College Feetsball Champeenship Game

[Niner]

SO, tonight at 8:30pm Eastern Time, they are gonna play the FIRST EVER College Football Championship Game. On ESPN!

This brings to mind several questions:
WHY on ESPN where it will not be broadcast in HD?
At least on my TV schedule it doesn't say HD.
So this supposed landmark 1st ever College Playoff Champeenshp game will not be seen by folks who don't have cable TV.

WHY on a MONAY NIGHT?? Who was the Einstein that came up with THAT idea?

Oh well, I've got the ol' DVR set to record the game in case Di is late getting home from work.


I think I'm gonna be rooting for the Ducks.......just because.

[Buckrub]

ESPN is more HD than anyone else. No other network broadcasts anything in 1080p, but they do some. Your TV will accept it, but unless you get a Blu Ray player and rent a movie, you can't see that high quality. In fact, even though most HD TV's are set to 1080i, most broadcast content is just 720p.

Game is going to be highly high HD, don't fret!

Folks don't have cable?? Seriously? Name five! :)

Posty can't watch it, because of his moral stance against ESPN. I hate that for him, as he's a great football fan. But hey.........

and Monday night, so it doesn't compete with Pro playoffs.

[Thumper]

Heck, I thought that was the norm ... Monday Night Football (???). At least I used to hear the term all the time ... never watched the stuff.

[Buckrub]

Bullfeathers.

[Thumper]

Bullfeathers? You talkin' to me?

[DeputyDog]

Bucky, I'm one. No cable or satellite.

[Thumper]

Bucky, I'm one. No cable or satellite.

One down, four to go! ;)

My buddy of 56 years ... he hits the estate sales with me every weekend ... lives in the sticks. No cable/satellite ... heck, he doesn't even own a tv and get's his I-net connection through his cell phone (no home phone/landline).

Three to go.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Its on ESPN because they are the ones who invented this farce. And its not the first ever championship game. There's a whole division called the FCS that has one every year.
This isn't a playoff. This is a bowl series final. A playoff would give teams the ability to play their way in not be selected by a bunch of old tired fuckers who probably don't even watch the games.

BKB

[Buckrub]

Monday night football has been on for a thousand years or so. I call bullfeathers if you say you've never watched it.

[Buckrub]

This is indeed the first ever Division I football championship game.

Larry Culpepper told me so.

I love ESPN.

[Thumper]

Monday night football has been on for a thousand years or so. I call bullfeathers if you say you've never watched it.

I do not, never have, and hopefully never will WATCH a football game (on tv). I went to h/s games as a kid, so I guess I have "watched" a game ... but I was only there to score a make-out session in the stands and could have cared less what was going on on the field. I've been drinking in "sports bars" where a different game was on 37 different tv's (I'll never for the life of me understand "sports bars" with a bazillion tv's all on different channels). WTF??

We do have friends we visit often, who are avid football fans and their tv stays on 24/7 with some game or another on ... but it's always muted. (but I don't watch tv there, again, wtf?) They're such big college ball fans (and rich), they even bought a 2nd house in Tallahassee just so they'd have a place to stay for any FSU home game that may be playing (they have season tickets EVERY year).

No, ball games do NOT control my life and you will never, ever in a bazillion years walk into my house and find the tv tuned into a ball game. Ever. (did I say never-ever?) My tv is trained to skip over any channel with a stupid ball game playing ... no matter what kind of ball it may be.

[Buckrub]

You said just last year that you watch the Lakers.

[Chicken Dinner]

And yet, you'll watch guys drive around in circles and, apparently, be entertained. Go figure.

[Thumper]

Monday night football has been on for a thousand years or so. I call bullfeathers if you say you've never watched it.


You said just last year that you watch the Lakers.

Last I checked ... the Lakers played basketball.

Yep, I forgot about that few years of temporary insanity. I became a Lakers fan when Lynn and I first got together in 1985 .. she had previously dated Jerry Buss' (then owner of the Lakers) assistant. She was a huge fan and I was given tons of free tickets to Lakers, Dodgers and Raiders games by my customers, but I always gave them away to my friends/employees. Since she was such a huge fan, I started using the Lakers tickets occasionally and we'd attend some games. Once we moved away from LA (and the free tickets), I'd just watch the play-offs until the year the NBA players went on strike in the early 90's (?). When knuckleheads, who can barely put together a proper sentence in an interview, go on strike for more money when they already make millions/year ... it kind of sickens me and I've never watched a game since.

