For personal reasons I'll not discuss, I don't watch pro sports. I used to, but many things in the last several years have me no longer watching any of the major pro sports (football, baseball, basket ball, hockey, racing, etc). 'Nuf said.
Now, I'm finding myself pissed off about college sports. This year, my alma mater is playing in a football bowl game; doesn't happen that often. Now that I'm retired, I've got the time and money to go watch my team play in the bowl game. So I bought tix, and even got the official pre-game tailgate package, etc. It's not a cheap day; game tix, tailgate tix, travel and hotel. I'm all ramped up and excited. Or, at least I was ...
I've just now learned that some of the key players in this regular season have decided to sit the game out, for the purpose of protecting themselves for the draft (avoiding potential injuries).
On one hand, I do understand their concern. If they are reasonably expecting to be drafted (which a couple are certainly worthy), I can appreciate their interest in protecting their own "brand" by not risking being hurt, potentially with a career ending event. I get it.
OTOH, I paid for tix to watch the WHOLE team play, in hopes that we might actually win the bowl game. I don't really appreciate the effect this has; I'm now counting on some shadow-roster team to pull a miracle out of their behinds.
This is the trickle-down perversion that pro-sports now has. The fans of the team get screwed. I root for my school; my entire team. I don't just pay to watch Mr. Jones or Mr. Smith play well; I want the entire team to play for the collective effect. And that's what I pay for when I buy tix and merchandise.
What makes me even more angry is that these players took compensation for their efforts, but then walk away when they are needed most.
- most all players are on a partial or total scholarship; rare is the walk-on in Div 1
- some of them even leave before they graduate, which cheats someone else out of a diploma who would have played and stayed for the career AFTER sports
- now some are going to sit on a bench and watch the school's chances to win evaporate, the very school that gave them a chance at being a star
To some degree, I blame both the short and long term effects on the school. I confess I'm not familiar with all the NCAA rules and regs, but I'd like to see the ability of a school to demand a full season's play for that scholaraship. If you decide to sit out the post season, then you owe the entire year's tuition/room/board back. Unfortunately, if the person does go pro, that's really not a deterrent as they can easily afford a year's pay-back with a big draft incentive. Futher, I think the school purposely held off on announcing these players decision to sit it out; they know darn good and well if three or four prime players don't step on the field, that will reduce both tix sales and even might affect the TV contract $$$. Most folks immediatley rush to get tix as soon as the bowl schedules are announced. But if we had been made aware that these prime players were going to be no-shows, I for one would have probably stayed home. Well, lesson learned, for sure. It may be another decade until my team gets another bowl bid, but I won't get suckered into going. By that time, I'll probalby be so pissed at college sports it won't matter.
And if this is allowed to happen, why doesn't it seep into stuff like basketball? Imagine what the NCAA big-dance would be like if every decent team had several kids sit out the tournament because of a draft potential? Why play the tournament if some of the best players would take a seat? It's almost as if there's two teams; the regular season team and the post-season team. There's no assurance that the former will be the whole of the later. And the BIG losers are the fans who pay in both cash and emotions spent on years, even decades, of loyalty, only to watch some 20 year old upset the entire roster when the chips are down.
I quit watching pro sports because of selfish players, poor sportsmanship, etc.
College sports is quickly becoming something I'm losing interest in for the same reasons.
Well, that's my rant for the day.
Dave.