Vikings continue to play in the Metrodome remains to be seen.

Our projected division champions and playoff participants on the road to Indianapolis . . .

NFC EAST  New York Giants
         NORTH  Green Bay Packers
         SOUTH  New Orleans Saints
         WEST  St. Louis Rams
         WILD CARDS  Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions

AFC EAST  New England Patriots
         NORTH  Pittsburgh Steelers
         SOUTH  Jacksonville Jaguars
         WEST  San Diego Chargers
         WILD CARDS  Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets

College Football '11: The More Things Change . . .

Image via WikipediaAs the new college football season opens, it should surprise no one that the game is no longer played with leather helmets in front of spectators wearing raccoon coats and waving pennants, just like in those old Hollywood movies (The Marx Brothers in "Horse Feathers" comes to mind).

Even Knute Rockne, George Gipp and Bernie Bierman wouldn't recognize the massive stadiums, media coverage, and big budgets that makes the game such a lucrative proposition today.  The only ones not in on the windfall are the players who train year-round to star on Saturdays.  It's a wonder they're getting much studying done, let alone graduating with honors.

But there's always more money to be made.  That's why schools with football pedigrees jump conferences and sign lucrative TV deals to stay competitive.  Never mind that the nearest opponent in your new league might be half a continent away, or that the name of your new conference no longer reflects the number of teams in it.

• The Big Ten now has 12 schools, with the addition of the University of Nebraska.  They've also split into two divisions, inexplicably known as "Legends" and "Leaders".  And for the first time, they will play a championship game in Indianapolis in December.
• The Pac 10 has become the Pac 12, with Colorado and Utah coming in from other conferences.
• The Big 12 is down to ten schools with the departure of Colorado and Nebraska.  They were able to persuade the University of Texas to stay, but Texas A&M has announced its intention to leave, probably for the Southeastern Conference.
• Boise State and Texas Christian are also changing conferences, while Brigham Young is going the Notre Dame route as an independent.

Another thing Amos Alonzo Stagg might not recognize about college football today is how many programs have been embroiled in scandal, and only now is the NCAA getting around to punishing those schools for their alleged misdeeds.  They have resulted in Southern California giving up its 2004 national championship and Reggie Bush's Heisman trophy, North Carolina and Ohio State forfeiting games and losing coaches, and Miami of Florida possibly sinking its football program.

But there's one thing coaches like Bear Bryant, Bud Wilkinson and Darrel Royal might appreciate.  For the past six years, a team from the Sun Belt has won the BCS national championship, and the team defending it this time is Auburn.  Look for another school from the SEC to win it all this year.

So while such things as drop kicks, Minnesota Golden Gophers championships and Ronald Reagan announcing games on the radio are no longer part of college football, it's nice to know that some things never change.

When Is "The Fan" Not "The Fan"? An Update.

The flip-flopping of two of Clear Channel's Twin Cities radio stations has created an identity crisis of sorts.  The sports format, which had been on AM 1130, has moved to 100.3 FM, where the conservative talk format had been.

The station at 100.3 is officially known as KFXN, but on the air (and strictly for branding purposes) it is called "100.3 FM KFAN:  The Fan".  Apparently, Clear Channel couldn't persuade the owners of KFAN-FM in Johnson City, Texas to part with their call letters.

KFXN is also used on AM 690, a tiny 500-watter during the day that has to cut back its power to a whopping four watts at night (according to Wikipedia), carries mainly syndicated sports talk shows that "The Fan" won't sacrifice its local programming on.  "The Score 690" has been sold to a minority partnership, but will keep the sports format for now.

AM 1130 still has the KFAN call letters for now, but they will be changed to KTCN once the FCC gives its approval to reflect its branding as "Twin Cities News Talk".   True, the format is more news than talk, and the network they use is Fox News Radio.  But that's a subject for another time on another blog.

Honesty Bites

You may have heard about the 11-year old twins from Owatonna, MN named Nick and Nate Smith.  At a charity hockey event in nearby Faribault recently, Nate shot a puck from center ice 90 feet into a tiny hole where the goal usually is to win a $50,000 raffle.  Except it was Nick who was supposed to take the shot, and he wasn't anywhere near the building at the time.