[Buckrub]

No, ball games do NOT control my life and you will never, ever in a bazillion years walk into my house and find the tv tuned into a ball game. Ever. (did I say never-ever?) My tv is trained to skip over any channel with a stupid ball game playing ... no matter what kind of ball it may be.

??

[Thumper]

You want blood? I'm pretty much talking about now ... and '85 was almost 30 years ago, but I already said ...


Yep, I forgot about that few years of temporary insanity.

Happy now? :D

[Buckrub]

No. I'm in stomach doctors office. :sleeping

[Buckrub]

And you never ever let me be even slightly wrong.

[Thumper]

And you never ever let me be even slightly wrong.

That's not true, because you're slightly wrong now. So you're wrong! ;)

[Buckrub]

The Prosecution rests.

[Thumper]

Obviously, the older I got ... the smarter I got! We all make mistakes in our youthful years. :D

[BarryBobPosthole]

Y'all both should have been lawyers.

BKB

[LJ3]

They'd bofe be in jail for malpractice. Rest easy my friends, they have more high def cable channels in lockup than you can shake a stick at. Jimmy can also tell them all about themselves and how watching sports is stupid. Should be a good time.

[Niner]

I have a very good friend who has neither cable nor satellite TV. He gets his TV either over the airwaves, or his computer network.

I have never, ever watched "Monday Night Football" .

[Big Muddy]

Thumps team....Okefenokee Univ......???????????????????????????????????

(yeah, I know, some of the swamp is in GA, but the name is catchy.)



4191

[Buckrub]

I have a very good friend who has neither cable nor satellite TV. He gets his TV either over the airwaves, or his computer network.

I have never, ever watched "Monday Night Football" .

Bet ya can't say that tomorrow.

And I'm sure Jimbo was a lawyer at one time.

[Thumper]

Jailhouse lawyer! ;)

I think our frigging infatuation with ball games/players has contributed to the dumbing of America. Kids look up to many of those drug using, wife beating, half educated, street thugs. (generalizing here, there are exceptions, don't shoot the messenger) Kids wear their jerseys and can name half the NFL or NBA or MLB and tell you what teams they play for and probably many of their stats. WTF? Don't get me started on sports scholarships? What a joke!

Wouldn't it be nicer if this country concentrated more on the accomplishments of a group like this? Do ANY of these names ring a bell? No? 'Nuf said.

The 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today

http://www.thebestschools.org/features/50-influential-scientists-world-today/

[Buckrub]

I just pray that Cappy has Direct TV and not Dish Network.

[Buckrub]

Ncaa athletes have higher average grade point than the general student body.

[Thumper]

Ncaa athletes have higher average grade point than the general student body.

Paid for grades and majors in "underwater basket-weaving"? ;)

Would ANY professor actually flunk one of their star players?

[Buckrub]

Good grief.

[Thumper]

My New Year's resolution is to buckle down and work hard for my Professional SD Card. This is just the beginning grasshopper. :biggrin

[Thumper]

Oh yeah ... almost forgot ... Bite Me Muddy! ;)

[Buckrub]

You have worse "last word syndrome" than my kids.

And NCAA Division I athletes graduate at an 80% rate, vs. 63% for the general population.

[Thumper]

Of course they graduate ... they make the big bucks for the school! Like I said, they aren't Engineering Majors or med. students ... more like sociology or maybe psychology majors. Oh, and there's always the popular communications ... or ... health-care service administration is always a good one! If they're real ambitious they can go for a history major! Besides, what professor in his right mind will flunk their biggest stars going to school on an athletic scholarship? Give me a break!

[Buckrub]

The Prosecution rests AGAIN!! I swear.

Think whatever you want. Be as wrong as you like. Whatever.

[Thumper]

Dang! You're as bad as my buddy Buckrub. He ALWAYS has to get the last word! :D

I just think colleges should be there for academics, not frigging recess! Form some "minor leagues" for the pros to recruit from. When did a major part of schooling become play ground games? What a farce. The dumbing of America continues ...

How 'bout some blind links for your reading pleasure.

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-06-11/unc-rashad-mccants-2014-nba-ncaa-college-basketball-fake-classes-easy-majors

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-11-18-majors-graphic_N.htm

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/college/2014/06/01/Do-colleges-drop-the-ball-with-student-athletes/stories/201406010120

http://ashbrook.org/publications/respub-v1n1-petina/

Awww, what's the point? The list is endless.

[Buckrub]

I'm getting danged worn out resting my case, I'll tell ya!

[Thumper]

Ok, your case is rested. :biggrin

[Buckrub]

Over and over and over and over and over, again, it seems!!

[Thumper]

Roger that!

