"If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?" That saying could be attributed to the beginning of the NHL, which started its regular season on October 7, 2010. The problem is, the season opened in Europe and not many people noticed.
This is a sport that was formerly considered part of the Big Four, along with baseball, basketball and football. So to kick-off the new year with little to no fanfare across the Atlantic Ocean is not really a step in the right direction.
The more time goes by, the more apparent it becomes that the powers that be in the NHL have no clue how to build the sport. From the inability to market their stars, to the lousy television coverage, and from the resistance to learn from other leagues, to the perceived incompetence of commissioner Gary Bettman, hockey continues to fall behind.
To the casual fan, the faces of the NHL are only Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. That is fine, but with the majority of the teams located in the U.S., how about promoting some American players? American fans are always loyal to teams local to them, but would be more loyal to the league as a whole if some of their fellow countrymen were carrying the sport.
By playing games in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Prague, you are catering to the international fan. But when it comes right down to it, it is the local market fans that you need in the seats for the rest of the regular season to pay the bills. Taking away two chances for parents to bring their kids to home games will only hinder developing young fans that will grow up with your product.
Not only are the games on at unreasonable times when they are across the pond, but the television coverage is also nonexistent. With the NHL's current deal to show games on Versus and NBC, a vast majority of the U.S. viewing audience will not see a live game until the Winter Classic is played on January 1. That is almost three months after the season has started.
The NFL tried regular season games in London, and it just didn't work. The time the game had to be played, the scheduling problems it caused for the team and the league, and the lack of interest from American fans that lost a home game just aren't worth it. While hockey is a much more international game, these problems the NFL faced also affect the NHL.
And what good did it do the league to have games played when no one could watch them? The other major sports make a spectacle of the beginning of the season. It is important to create an atmosphere of excitement for bringing back the fans after the long offseason.
The NFL has their Kickoff Weekend, MLB does Opening Day with a marquee matchup for the first prime time Sunday night game on Opening Weekend, and the NBA selectively schedules games with teams and players that the fans are interested in seeing to start their campaign. This is all good marketing ploys to maintain popularity and to attract new fans.
Further proof of the poor coverage can be seen by looking at the programming on ESPN. They show games for the NFL, MLB, NBA and MLS. NASCAR races for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series are on the "Family of Networks." And there is still boxing and even a weekly MMA show. The only major sport without a highlight/analysis show or game broadcast is hockey.
The commissioner's office will probably say that ratings and attendance were both up last year. The thing they won't tell you is that it was an artificial bump. Versus was available in more homes which helped. Also the ratings, attendance and interest are always at a high during an Olympic year.
The question is, what has the league done to capitalize on the increased visibility? By not getting a better TV deal, having talk of not allowing the NHL players in the 2014 Olympics, and the European season openers, it appears that more harm than good was actually done.
If Commissioner Bettman and the team owners don't get it together, they will no longer have to worry about the Big Three sports ahead of them. They will also be looking up at the Next Three sports of NASCAR, Soccer (MLS) and MMA. And if that happens, then it won't be long until we get to tell our kids about a game we loved that now only exists in sports' history books.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
"Quit Saying That" - Sports Phrases That Need Abolished
Hey all Ric's Rants followers:
Please check out my latest slide show blog at Bleacher Report. Just click on the link below or copy and paste the URL into your address bar. All comments are always welcome.
Thanks as always for reading my rants. I know that is a few minutes of your life you can never get back, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/372662-quit-saying-that-sports-phrases-that-need-abolished
Please check out my latest slide show blog at Bleacher Report. Just click on the link below or copy and paste the URL into your address bar. All comments are always welcome.
Thanks as always for reading my rants. I know that is a few minutes of your life you can never get back, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/372662-quit-saying-that-sports-phrases-that-need-abolished
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Why Peyton Manning Doesn't Need Another Super Bowl To Be The Greatest
Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh. These are names that tend to be brought up anytime there is a discussion or debate of the greatest quarterback of all time. The recent thoughts have been whether or not Peyton Manning deserves to be considered the best of the best or not.
