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This last year has been about training myself to think differently about sports, and that includes the competitions I have grown up loving (and working in) the most, like college sports... /1
From a cultural/media studies perspective this often means thinking about athlete labor/exploitation and how it plays out in the media. These are subjects covered admirably by @nkalamb and @Derekcrim on @EndofSportPod, and are really important. Def check it out.../2
That said, it's also useful to note on occasion how patently absurd, in the case of college football, the actual competition is. Big time college football in America (from an institutional perspective) operates as a Multi-Level Marketing scheme, not unlike Herbalife or Agway.../3
At the bottom of this thread, I'll link to a story from @SInow by @ByPatForde about the University of Connecticut (full disclosure: my alma mater) who has been chasing the brass ring of college football relevancy for a few decades now.../4
Thanks to COVID-19 **wink** they are ready to cut some non-revenue sports, which will also be a handy way of offsetting the losses their football program has suffered. Pat's article focuses on mismanagement (fair enough) but I would tell you they never had a chance.../5
Like the aforementioned MLM companies college football is sold to universities on the promise of glory and untold riches but the truth is that they are just there to act as fodder for the pool of a dozen or so schools who are pre-ordained to win the championship every year.../6
Before you realize what's happened 100's of millions has been sunk into stadiums (diet supplements), and practice facilities (cosmetics) all to take part in a competition that at least 50% of the participating schools are, for all intents and purposes, precluded from winning.../7
All you can do then is hope a spot opens up in a Power 5 Conference (UConn's been waiting for two decades now) and try to unload your product on whichever suckers happen by.../8
The athletes, meanwhile, sacrifice their bodies and their time away from the education that is supposed to be their compensation, all to take part in a competition they aren't even allowed to win. Then when it all goes pear shaped (see UConn) they're thrown to the wolves.../9