Over .... :D

[Chicken Dinner]

Big time football and basketball players are a small fraction of college athletes. The vast majority don't make a dime for their schools and graduate in much higher percentages than non-athletes.

Man, did tOSU pimp slap the Ducks last night or what!

[Thumper]

The vast majority ......... graduate in much higher percentages than non-athletes.

I believe that was the point I was trying to make ... a 70% graduation rate among med. students/engineering students/law students/chemistry students against a 99% graduation rate of Advanced Sandbox Castle Making majors attending on an athletic scholarship doesn't hold much water with me. Statistics can mean whatever you want them to mean.

Schools with major sports programs have a LOT of time and money invested in their athletes. These athletes also need vast amounts of time to dedicate to their sports programs, practice, work-out sessions, team travel, etc. etc. etc. The LAST thing the school wants is for their star athletes to not be able to dedicate the time needed for the athletic program due to silly things like homework, labs and studying.


The vast majority don't make a dime for their schools ...

I have no clue where that comes from. The schools make a TON of money from their athletic programs. Why do you think they dedicate such massive resources to their programs? Why else would a college coach be worth a 5 million $$$ salary. What does Alabama pay Saban? 7 1/2 million? The whole system is corrupt IMHO. School should be a learning institution ... not a frigging expensive playground. This country is becoming a nation of idiots. Go to any college campus and the foreign students are the bookworms ... they don't go to school for recess. Once they graduate, they take their knowledge back home with them.

And as a disclaimer ... you KNOW I'm speaking in generalities here. Do we have good/dedicated students in the good ol' U.S. of A.? Of course we do. I just think the sports programs have gotten out of hand in our nations school system. Education has taken a backseat.

[Chicken Dinner]

Agree on the use/misuse of statistics. However, I think you've made a false assumption about the data behind these statistics.

[Thumper]

I posted a bunch of links previously. Ya' may want to click on a couple of them.

I never finished college ... a pesky thing called Vietnam got in the way (no regrets BTW) ... but I attended long enough to see the fools there (Univ. of Tennessee) on athletic scholarships who couldn't add 37+42 when they entered school and most likely still couldn't after graduating with a degree in "advanced playground activities".

[Chicken Dinner]

You have a point, and I would agree, if we're only talking about football and basketball players at D1 schools. However, those are the minority of student athletes at their own schools and a huge minority of collegiate athletes overall.

[Thumper]

True ... I'm not talking about tennis teams and swim teams. I'm talking about the obscene amounts of time, money and effort expended toward the most popular resource for a school, the football programs. From the massive stadiums to the multi-million dollar coaches salaries while college professors struggle to buy groceries. What's wrong with THAT picture? It's out-of -hand IMHO.

I don't expect to receive much agreement on my stance ... I'm a non-ball loving dufe who is a big-time minority in the general male population of this country. Speaking out against college ball is like a tree-hugging Greenpeace member coming in here and criticizing hunting and fishing. But maybe without the crazy sports-loving blinders worn by many, I can stand back and look at our school athletic programs with a more critical eye.

Our higher education system needs to get back to their main job ... educating our young people ... and quit spending so much time/effort organizing pep rallies.

[Chicken Dinner]

I actually agree with you. I really do think that most college football "fans", at least those with ties to a school, would be fine with lesser level of athletic competition as long as it was a level playing field. I know I'd rather watch true student athletes playing for my school than minor league pros who only stay for a year or two. The key is that it needs to be a level playing field.

To my point, I got to watch my older son's house basketball team play a couple of games this weekend and it was highly entertaining. Why? Because they were evenly matched and I'd watched 9 of the 10 kids on his team play since they were in second or third grade.

[Buckrub]

Jimbo, I get your point. It's well taken.

But here's the flip side, for you to consider.

First, your "underwater basketweaving" example is just their major. That's only about 32 hours out of 124 it takes to graduate. They STILL have to take 4 English courses, and some math, and some science, and Econ 101, and Psych 101, and Sociology 101, etc. They have the chance to get the same stuff out of that that everyone else does. I got nothing out of it.......but maybe they will. So, their EVERY class is not some easy-peasy.

Second, only a FEW of them are stud athletes. Your idea of professors passing studs because they don't want to lose them off the team is unfounded. Maybe one professor, for one kid. But probably not. Most professors are nerds and not fans anyway. They don't care.

Third, even the kids you are talking about, are kids that never, ever would have had a chance to be exposed to college curriculum if not for sports. Sports is lucrative, and they share that at least a little bit, with the kids. It's not enough, but that's another discussion. So, sports brings college to kids that couldn't go any other way.

So while I do understand your position, I don't think it's fully supported.