There have been pros and cons brought up by the media and common fans alike. And as in most arguments, the facts are only used to validate which side is being defended. I am sure I will be accused of that as well, but that is what makes this my opinion.
With Manning at the helm, the Colts set an NFL record with 115 regular season wins in the 2000's. There are those that will discount this record since the NFL didn't always play 16 games a year and there are teams that missed out on potential games due to strike shortened seasons. Those are both valid points.
However, Donovan McNabb's Eagles, Tom Brady's Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger's Steelers, and the Drew Brees/Phillip Rivers lead Chargers all played the same number of regular season games that the Colts did. And shouldn't Manning be given credit for what he did based on the rules and schedules at the time he played as opposed to being penalized for changes to the schedule and missed games from strikes that he had no control over?
You can also point to Manning's playoff appearances. The Colts have made the playoffs nine of the last ten years. That achievement by itself should warrant much more praise than it is currently getting.
Although this is only his second Super Bowl appearance, sometimes just getting to the postseason is an accomplishment in itself. While Manning may not have the best playoff stats, the fact that the Colts' defense did not perform well either should be taken into account as well when looking at the seven playoff losses attributed to Manning.
The biggest point that leads to arguments seems to be the number of Super Bowl rings. While this is important, the overall impact the number or rings seems to have been blown out of proportion.
Some say that Manning cannot be the best because he only has one ring and Tom Brady has three. So if it just just about the number of rings, why isn't Terry Bradshaw and his four rings considered head and shoulders above everyone else? Or how about Otto Graham with four AAFL and three NFL Championships in a ten year career which took place before the introduction of the Super Bowl?
It has been mentioned that only if Manning gets his second ring by beating the Saints, then he can be considered the best. If Manning does not get the win at Super Bowl XLIV, then does than mean the Peyton is only as good as Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, and Brad Johnson?
If greatness is only measured by rings, does that mean that Trent Dilfer and Doug Williams should be regarded as being better than Dan Marino since the Dolphin great never won the big game? I have a hard time thinking anyone would win that debate.
There are also intangibles that pure statistics cannot give a true measure. Poise in the pocket, reading defenses, game management, adjusting your play during the game, taking advantage of what the opposing defense gives you , and many others. Peyton Manning with rank at or near the top in each of these and probably most other intangible categories that can be thought of to help determine the what makes a great quarterback.
This is a topic that will be debated for years to come. There are always going to be people that look at different aspects of a particular quarterback's career to call them the best.
Some will look at Favre's stats and records, Brady's rings, Montana's poise, Marino's talent, and so on and so on. Peyton Manning still has plenty of years left to surpass each of these great players in almost every statistical category. He can also have all of his intangibles looked upon as favorably compared to, or be better than, anyone that has ever played the game.
Whether he plays another 15 years and wins four more Super Bowls or if he hangs it up after possibly losing to New Orleans, Peyton Manning has already had a great career. Whether you look at statistics or look at what he brings to the game that cannot be defined by numbers, Manning can already be called arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.
And sometimes, the argument is the best part of an ambiguous title such as this since everyone has their own criteria to determine their own winner.
Once he does decide to wind down his career, there will most likely be a new up and comer that the media and NFL experts will say can be better than Manning. As time goes on, the game will continue to change and the position will continue to evolve.
There will be records broken and the unmeasurable intangibles will be compared. This will only make it tougher to determine who the best is, who the best was, and who the best will be in the future.
But that will be a rant for another day.
There have been pros and cons brought up by the media and common fans alike. And as in most arguments, the facts are only used to validate which side is being defended. I am sure I will be accused of that as well, but that is what makes this my opinion.
With Manning at the helm, the Colts set an NFL record with 115 regular season wins in the 2000's. There are those that will discount this record since the NFL didn't always play 16 games a year and there are teams that missed out on potential games due to strike shortened seasons. Those are both valid points.
