In the classic 1998 novel You’ve Got Mail — Mrs. O insisted that I describe her favorite movie as a classic. Discuss? – Joe Fox explains to Kathleen Kelly that closing her small family-owned bookstore is strictly a job.
“It’s not personal,” he assures.
Kelly isn’t buying it. She counters the superstore owner’s famous “Godfather” reference with a dismissive shake of her head.
“I’m so sorry about that,” she says. All this means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s personal for a lot of people.”
Of course it is. But does anyone talk about it?
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That funny but enlightening Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan scene came to mind last week at Big Ten football media days in Indianapolis, as commissioner Kevin Warren, conference coaches and Big Ten Network executives addressed the changes taking place in college athletics.
Frustration over issues related to conference realignment, name, image and likeness and the transfer portal were palpable — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz’s harangue was particularly impressive, and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh lamented the loss of regional conferences — but the sentiment of the majority was that the “new” college football is business, not personal.
College football is business, not personal
In the current vernacular, “It is what it is.”
That’s how Maryland coach Mike Locksley described his team eventually having to travel 2,500 miles and three time zones to play UCLA and Southern California when the two West Coast teams begin Big Ten play in 2024.
Acceptance of change is mostly healthy. Don’t sweat what you can’t control. But if you’re not at least a little concerned by the increasing professionalism of college sports, I wonder what you want from amateur athletics in the first place (beyond lower ticket prices, cheaper parking, and more competitive non-conference games )?
Are you interested in regional rivalries? Would it annoy you if athletes were able to transfer whenever they wanted? (The NCAA announced last week that it is close to eliminating the restriction against players who transfer multiple times.) Do you worry that the locker room chemistry will burn out when the starting quarterback makes $2 million in NIL money and the second team tight end makes $10,000?
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Yes, it’s personal. And this is coming from someone strongly in favor of the NIL and selfishly excited about the Bruins and Trojans coming on board, as well as the formation of a possible 16-team playoff (the altruistic side of me feels for the athletes who will be forced to cross the country and football players are forced to play extra games to earn more money for institutions that insist it’s not all about the money; hey, it’s complicated)
Maybe it’s naive to expect college football to tread water. I do not support a return to the era of pre-player empowerment. But taking another shot at becoming NFL 2.0? Some argue that we are already there, but we are not. The players are seeking to join — see Penn State — but legally they are not yet university employees. And be careful what you wish for on this thread, athletes, because employees can be fired if they drop three passes in a game or keep tripping on the balance beam.
What the fans want
What I DO do fans want? Maybe it’s enough to watch your team on TV, unconcerned with the bureaucratic inner workings of sports, perfectly content with a drink that doesn’t require you to work a second job to afford it.
Such may be the case. A Twitter poll conducted last week suggests that 71% of fans will continue to watch as much college football as possible, regardless of whether the conferences are further divided into haves and have-nots. (ie the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference forming separate super leagues with 24 teams facing off in a national championship game). Twitter’s audience is younger, so the numbers are likely to leave out a good chunk of old traditionalists, but those dinosaurs, uh, aren’t the future.
On the other hand, warning signals cannot be ignored. The same poll showed 26% would only watch top-level college football, not a weakened Pac-12, for example, which doesn’t bode well for conferences hoping to avoid making B leagues.
Fortunately, the product on the field (including the band!) remains essentially the same as ever. This semi-wildness has more to do with the suits recognizing and offering some sympathy outside their windowless worlds that the business of college football affects personality.
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CEO coaches keeping staff at bay is somewhat understandable, if not a little disappointing. They’re driven to remove the distraction, yes, but it wouldn’t kill them to say “I feel for the fans on this thread” just once.
“I don’t know if I’m a fan (of the changes). I just know we have to adjust,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “That’s what you need to focus on.”
This is the business part doing the talking. But just under Day’s veneer, I daresay a little bit of the personal seeped through.
“There are nights I don’t sleep well because I don’t know what’s coming,” he said.
Join the club, coach. It’s personal for a lot of people.
roller@dispatch.com
