The demise of college sports

[stephenPE]

and Why.
Back in the good old days you had your teams. It was a regional thing. Your players were yours. They played for your team, HS, college or pro. Then a thing called free agency came along(a good thing). Players had to play awhile but then could take offers from other teams. I still think a good thing, So we slowly evolved into a mercenary type of Pro sports. Old allegiances went by the way side and power moved toward the richest franchises (remember Steinbrenner ). Over the years the tenor of fandom became a little more angry and more critical. With movement among players your team didnt really seem like "your team" anymore.
Over the years that attitude and mindset migrated down to the colleges. TV and big $$$ became the tail that wagged the dog. Players wanted to go where the bright lights and fame were easiest to gain. So kids from Calif headed to the south and other places. About 30 years ago we saw it start in the high schools. Private schools saw the joys of successful sports programs and started "recruiting". So you ended up with Bolles in Jacksonville playing small schools for titles with players from all over the place. I saw a small private school in Lakeland become the "cross country school" and them pick off the good runners from the area.
Kids want to be on winning teams. So now you have a Bama in football and worse a Kentucky in basketball where you end up with basically "all star teams" that tilt the damned field almost over. But worse to me is how it happened in high schools. You have kids jumping all over the damned place when HS should be more about life, learning and transitioning into adulthood, My solution in HS is to have separate championships for small private schools loaded up with talent they picked from out of their zone.........when I see a Branford or Newberry finally have a great team, ready to win a title, and then meet up with a Bolles whose QB is from Texas and RB from south Fla I want to vomit................

 

[EyeDocGator]

I no longer follow any pro sports for this reason. Why should I care about a team when the players don't give a ####. Unfortunately, it seems as though college sports may be following a similar downward trajectory.

 

[Thick&ThinG8r]

I totally agree with you coach but you fail to mention that 1/3 of Newberrys team is not from Newberry, same goes for Trenton.
The new rules allow any player to transfer even midyear and be eligible immediately.

 

[Kyng]

I can't wait for Saban to retire. He's kind of ruined college football for me. Am I jealous of Bamas success? Of course lol. But people are in awe at how good Bama is, but if you look at all the players Saban gets it's kind of expected. I don't understand how they get so many top kids. I'd rather go to my local university and try to build something special there, instead these kids line up just to be another small cog in the wheel at Bama, where they will win with or without you. I guess I'm just bitter.

 

[stephenPE]

Yeah, if it was us we probably think like them but I see much more parity with smaller schools cause lots of kids dont want to sit and go play where they get a chance...............I think his kids may think " I go play for awhile, dont have to play all the time, win a title and go right to the NFL..................

 

[G8trwood]

Don't forget the new FHSAA rules where a student can go to any school in the district if there is room. No recruiting here. All started by a pissed of parent and legislator whose kid could not go where they wanted. One small local school had 15 starters transfer out two weeks before the first game, so either they or their patents could pursue the football dream.

I agree that it all has gotten ridiculous and the coddling/idiolization creates all the premadonas we love..

 

[stephenPE]

G8trwood, did you know your name was the name of the Apt. where the gville serial killer killed a few and then they tore it down,
http://people.com/archive/a-killer-on-the-campus-vol-34-no-11/

 

[cover2]

and Why.
Back in the good old days you had your teams. It was a regional thing. Your players were yours. They played for your team, HS, college or pro. Then a thing called free agency came along(a good thing). Players had to play awhile but then could take offers from other teams. I still think a good thing, So we slowly evolved into a mercenary type of Pro sports. Old allegiances went by the way side and power moved toward the richest franchises (remember Steinbrenner ). Over the years the tenor of fandom became a little more angry and more critical. With movement among players your team didnt really seem like "your team" anymore.
Over the years that attitude and mindset migrated down to the colleges. TV and big $$$ became the tail that wagged the dog. Players wanted to go where the bright lights and fame were easiest to gain. So kids from Calif headed to the south and other places. About 30 years ago we saw it start in the high schools. Private schools saw the joys of successful sports programs and started "recruiting". So you ended up with Bolles in Jacksonville playing small schools for titles with players from all over the place. I saw a small private school in Lakeland become the "cross country school" and them pick off the good runners from the area.
Kids want to be on winning teams. So now you have a Bama in football and worse a Kentucky in basketball where you end up with basically "all star teams" that tilt the damned field almost over. But worse to me is how it happened in high schools. You have kids jumping all over the damned place when HS should be more about life, learning and transitioning into adulthood, My solution in HS is to have separate championships for small private schools loaded up with talent they picked from out of their zone.........when I see a Branford or Newberry finally have a great team, ready to win a title, and then meet up with a Bolles whose QB is from Texas and RB from south Fla I want to vomit................

I agree that it all has gotten ridiculous and the coddling/idiolization creates all the premadonas we love..[/QUOTE]
Certainly in agreement and I believe you are right...it has ruined a lot of what was good and pure about the HS sports experiences.

