Burning down the couch

It’s a simple question.  Does college football cause higher crime?

Apparently, the answer is yes, at least according to one study.

… they look to see what happens on game day. Their findings are quite striking, and they report large rises in assaults, vandalism, and disorderly conduct on game days. As might be expected, this effect is large in the city of the home team, but basically non-existent in the city of the visitors.

You might be worried that this rise in arrests reflects more police on the street on game day (and hence more arrests per crime), rather than simply more crime. But the authors provide a clever response, noting that upset losses by the home team have a particularly large effect on violent assaults, while expected losses have little effect. Unless police chiefs are also successfully forecasting football outcomes, it seems that this alternative explanation doesn’t hold water.

Interesting stuff, although I think the authors are too dismissive of the role that alcohol plays in this. Sure, the programs don’t sell the stuff in the stadium, but it’s still getting in, either already consumed by patrons, or in a form to be consumed.

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I am fanbase, hear me roar.

There’s a lesson in here somewhere.  I’m just not sure who’s willing to admit he or she needs to learn one.

I think I’d start here, though:

“For the first time, you’ve got traditional media that will run (things from the message boards) in an effort to try and scoop the story — will believe and print anything based on what they see online. It has made the media look bad. It has made the media look silly.”

Dude, where’s my buyout?

First off, I have to say that I find this whole “Rich Rod destroyed files!” story overblown.  If WVU does that poor a job of record keeping, it deserves what it gets.  The story just sounds like posturing for the potential jury pool for the buyout lawsuit.   (Not that I’m sure the school needs any help with that.)

That being said, in the wake of the story of the Arkansas fan base’s appreciation of the Freedom of Information Act, any head coach in the United States of America that would make these kind of calls on a school owned cellphone is a complete and utter dumbass.   My advice would be to reach a settlement soon, because we all know how well litigation helps focus a coach’s mind on the upcoming season.

Happy trails, Wolverines!

Whatever it takes.

That Urban Meyer is quite a guy.

I guess there’s no “dead period” for recruits’ girlfriends.

Checkin’ out the scene, man.

A few random bits of info and opinion floating around the internets this AM –

• Before you get too excited about Georgia’s position on all of these excessively early 2008 preseason predictions, take a look back at CFN’s first 2007 preseason picks: 1. USC 2. LSU 3. Texas 4. Florida 5. Wisconsin 6. Ohio State 7. Oklahoma 8. Arkansas 9. UCLA 10. Michigan.
• I could be wrong, but I don’t think this story is going to turn out too well.
• Surprise, surprise: the CEO of the Rose Bowl doesn’t think too highly of Michael Adams’ playoff proposal.
• ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski (you have no idea how long that took to type) thinks Bobby Petrino isn’t completely sincere about his love for Chex Mix – and other matters.
• Speaking of the WWL, here’s the results of its most recent poll on sports popularity: (1) NFL, 75.1 percent; (2) College football, 68.2; (3) MLB, 63.5; (4) College basketball, 53.7; (5) NBA, 52.9; (6) Figure skating, 50.0; (7) NASCAR, 43.4; (8) Boxing, 39.4; (9) WNBA, 36.9; (10) PGA, 35.4; (11) WTA, 32.1; (12) NHL, 34.2. Before you point to OMG!! playoffs!! as the reason that the NFL enjoys greater popularity than college football, ask yourself two questions. First, what do you think those numbers would look like if there were major college powers playing in the New York and Chicago markets? Second, how come college football is listed ahead of so many sports – including college basketball – that do have playoffs?
• On the other hand, stuff like this makes me yearn for the simplicity of a playoff of conference champs.
• Here’s a snapshot of the SEC East’s recruiting story to date. And here’s the same for the SEC West. If I’m a Tennessee fan, I’m starting to get a little nervous.
• Hey, what can you say about this? The key from a handicapping standpoint, as always, is to measure the true realities from the perceptions, and in this case the fawning of the SEC does not go as far as it should.
• It looks like Tuberville has found the replacement for Muschamp.