Apparently, according to news reports, nobody in the family was comfortable with the situation, so the boys' father Pat confessed to the organizers the following day.

While an insurance company in Nevada determines whether or not the Smiths deserve the money (which probably would have been earmarked for college), the boys and their parents are enjoying their 15 minutes of fame making appearances on the networks' morning news shows, answering the same old questions.

Do the Smith boys get to keep the money?  No.  Mr. Smith was sneaky enough to substitute a twin brother to take the shot.  Would this be an issue if Nate had missed the shot?  Probably not.  But major props to the Smiths for having a conscience, even if this is the wrong era to give up that kind of money.

The moral of our story:  Honesty may be the best policy, but it can cost you an awful lot of money.

UPDATE  As expected, the Smith boys do not get to keep the money.  The Nevada-based insurance company decided to spend $20,000 on youth hockey programs in the boys' names, which would certainly deepen the tax burden on their father.  What happens to the rest of the money is unknown.  File this under "no good deed goes unpunished".

"The Fan" Hits FM Radio

Image via WikipediaKFAN radio has become rather aggressive since they got a competitor in the Twin Cities sports talk competition, having lost the ESPN Radio affiliation to KSTP-AM (1500) last year.  Besides being the home of Minnesota Vikings football, KFAN has also acquired the rights to Wild hockey and University of Minnesota football.  Now, after two decades at AM 1130, KFAN is moving to the FM band.

Owner Clear Channel is switching KFAN to 100.3 FM and its 100,000-watt signal, where news-talk KTLK used to reside.  Which means that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and their conservative pals have been banished to AM 1130 and its 50,000-watt signal, which the FCC mandates that the power be cut in half at night.  (They'll still be heard on 102.5 FM through a low-power signal Clear Channel just purchased from a religious broadcaster.)

This is a risky move.  Both stations had been doing well ratings-wise.  Apparently, Clear Channel thinks a sports format with a younger demographic would do better on FM than conservative talk would with an older one.  It remains to be seen if sports talk can work on FM, given that some of the biggest markets like New York and Los Angeles don't have such a station.  This could be a case of fixing what isn't broken.

The two stations might be forced to change their call letters.  There is already a KFAN-FM in Texas, and that one has a rock format instead of sports.  And Clear Channel has a KTLK-AM, which is a progressive talk station in Los Angeles.  For that reason, the new AM 1130 will be billed as "Twin Cities News Talk".

It's going to be a real interesting time in Twin Cities radio, which hasn't seen this much potential for upheaval in years.  Here are the players:

• WCCO-AM (830), its sports portfolio reduced to Timberwolves basketball (if the NBA lockout ends) and University of St. Thomas football, may be considering its own move to FM.  Much speculation centers on owner CBS Radio, which could decide to change formats on either WLTE (102.9 FM) or KZJK (104.1 FM).  Really, why would they want to waste an AM signal that can be heard across North America, with far more listeners than FM could ever have?
• KSTP-AM, which is getting ripped from all sides (especially Minnesota Twins fans) about its signal limitations, might be forced to move its sports format to FM.  But Hubbard Broadcasting doesn't want to sacrifice its successful KS95 (94.5 FM) or struggling women-focused talker KTMY (107.1 FM) to do that.  They might, however, be able to persuade the Pohlad family (which owns the Twins) to sell them 96.3 Now, a contemporary hits station that's barely making a dent against KDWB (101.3 FM), and turn it into a sports station.
• The merger of broadcasting companies Citadel and Cumulus is scheduled to be finalized in the next few weeks, which could mean big changes for KQRS (92.5 FM), 93X (93.7 FM) and the Love 105 stations (105.1, 105.3 and 105.7 FM).  Or maybe not.

So enjoy listening to "jock around the clock" in crystal-clear FM.  As for us, we'll stick to public radio unless there's a game on.

UPDATE:  The new AM 1130 will become KTCN (what, WTCN wasn't available?), and it won't be simulcast on 102.5 FM, pending FCC approval.  For now, it'll be heard on 103.5 FM.