I totally agree with you coach but you fail to mention that 1/3 of Newberrys team is not from Newberry, same goes for Trenton.
The new rules allow any player to transfer even midyear and be eligible immediately.

Don't forget the new FHSAA rules where a student can go to any school in the district if there is room. No recruiting here. All started by a pissed of parent and legislator whose kid could not go where they wanted. One small local school had 15 starters transfer out two weeks before the first game, so either they or their patents could pursue the football dream.

I agree that it all has gotten ridiculous and the coddling/idiolization creates all the premadonas we love..

The first step toward what Thick and Wood have posted started a few years back when the FHSAA established a Rural Schools classification in hopes that they could get all the private schools and smaller public school powerhouses (think Belle Glades here) to combine with the intent being to take the known recruiters and those schools who might be small and isolated but who seem to have a yearly lock on the playoffs/championships and combine them, leaving the "traditional" public schools and privates that chose to remain to compete. Just my opinion, but this was a thinly veiled effort to address the recruiting problem that FHSAA couldn't get a grip on. Now, of course, we have the situation that Thick and Wood mention where recruiting is now not only legitimized, but maybe encouraged. After all, who is the FHSAA or any governing organization to deny students the right to seek a team that provides them with the best opportunity to be recruited, eventually go pro, and reap the monetary benefits?

Sounds pretty ridiculous when you consider that only a small fraction of student-athletes will ever be recruited to go to college to play ball, but this is a vestige of the mania that has engulfed a large part of our society. We have incidences at the school where I work with parents of kids on the different teams who couldn't play dead in a cowboy movie going to the school board and demanding that coaches be fired because of the harm they are doing to their children and their "futures" by not playing them as much as the parents think they should. We have a RB who is a junior and is ranked a 4 star (#7 in his position group) and has committed to Alabama. There's a possibility he might forgo his senior year in the town he grew up in to go and play at IMG. He's been a really good kid, humble and unassuming, and a good student, but this last year has shown some changes and he talks about his "career" and not wanting to jeopardize it and so forth. I hope he can survive the hype, but this is yet another example of where we are and I don't think it is a good place.

 

[TLB]

You have kids jumping all over the damned place when HS should be more about life, learning and transitioning into adulthood,

Related, when I was in HS we were given a choice of regular HS or going through the newly launched International Baccalaureate program, a fast track with college level curriculum. Now, it was running in the worst HS in town of the five we had, so that was not interesting - but moreover I chose to enjoy my HS years.

This past weekend I was speaking with friends of mine in NJ who have a son entering HS. Apparently, like magnet schools, they have high schools being set up specifically focusing on not college curriculum, but college focused subjects. For example, you could go to a HS that focuses on preparing you for law school, or a biomedical college program. The point being, for kids that know what they want to be, there are HS created to accelerate you getting to your degree and career. You can only apply to 2 such college-track HS programs, and you have to provide your first and second choice. There is also the opportunity to go to a regular HS if you choose. While I see the benefit of a HS structured around critical skill careers, it is totally sidestepping the 'figuring out how to be an adult' and the growing up part of the HS experience.

 

[stephenPE]

Your first paragraph almost describes Gainesville to a T. And I agree completely about those fast tracking kids. They basically go to what is like college their HS years. My daughter and her group went to a regular public school instead of the IB one and her school had more National Merit Scholars than the IB did that year. And she got to go to a regular HS (it was excellent with all the AP classes though)
I see it in the elementary now even. They have tried to accelerate everything ( I guess to catch up with the Asian countries) and forget the kids are still kids that do not all mature and grasp things at the same rate...............absolutely asinine.......

 

[G8trwood]

G8trwood, did you know your name was the name of the Apt. where the gville serial killer killed a few and then they tore it down,
http://people.com/archive/a-killer-on-the-campus-vol-34-no-11/

Unfortunately it keeps getting pointed out to me :( lol.... just a gator who used to build furniture.....

 

[cover2]

Related, when I was in HS we were given a choice of regular HS or going through the newly launched International Baccalaureate program, a fast track with college level curriculum. Now, it was running in the worst HS in town of the five we had, so that was not interesting - but moreover I chose to enjoy my HS years.

This past weekend I was speaking with friends of mine in NJ who have a son entering HS. Apparently, like magnet schools, they have high schools being set up specifically focusing on not college curriculum, but college focused subjects. For example, you could go to a HS that focuses on preparing you for law school, or a biomedical college program. The point being, for kids that know what they want to be, there are HS created to accelerate you getting to your degree and career. You can only apply to 2 such college-track HS programs, and you have to provide your first and second choice. There is also the opportunity to go to a regular HS if you choose. While I see the benefit of a HS structured around critical skill careers, it is totally sidestepping the 'figuring out how to be an adult' and the growing up part of the HS experience.