However, Donovan McNabb's Eagles, Tom Brady's Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger's Steelers, and the Drew Brees/Phillip Rivers lead Chargers all played the same number of regular season games that the Colts did. And shouldn't Manning be given credit for what he did based on the rules and schedules at the time he played as opposed to being penalized for changes to the schedule and missed games from strikes that he had no control over?
You can also point to Manning's playoff appearances. The Colts have made the playoffs nine of the last ten years. That achievement by itself should warrant much more praise than it is currently getting.
Although this is only his second Super Bowl appearance, sometimes just getting to the postseason is an accomplishment in itself. While Manning may not have the best playoff stats, the fact that the Colts' defense did not perform well either should be taken into account as well when looking at the seven playoff losses attributed to Manning.
The biggest point that leads to arguments seems to be the number of Super Bowl rings. While this is important, the overall impact the number or rings seems to have been blown out of proportion.
Some say that Manning cannot be the best because he only has one ring and Tom Brady has three. So if it just just about the number of rings, why isn't Terry Bradshaw and his four rings considered head and shoulders above everyone else? Or how about Otto Graham with four AAFL and three NFL Championships in a ten year career which took place before the introduction of the Super Bowl?
It has been mentioned that only if Manning gets his second ring by beating the Saints, then he can be considered the best. If Manning does not get the win at Super Bowl XLIV, then does than mean the Peyton is only as good as Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, and Brad Johnson?
If greatness is only measured by rings, does that mean that Trent Dilfer and Doug Williams should be regarded as being better than Dan Marino since the Dolphin great never won the big game? I have a hard time thinking anyone would win that debate.
There are also intangibles that pure statistics cannot give a true measure. Poise in the pocket, reading defenses, game management, adjusting your play during the game, taking advantage of what the opposing defense gives you , and many others. Peyton Manning with rank at or near the top in each of these and probably most other intangible categories that can be thought of to help determine the what makes a great quarterback.
This is a topic that will be debated for years to come. There are always going to be people that look at different aspects of a particular quarterback's career to call them the best.
Some will look at Favre's stats and records, Brady's rings, Montana's poise, Marino's talent, and so on and so on. Peyton Manning still has plenty of years left to surpass each of these great players in almost every statistical category. He can also have all of his intangibles looked upon as favorably compared to, or be better than, anyone that has ever played the game.
Whether he plays another 15 years and wins four more Super Bowls or if he hangs it up after possibly losing to New Orleans, Peyton Manning has already had a great career. Whether you look at statistics or look at what he brings to the game that cannot be defined by numbers, Manning can already be called arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.
And sometimes, the argument is the best part of an ambiguous title such as this since everyone has their own criteria to determine their own winner.
Once he does decide to wind down his career, there will most likely be a new up and comer that the media and NFL experts will say can be better than Manning. As time goes on, the game will continue to change and the position will continue to evolve.
There will be records broken and the unmeasurable intangibles will be compared. This will only make it tougher to determine who the best is, who the best was, and who the best will be in the future.
But that will be a rant for another day.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
If Al Davis Was Right, USC Is The Third Team To Mistakenly Hire Kiffin
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis is quoted as saying "I picked the wrong guy." He was referring to his recently fired head coach, Lane Kiffin. Davis gave the 32 year old USC assistant a chance to coach in the NFL and it went horribly wrong.
Kiffin was accused of being a liar and bringing disgrace to the Raiders organization.
Somehow, he found another team in need of a coach to give him a second chance at the University of Tennessee.
Now after just over a year in the SEC, he has bolted for the premier program in the Pac-10, Southern Cal. By leaving almost as quickly as he got there, he has made it look like Tennessee made a mistake hiring him as well.
While on the surface this looks as simple as him going back to where he got his start, there appear to be more layers to this story.
If one is to believe the media reports, the Trojans wanted a higher profile coach like NFL stalwarts Jeff Fisher of Tennessee or Jack Del Rio of Jacksonville. When they were not available, they started looking at the Carroll family tree.
