The Politics of the Grambling Affair

[Cap'n Cat]

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Good article form ESPN about the mess. First, let me say that, although a proud bleeding-heart, feed-the-poor Liberal, I am rather Darwinian when it comes to businesses failing. Such is that state of Grambling football. It's a failing enterprise. Making the whole thing worse is Jackson State now looking at legal action to make up for what are truly considerable losses for the community.

Second, the text is sure to raise the hackles of (mostly) Conks when it says that the university is using this controversy to highlight the sorry state of funding for HBCU's. "The Man is keeping us down" sort of thing.

Regarding the players, today's athletes have hundreds and hundreds of choices in where to compete in football. If it ain't working there, they can go somewhere else.

On the other hand, Louisiana is a Conk-captured state, like many where Conk legislatures do not hesitate to slash budgets for the most important things, such as education. Some say the guy in charge there, Jindal, would make a good POTUS. Ahem.

This mess is bigger than anyone of us think and a barometer for the entire nation.

Discuss.

[mrklean]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ng-forfeit

Good article form ESPN about the mess. First, let me say that, although a proud bleeding-heart, feed-the-poor Liberal, I am rather Darwinian when it comes to businesses failing. Such is that state of Grambling football. It's a failing enterprise. Making the whole thing worse is Jackson State now looking at legal action to make up for what are truly considerable losses for the community.

Second, the text is sure to raise the hackles of (mostly) Conks when it says that the university is using this controversy to highlight the sorry state of funding for HBCU's. "The Man is keeping us down" sort of thing.

Regarding the players, today's athletes have hundreds and hundreds of choices in where to compete in football. If it ain't working there, they can go somewhere else.

On the other hand, Louisiana is a Conk-captured state, like many where Conk legislatures do not hesitate to slash budgets for the most important things, such as education. Some say the guy in charge there, Jindal, would make a good POTUS. Ahem.

This mess is bigger than anyone of us think and a barometer for the entire nation.

Discuss.

[FCS PATRIOTS]

I was hoping they would've busted down the door to the President's office strapped with gats and infra-reds demanding some "GOT-DAMN CHANGE"

[blueballs]

Sounds like they have financial issues in the program... they can either raise the activities fees on the students and/or get off their asses and fund raise, just like every other program has to do OR they can acknowledge college football truly is a cash game and perhaps time has passed them by and they are no longer able to compete- regardless of the proud tradition.

Nothing political about it... it is all about math.

[Cap'n Cat]

Sounds like they have financial issues in the program... they can either raise the activities fees on the students and/or get off their asses and fund raise, just like every other program has to do OR they can acknowledge college football truly is a cash game and perhaps time has passed them by and they are no longer able to compete- regardless of the proud tradition.

Nothing political about it... it is all about math.

You're right, P. However, please don't deny me the opportunity to gash Conks about something.

Thank you.

Bill

[Pwns]

As I said on AGS, this is a perfect example of why revenue sports should be exempted from Title IX.

Why should Grambling have to blow up football and maybe a couple of women's sports, move down to DII when it makes more sense to just cut a few women's sports and leave the football team that generates by far more revenue than any other sport participates in maybe the most lucrative FCS football game, the Bayou Classic?

That makes too much sense in our insane, ultra-PC modern political climate.

[Cap'n Cat]

As I said on AGS, this is a perfect example of why revenue sports should be exempted from Title IX.

Why should Grambling have to blow up football and maybe a couple of women's sports, move down to DII when it makes more sense to just cut a few women's sports and leave the football team that generates by far more revenue than any other sport participates in maybe the most lucrative FCS football game, the Bayou Classic?

That makes too much sense in our insane, ultra-PC modern political climate.

Do you have daughters or a wife, Pawny?

[Pwns]

As I said on AGS, this is a perfect example of why revenue sports should be exempted from Title IX.

Why should Grambling have to blow up football and maybe a couple of women's sports, move down to DII when it makes more sense to just cut a few women's sports and leave the football team that generates by far more revenue than any other sport participates in maybe the most lucrative FCS football game, the Bayou Classic?

That makes too much sense in our insane, ultra-PC modern political climate.

Do you have daughters or a wife, Pawny?

What are you getting at here? Title IX in itself isn't the problem, but the way that is has been applied to college sports. If you have an imbalance in scholarships for non-revenue sports, I can understand you have a problem. If a major car manufacturer has a model that just doesn't sell, it makes sense to stop producing that model. Why can't Grambling cut sports that don't make money?

[Cap'n Cat]

Do you have daughters or a wife, Pawny?

What are you getting at here? Title IX in itself isn't the problem, but the way that is has been applied to college sports. If you have an imbalance in scholarships for non-revenue sports, I can understand you have a problem. If a major car manufacturer has a model that just doesn't sell, it makes sense to stop producing that model. Why can't Grambling cut sports that don't make money?

Fine. Just askin'.