If you don’t have a subscription to The Athletic, it’s a shame, because this the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same piece ($$) about conference realignment and the money chase is a classic.
In February 1990, Notre Dame, one of the founding members and driving forces behind the CFA, broke away from the organization’s all-for-one, one-for-all TV package to sign an exclusive deal with NBC. The CFA howled, but the hypocrisy was obvious. “The CFA is a big group of haves that wanted to segregate themselves from the have-nots,” wrote the “South Bend Tribune”. “Notre Dame has just taken this premise a step further.”
That’s what they all say.
Get The Picture 
And as the “haves” continue to take additional further steps, eventually you end up on the precipice….
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The ongoing chase by college programs to grab that tv money has already made college football less enjoyable, it appears the chase will continue until it is completely uninteresting. The things that made college football into the great sport it is; fan attachment to the school, the natural regional rivalries, the feeling of connection to the players through shared college experiences and the idea (however ill founded and romantic it was) that the players were amateurs playing for the love of the game and the love of the school are all being sacrificed on the altar of tv money.
College football will soon be added to the list of things that were “improved” to the point no one wanted them anymore.
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Reminds me of the “improvements” to NASCAR in the early 2000s…
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I used to be a big NASCAR fan. I haven’t watched a race in four years. Not even Daytona.
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Business schools should use NASCAR as a case study in how to destroy a wildly successful product and business model. Sadly, they will be able to use college football in the same case study within about 10 years.
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I agree, the business decisions were horrible but the ongoing rule additions and structural changes of the races just made it boring. When they starting fining Smoke for bumping and rubbing, I knew that they were going downhill.
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Fantastic article. We have such a hubris of the present, like this hasn’t all happened before. Conference realignment isn’t a sign of any fundamental change in college football, rather it’s an affirmation that the status quo is alive and well.
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Thanks for linking that story, Senator. I probably would have glossed over it otherwise.
For those on the fence, I’ve found The Athletic to be a worthwhile investment. If you want a higher level of journalism than DawgNation, this is it. Good blend of Dawg and ATL sports coverage while also having good national coverage.
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When they say it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.
When they admit it’s about the money, it’s about a BOATLOAD of money.
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