The only one it seems they could get quickly was Kiffin. Since he was an assistant under Carroll at USC from 2001-2006, he has ties to the program and its recent glory years.
Surprisingly, USC is also getting Norm Chow to leave UCLA to come back and be the Trojans’ offensive coordinator. This is the same post he held under Carroll until leaving to try his hand in the NFL with the Titans, before returning to college for the crosstown rival Bruins.
USC needed someone now, with National Signing Day less than 3 weeks away, they may lose some of their prize recruits due to having no coach in place. Now, with Kiffin on his way to LA, the Men of Troy are hoping that some of the prize recruits that were going to attend Tennessee, will follow the former Volunteer Head Coach to the West Coast.
I don’t think Kiffin’s heart was really into coaching at UT. It just happened to be the best high profile job available at the time, so he jumped at it. And now he has jumped at the next best job available to where he feels he belongs.
Notwithstanding the tumultuous season with the Raiders, what has Kiffin really accomplished as a head coach? In his 14 months in Knoxville, he is know for his smack talking against Florida, six minor NCAA violations, and a very average 7-6 record.
Kiffin acts and talks a good game with an attitude of unearned bravado. He seems to continuously lie out of both sides of his mouth to players, supporters, administration, and possibly, his own staff.
Yet he and his seemingly overblown ego keep getting paid to take the next big opening. And he keeps getting these offers without really having the resume to deserve them.
It also seems a little fishy for a school that is on the cusp of NCAA sanctions in both basketball and football for recruiting issues would take a chance on Kiffin. Why would you want to bring in a guy with his own problems with the NCAA to take over a program that is already in hot water?
Not to mention, he may have already violated more rules by trying to contact some of his current recruiting class at Tennessee to convince them to join him on the left side of the country.
Not a very good business plan to clean up your program. Maybe the basketball team should bring in Kelvin Sampson too, but I digress.
But with that said, this could be a good thing for all parties involved.
Tennessee will get someone who loves the tradition and will do everything they can to be a part of their entire program, not just there for the pay check and the press coverage.
USC gets a coach that is "family", having been a former assistant. He also is bringing with him several former members of Carroll’s staff to help out. With this coaching staff and the young players that are returning, the Trojans should be right back towards the top of the polls in fairly short order.
Kiffin gets to go back home to Southern California where he feels he belongs, much closer to Hollywood than to Rocky Top. As one writer has put it, traded in the banjos for the beach. Seems like a good deal if you can get it.
Can't say I blame him, but it seems very disrespectful to those he left behind. The coach can leave for the money and the bright lights with no penalty, but the kids he abandoned can't transfer without losing eligibility.
It doesn't seem fair, but that is a rant for another day.
Kiffin was accused of being a liar and bringing disgrace to the Raiders organization.
Somehow, he found another team in need of a coach to give him a second chance at the University of Tennessee.
Now after just over a year in the SEC, he has bolted for the premier program in the Pac-10, Southern Cal. By leaving almost as quickly as he got there, he has made it look like Tennessee made a mistake hiring him as well.
While on the surface this looks as simple as him going back to where he got his start, there appear to be more layers to this story.
If one is to believe the media reports, the Trojans wanted a higher profile coach like NFL stalwarts Jeff Fisher of Tennessee or Jack Del Rio of Jacksonville. When they were not available, they started looking at the Carroll family tree.
The only one it seems they could get quickly was Kiffin. Since he was an assistant under Carroll at USC from 2001-2006, he has ties to the program and its recent glory years.
Surprisingly, USC is also getting Norm Chow to leave UCLA to come back and be the Trojans’ offensive coordinator. This is the same post he held under Carroll until leaving to try his hand in the NFL with the Titans, before returning to college for the crosstown rival Bruins.
