You do not have to look far to find it someone WSO the debt the media for canceling the college football season, and saying we are try on to cancel NFL season, too. I will be dumb here: this tickles me off. “The media” does not cancel football season for universities. I do it all by myself, thank you very much.
See, we were all bored and scared during quarantine. Some people put puzzles together. I have taken a sport apart. It helped pass the time.
You may be wondering if I am “rooting for the virus.” No, hey. Some journalist who would respect himself net root for a virus that has killed 160,000 Americans? It all falls under the umbrella of being a bad person, OK?
Of course, it is ‘better’ for sports writers to cover ‘sports’. It gives us “work”, which helps us to get “paid”. But I’m dedicated to my passion for being a bad person, and sometimes – I recognize the irony here – being a bad person means being selfless. If I can work and get paid, my colleagues can work and get paid. That’s a non-starter for me.
FORDE: What if next football fragments?
As you might assume, having a dream job for two decades can make a person bitter and angry. Sure, we’re going to travel to cool places, pay to cover events that pay others astronomical prices to attend, write interesting stories, and talk to fascinating people, but … where was I again? Oh yes. Bitter and angry,
There is no cheering in the press release. But as I have often asked: What if there were no press boxes? What if we all just sat at home, with no place to go, nothing to do, no money to make, no touchdowns to watch, no national anthem to despise with every bit of our freedom hate existence, and no marching bands in perfect formation, playing some of the most inspiring music in the world?
Wouldn’t that be great?
Jeff Haynes / Sports Illustrated
It’s a little early to say for sure. I have not yet experienced the joy of a falling Saturday with no college football. Maybe the crisp autumn air, autumn leaves, cider and donuts will ruin it for me. But for now, I feel really good about canceling the sport.
Of course, not everyone is happy with what I have done. As my colleague Ross Dellenger reported, he wrote. Ben Sasse of Nebraska wrote a letter to the Big Ten presidents asking her net to cancel the college football season.
I strongly respect Senator Sasse for taking up the controversial position in Nebraska of the benefit of college football. That is the kind of bold leadership that America needs. But sen. Sasse wrote that many college presidents privately agree with him, and he knows this, because that is what they say “when the cameras do not roll,” and …
Whoa, whoa, whoa! A Republican senator says people keep different opinions private than when the cameras roll? Where on earth did he come dat idea?
Nice to meet you, Senator. Those of us on Team Virus always believed we would triumph. Of course, if just rooting for something was all it took, the Browns would now have won six Super Bowls. Rooting for the virus, although certainly a great time, was never to cancel college football on its own.
So how did I pull this off? I’m sure you want to know this. But a magician does not reveal his tricks, a coach does not share all his plays, and a chef does not share all his recipes, except sometimes, like when the chef publishes a cookbook or has a TV cooking program or something, but work with me here. However: A reporter does not explain how he personally canceled a sport.
I will say that college football is built on rivalries. Sure, USC will lose millions of dollars and alienate many fans and recruits with this decision, but as I explained to the USC administration: That will be UCLA! Totally worth it!
Next thing I knew, the Pac-12 canceled the season. The Big Ten had already canceled their season.
How do I feel now? Empty, soul without, and never better. It’s even about the joy I feel when no one wins the lottery.
Hawar, my work is not finished. The Big 12 has just released its new schedule, and the SEC plans to move forward with its season. But I still believe, at the bottom of the place where my heart would be if I had one, that I could get those leagues to cancel their seasons as well. I feel good about my chances, and I think it will not hurt to tell you the real secret of my success.
I just tell people not to wear a mask. Works every time.
More NCAA coverage from SI.com team sites:
If SEC marches through, LSU is preparing in advance for fall practice
There is no guarantee for Big Ten Football in the spring, either
Herm Edwards responds to Pac-12 canceling the season
.
