College (revenue) sports, have we lost the meaning?

A layer of cynicism has descended over events originally intended to buoy the spirit, steel our arguments at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club meeting.

Winning, whatever the cost, seems to have replaced entertainment ingredients IN a Game.

Last Saturday – Alabama at Georgia, Arkansas at Tennessee, and Eastern Kentucky in Lexington, as they compare to Western Kentucky-Rice in Houston.

• In Athens, level of animosity increased as the Crimson Tide methodically crushed the home team. At the end, coaches Mark Richt and Nick Saban virtually snarled at midfield.

• In Knoxville, the Vols came from ahead and lost again. A year ago Tennessee coach Butch Jones was heralded as best hire since General Robert Neyland. Today the get-outa-town drums are throbbing.

A Big Orange fan tweeted: “… all you Volunteer fans who want to fire Butch Jones, Charlie Strong (under siege at Texas) will probably be available at the end of the season.”

• In Lexington, Kentucky’s dramatic come-back against no-betting-line Eastern in overtime was enjoyed by barely half-a-stadium. Big Blue loyalists, apparently resigned to an embarrassing loss, had left the premises long before the rally.

• Earlier Saturday in Houston, Texas, Western Kentucky put on a show, beating Rice 49-10. Was 60 minutes of entertaining throw-and-catch football bolstered with improving Hilltopper defense. Fun game.

Contrasts between the game in Houston and winning-is-everything in Athens, Knoxville and Lexington were palpable. One was fun, the others were “this is win/lose war!”, affirmed when all six coaches came under some level of fire. Not fun.

Some hail ours as new era college sports when all money spent is a good thing. I say our sports appetites have morphed from glorious fun-on-campus into a “just win, baby!” arms race.

The villains …

• NFL, we know is money-driven savagery peopled by prima donna, look-at-me narcissists and too much off-field shenanigans.

• Television. Games are now wrapped inside thick coat of commercials and show time for coach-on-sideline.

• College. University presidents twiddle their thumbs while directors of athletics spend.

Tom Jurich at Louisville and Mitch Barnhart at Kentucky are in first rank of those who perpetuate the arms race. A drive for more and better facilities to lure more and better gladiators; more and better plush-and-posh to endear deep pockets donors and pals who supply slap-on-back praise; And, they negotiate colossal pay packages for ball coaches, while nary a press release to announce a cut in ticket prices.

All of it is pursuit of more luxury and more money to spend on more stuff.

Somewhere in the mix fans get a notice: “Our ticket price increase is in line with other conference schools.”

• And this hateful exploitation of college basketball fans: Programs overhauled into NBA Development League affiliation.

• Meanwhile, student-athletes today are told their scholarships are a pittance … they are plantation hands who ought protect their rights, form a union.

And so, entertainment gotten from college football and basketball is not what it used to be. At some point those who count most in all this, the fans will decide “Y’know, I ain’t gettin’ the bang for my buck with your show anymore. Think I’ll stay home and watch teevee.”

KENTUCKY-EASTERN

Kentucky defeated Eastern Kentucky in overtime.

Best of it …

√ Kentucky (and Boom Williams), a wake-up call. And, a bye-week before Auburn comes to Lexington October 15.

√ Opportunity IV to upgrade its SEC image, earn above-the-fold headlines October 16 over Big Blue Madness preview.

√ For Eastern Kentucky, OT at Kentucky should fill seats at Roy Kidd’s House. Tennessee Tech (2-3) comes to Richmond.

√ Worst of it. Fans affiliated with Eastern and Western Kentucky deprived of seeing the Colonels (defense) and Hilltoppers (offense) in what would be a classic.

LOUISVILLE SQUARE ONE?

Louisville’s win at North Carolina State is a step back toward square one, preseason hype as Atlantic Coast contender.

An off week to prepare its re-start, UofL will watch unbeaten Florida State favored at home against Miami this week. An advantage before preparations for game in Tallahassee October 17.

BALL COACHES ‘CORNERED’

A pair of Hall of Fame college coaches were in (bad) news last week and by association, John Calipari too.

√ Rick Pitino. In lieu of a former UofL staffer being the culprit in Katina Powell’s book, Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen, Da Coach said he is more than disheartened and disappointed. “My heart has just been taken out of my body and broken.”

Comment. Taken out and broken? Uh-oh.

NCAA sanctions could vacate a Final Four and an NCAA championship and refund monies earned from both.

√ Larry Brown. Hammered by critics last week as the NCAA charged SMU with, among other things, academic fraud (a staffer took exams for a player), Brown has two strikes already, from stints at UCLA and Kansas after he had left.

√ Brown’s and Pitino’s best options? Maybe a John Calipari defense – say you didn’t know anything and so you’re not responsible. It worked.

Before Calipari got religion arriving at Gold Standard U, his programs at UMass and Memphis had Final Four banners taken down, win records invalidated. Two strikes and you ain’t out.

WORTH REPEATING DEPT.

√ “Who would have ever thought Northwestern and Toledo would be ranked in the AP Top 25 this week (while) Texas, Tennessee, Louisville and Kentucky are nowhere near the Top 25 even though they have multi-million dollar (coach) staffs,” – Fan in Sturgis, Kentucky,

TRIBUTE TO YOGI

√ “The future ain’t what it used to be.” And …

√ “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”

And so it goes.