USC needed someone now, with National Signing Day less than 3 weeks away, they may lose some of their prize recruits due to having no coach in place. Now, with Kiffin on his way to LA, the Men of Troy are hoping that some of the prize recruits that were going to attend Tennessee, will follow the former Volunteer Head Coach to the West Coast.
I don’t think Kiffin’s heart was really into coaching at UT. It just happened to be the best high profile job available at the time, so he jumped at it. And now he has jumped at the next best job available to where he feels he belongs.
Notwithstanding the tumultuous season with the Raiders, what has Kiffin really accomplished as a head coach? In his 14 months in Knoxville, he is know for his smack talking against Florida, six minor NCAA violations, and a very average 7-6 record.
Kiffin acts and talks a good game with an attitude of unearned bravado. He seems to continuously lie out of both sides of his mouth to players, supporters, administration, and possibly, his own staff.
Yet he and his seemingly overblown ego keep getting paid to take the next big opening. And he keeps getting these offers without really having the resume to deserve them.
It also seems a little fishy for a school that is on the cusp of NCAA sanctions in both basketball and football for recruiting issues would take a chance on Kiffin. Why would you want to bring in a guy with his own problems with the NCAA to take over a program that is already in hot water?
Not to mention, he may have already violated more rules by trying to contact some of his current recruiting class at Tennessee to convince them to join him on the left side of the country.
Not a very good business plan to clean up your program. Maybe the basketball team should bring in Kelvin Sampson too, but I digress.
But with that said, this could be a good thing for all parties involved.
Tennessee will get someone who loves the tradition and will do everything they can to be a part of their entire program, not just there for the pay check and the press coverage.
USC gets a coach that is "family", having been a former assistant. He also is bringing with him several former members of Carroll’s staff to help out. With this coaching staff and the young players that are returning, the Trojans should be right back towards the top of the polls in fairly short order.
Kiffin gets to go back home to Southern California where he feels he belongs, much closer to Hollywood than to Rocky Top. As one writer has put it, traded in the banjos for the beach. Seems like a good deal if you can get it.
Can't say I blame him, but it seems very disrespectful to those he left behind. The coach can leave for the money and the bright lights with no penalty, but the kids he abandoned can't transfer without losing eligibility.
It doesn't seem fair, but that is a rant for another day.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The MMA Fights I Want in 2010
Hello Ric's Rants followers. Please check out my latest slide show blog on my Bleacher Report account. Just click on the link below or copy and paste the link into your address bar. As always, let me know what you think with comments either here or on Bleacher Report.
Thanks for stopping by.
Ric
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/322705-the-mma-fights-i-want-in-2010
Thanks for stopping by.
Ric
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/322705-the-mma-fights-i-want-in-2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
My Conference is Better than Yours - What Happened to Team Loyality?
Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn, Oklahoma-Nebraska, USC-UCLA, Pittsburgh-West Virginia, and Miami-Florida State. These matchups are the kind of rivalries that college football watchers used to dream about. There is respect, hatred, bragging rights, and the occasional game trophy on the line for the teams and fans alike.
For years, fans have chosen sides, caused family infighting, started arguments at work and at bars, and rooted like there is no tomorrow for their favorite team. But for some reason, it has turned from being loyal to a team to fans feeling a sense of self-importance, greater worth, and the right to trash talk at other conferences because of how a select few at the top do against the rest of the country.
When is the last time you heard a Boston Red Sox fan say, "The AL East is obviously better than the NL East because New York beat the Phillies to win the World Series. Go Yankees!"
Or how about a Cleveland Browns fan proclaim "the NFC West is awful because the Cardinals lost to our AFC North brothers the Steelers in the Super Bowl!"
That doesn't happen. Only in college football do you hear the perennial bottom dwellers of a BCS conference disparage another conference because of what their conference champion in a bowl game or in a regular season high profile game.
Recently, the Big 10 has become the whipping boy of all SEC fans because Ohio State lost back-to-back national title games to Florida and LSU, respectively. But when is the last time that a team like Vanderbilt or Mississippi State beat, or for that matter even played, a top tier Big Ten team? So why do their fans feel they have the right to bash Ohio State and Penn State for their recent bowl struggles?