Your first paragraph almost describes Gainesville to a T. And I agree completely about those fast tracking kids. They basically go to what is like college their HS years. My daughter and her group went to a regular public school instead of the IB one and her school had more National Merit Scholars than the IB did that year. And she got to go to a regular HS (it was excellent with all the AP classes though)
I see it in the elementary now even. They have tried to accelerate everything ( I guess to catch up with the Asian countries) and forget the kids are still kids that do not all mature and grasp things at the same rate...............absolutely asinine.......

Academic "recruiting" came first, I think. Now, along with the kids being able to literally go to a different HS for sports each year (if not more), the traditional HS experience is looking like it might soon be a thing of the past. To be fair, my daughter left the school she'd been at since 4K this year to come with me for her junior and senior years and participate in GA's MOWR (Move On When Ready) program. She takes a few core courses at the HS and the rest of her courses are at the local college (though she could actually go to any GA college for this). They count toward the 28-32 credits she needs to graduate and at that time, unless she slips up somehow, she finishes HS with a diploma and an AA degree. Best thing is that all her books, fees, and tuition are covered by the state and she can participate in several HS activities (she's playing golf and participates in the Art Club). Still, it's not for everybody. Thank goodness she's a good student, motivated, and a good time manager. It's working for her. My son (the oldest), on the other hand, would probably still be in HS if he'd tried this route!

The problem with all the accelerating is that it is probably only realistic for a small percentage of students, but in this day of everybody wanting to play regardless of meeting the minimum criteria, you get a lot of misplaced students who really need that traditional HS experience to grow up, learn how to interact with others their own age appropriately, and develop success skills like work ethic, time management, and self-discipline. If we weren't such a participation trophy society (my opinion), it would likely be good for all concerned, but as it stands, it isn't a one-size-fits-all with athletics or academics.

 

[Floridagator]

I can't wait for Saban to retire. He's kind of ruined college football for me. Am I jealous of Bamas success? Of course lol. But people are in awe at how good Bama is, but if you look at all the players Saban gets it's kind of expected. I don't understand how they get so many top kids. I'd rather go to my local university and try to build something special there, instead these kids line up just to be another small cog in the wheel at Bama, where they will win with or without you. I guess I'm just bitter.

These were my basic words on another post Alabama has been allowed to ruin college football.

 

[Chomper]

Great example: look at the ACC. Its teams stretch from Boston in the north down along the eastern seaboard, making several inland excursions and finally down to Miami. Where are the geographic rivalries in that mess? Heck, from one year to the next I have no idea who is or isn't part of the ACC. Even Notre Dame is in it, kinda, well maybe not, who knows. To hell with tradition, to hell with rivalries, let's just get all the TV revenue we can squeeze out of the networks. The old Tobacco Road ACC was great. Everyone hated everyone else and the season ending hoops tournament was a must see. Now it is just another homogenized post-season tournament filled with a gaggle of teams that have no hate for each other.

 

[Omar's Coming Yo!]

Sports is a business. Maybe you should stay at your current employer for the next 30 years. You know, show them loyalty and commitment regardless of how good or bad your situation is. You made a commitment stick with it. No one likes a quitter.

 

[Floridagator]

These were my basic words on another post Alabama has been allowed to ruin college football.

I personally sat in the living room talking to seventh and eighth grade kids moms and dads about how good our school was for education, while wearing state championship rings letting them know we also had a good football program. I never went to the house of a girl or boy that could not play ball. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[NavetG8r]

College football as we know it ceased to exist when the midget took over at Bama. Now he gets 3/4 of all the 4 and 5* recruits and everybody else has to take the scraps. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.

 

[stephenPE]

Great example: look at the ACC. Its teams stretch from Boston in the north down along the eastern seaboard, making several inland excursions and finally down to Miami. Where are the geographic rivalries in that mess? Heck, from one year to the next I have no idea who is or isn't part of the ACC. Even Notre Dame is in it, kinda, well maybe not, who knows. To hell with tradition, to hell with rivalries, let's just get all the TV revenue we can squeeze out of the networks. The old Tobacco Road ACC was great. Everyone hated everyone else and the season ending hoops tournament was a must see. Now it is just another homogenized post-season tournament filled with a gaggle of teams that have no hate for each other.

Exactly. All this nonsense conf. realighnment fcked up a lot of great rivalries........For instance UF vs Aub, (as if we need more rivalries._

Everyone hated everyone else and the season ending hoops tournament was a must see.

The greatness of that tournament cannot be understated. It was amazing. One night in the early 70s I picked up WBT from Charlotte driving from Newberry to Gainesville. Some guy was announcing a game from the tournament he was so damned good it was like you were watching the game. He was probably some iconic announcer from UNC or Clemson

 

[Blacklabgator]

Don't forget the new FHSAA rules where a student can go to any school in the district if there is room. No recruiting here. All started by a pissed of parent and legislator whose kid could not go where they wanted. One small local school had 15 starters transfer out two weeks before the first game, so either they or their patents could pursue the football dream.

I agree that it all has gotten ridiculous and the coddling/idiolization creates all the premadonas we love..

That rule doesn't take effect until next year.