I am not specifically picking on SEC fans, they are just currently the most vocal about it due to their success in football over the last seven years. Four of the last six titles and Alabama in in this year's National Championship game. The SEC has a right to crow about it, but the lower level teams are beating their chests like they actually won the big games themselves.
I realize that being a fan of the Buckeyes, many may think I am just crying sour grapes. Having attended Kentucky, I do watch a lot of SEC football as well and have an appreciation for how they play. It is not a matter of who wins or loses, it is how the fans handle the success of others in the conference that their own team cannot achieve.
When the Buckeyes lost to Florida, my SEC friends had a good laugh at my expense. When LSU won the following year, you would think my friends had won the lottery. But they are mostly Kentucky fans. They generally loathe Florida and LSU, but somehow my friends felt they had earned a free pass to pile on with the Gator and Tiger fans.
When the USC Trojans beat Oklahoma to win the title for the 2004-2005 season, does anyone remember the fans of 1-10 Washington calling out the Sooners and Texas? It is utterly ridiculous that some people act this way.
And it is not just college football fans that practice these shenanigans. ACC basketball fans do the same thing.
When Duke or North Carolina have great teams, the worst of the league claim they are better than the SEC, the Big 12, and the Big East because of what the top rated Tar Heels and Blue Devils have done on the national stage. This is regardless of the fact that these less than competitive teams are sitting with 20-plus losses and dropped games to Ivy League and Patriot League teams on a yearly basis.
More and more fans are leaning towards this trend in most college sports. There is no clear reason why this started. It may be when the media started buying conference broadcasting rights rather than individual team rights. If a certain station is the official station of a conference, all of their commentary and analysis tend to be bias towards their contracted league.
If you watch NBC, you hear about how great Notre Dame tradition is. CBS screams the praises of the ACC and SEC. ESPN just got the rights for the future SEC games and gives a rub to the Big East. Fox Sports leans towards its broadcast partners in the Pac-10 and the Big 12.
It is real easy to look at the last five to 10 years and jump on the bandwagon of a certain team or conference when they are currently having success and the media keeps pumping up the legend of the last 48 months.
A true fan sticks with their team through the great seasons and the long droughts alike. Feel free to appreciate another team's style of play or respect another conference's dominance over a short period of time. Root for others in your team's conference in bowl games and tournaments if you please. All of this is typical fan behavior and it does not put a blemish on the feelings you have for your favorite team.
Do not pat yourself on the back and feel the need to bash other teams and conferences based on the success of others. Do not feel superior to other conferences that you don't play against yourself because others in your conference won a game. Do not hide in shame when your team goes 1-11 and then turn around and rip a 10-2 team that lost to the best your conference has to offer.
There is a lot to say about fans showing passion, just make sure it is directed in the right direction. Support your conference, defend your team in good times and bad, and talk smack to your biggest rival like your life depends on it.
Just don't go overboard with the misdirected hatred and the ludicrous superiority complex because of a few great teams that happen to be aligned in the same league. Please pick a team and go with them, don't piggy back on the prosperity of a conference. Stop basking in their glow when 364 days out of the year you are hoping the other team's entire roster comes down with the Swine Flu the week before you play them.
Now it is off to have my wife beat me at Wii Sports again, and then wait on the abuse I will take from her friends about how they are better than me, too.
But that is a rant for another day.
For years, fans have chosen sides, caused family infighting, started arguments at work and at bars, and rooted like there is no tomorrow for their favorite team. But for some reason, it has turned from being loyal to a team to fans feeling a sense of self-importance, greater worth, and the right to trash talk at other conferences because of how a select few at the top do against the rest of the country.
When is the last time you heard a Boston Red Sox fan say, "The AL East is obviously better than the NL East because New York beat the Phillies to win the World Series. Go Yankees!"
Or how about a Cleveland Browns fan proclaim "the NFC West is awful because the Cardinals lost to our AFC North brothers the Steelers in the Super Bowl!"
That doesn't happen. Only in college football do you hear the perennial bottom dwellers of a BCS conference disparage another conference because of what their conference champion in a bowl game or in a regular season high profile game.
Recently, the Big 10 has become the whipping boy of all SEC fans because Ohio State lost back-to-back national title games to Florida and LSU, respectively. But when is the last time that a team like Vanderbilt or Mississippi State beat, or for that matter even played, a top tier Big Ten team? So why do their fans feel they have the right to bash Ohio State and Penn State for their recent bowl struggles?
I am not specifically picking on SEC fans, they are just currently the most vocal about it due to their success in football over the last seven years. Four of the last six titles and Alabama in in this year's National Championship game. The SEC has a right to crow about it, but the lower level teams are beating their chests like they actually won the big games themselves.
I realize that being a fan of the Buckeyes, many may think I am just crying sour grapes. Having attended Kentucky, I do watch a lot of SEC football as well and have an appreciation for how they play. It is not a matter of who wins or loses, it is how the fans handle the success of others in the conference that their own team cannot achieve.
When the Buckeyes lost to Florida, my SEC friends had a good laugh at my expense. When LSU won the following year, you would think my friends had won the lottery. But they are mostly Kentucky fans. They generally loathe Florida and LSU, but somehow my friends felt they had earned a free pass to pile on with the Gator and Tiger fans.
When the USC Trojans beat Oklahoma to win the title for the 2004-2005 season, does anyone remember the fans of 1-10 Washington calling out the Sooners and Texas? It is utterly ridiculous that some people act this way.
And it is not just college football fans that practice these shenanigans. ACC basketball fans do the same thing.
When Duke or North Carolina have great teams, the worst of the league claim they are better than the SEC, the Big 12, and the Big East because of what the top rated Tar Heels and Blue Devils have done on the national stage. This is regardless of the fact that these less than competitive teams are sitting with 20-plus losses and dropped games to Ivy League and Patriot League teams on a yearly basis.
More and more fans are leaning towards this trend in most college sports. There is no clear reason why this started. It may be when the media started buying conference broadcasting rights rather than individual team rights. If a certain station is the official station of a conference, all of their commentary and analysis tend to be bias towards their contracted league.
If you watch NBC, you hear about how great Notre Dame tradition is. CBS screams the praises of the ACC and SEC. ESPN just got the rights for the future SEC games and gives a rub to the Big East. Fox Sports leans towards its broadcast partners in the Pac-10 and the Big 12.
It is real easy to look at the last five to 10 years and jump on the bandwagon of a certain team or conference when they are currently having success and the media keeps pumping up the legend of the last 48 months.
A true fan sticks with their team through the great seasons and the long droughts alike. Feel free to appreciate another team's style of play or respect another conference's dominance over a short period of time. Root for others in your team's conference in bowl games and tournaments if you please. All of this is typical fan behavior and it does not put a blemish on the feelings you have for your favorite team.
Do not pat yourself on the back and feel the need to bash other teams and conferences based on the success of others. Do not feel superior to other conferences that you don't play against yourself because others in your conference won a game. Do not hide in shame when your team goes 1-11 and then turn around and rip a 10-2 team that lost to the best your conference has to offer.
There is a lot to say about fans showing passion, just make sure it is directed in the right direction. Support your conference, defend your team in good times and bad, and talk smack to your biggest rival like your life depends on it.
Just don't go overboard with the misdirected hatred and the ludicrous superiority complex because of a few great teams that happen to be aligned in the same league. Please pick a team and go with them, don't piggy back on the prosperity of a conference. Stop basking in their glow when 364 days out of the year you are hoping the other team's entire roster comes down with the Swine Flu the week before you play them.
Now it is off to have my wife beat me at Wii Sports again, and then wait on the abuse I will take from her friends about how they are better than me, too.
But that is a rant for another day.
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