Roll over Joe Barton, and tell Orrin Hatch the news.

Jay Jacobs announces the death of socialism.

Northeastern athletic director Peter Roby said this would widen the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in Division I. What would your rebuttal to that be?

My response to that would be that we’re in a competitive environment, so if one business is doing exceedingly well in what they do, should we subsidize the businesses that aren’t as efficient and effective as we are? Should that hold us back? That doesn’t sound like the capitalism that this country was built on. I think that he’s correct that it will widen it. But I think that also there’s a need for that to be widened. It will put people that are actually competing for the same thing in the same pool or pod together and let them make decisions based on what they can do and what they think is important. Whether it’s us or a league or division that the (Northeastern) AD is in. Give him more stability, so when he’s competing (against) schools in his league, they’re all on the same level playing field (in) recruiting, competition, support services and academically.

Now I don’t have a problem with that… except government giving enterprises making millions and millions non-profit tax exemptions doesn’t sound like the capitalism that this country was built on, either.  On the other hand, it does sound like today’s capitalism.

Delany’s latest idle threat

Look out, boys, he’s pretending he’s serious again!

Delany said if college football players were able to unionize, the NCAA would likely seek congressional guidance to help determine the future of college athletics.

Orrin Hatch and Joe Barton are standing by, ready to help, Jim.  Just give ‘em the heads up.

Talk about your nail in the religious liberty argument.

I can’t think of a better rebuttal to those anti-gay bills being considered in certain portions of the country than this.

Former television college football analyst Craig James is complaining to the state that his firing by Fox Sports Southwest was an act of religious discrimination.

In a statement issued Tuesday by the Plano, Texas-based Liberty Institute, James alleges a national Fox Sports spokesman told The Dallas Morning News that James was terminated from Fox Sports Southwest for religious beliefs against same-sex marriage.

I didn’t know that being a consummate asshole was a religious preference.

“If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it.”

Of course this was inevitable.

Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman on Monday said he is preparing legislation that would ban gay athletes from joining the National Football League.

Burkman in a statement said he has garnered political support for the bill, though his statement didn’t mention any specific lawmakers who are behind it.

”We are losing our decency as a nation,” Burkman said in a statement. “Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That’s a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?”

Burkman said he came up with the idea after college football star Michael Sam publicly revealed he is gay a few weeks ago. If drafted, Sam would be the first openly gay player in the NFL.

Now I think this stands the proverbial snowball’s chance of being enacted into federal law… but can I see certain state legislatures feverishly embracing this with open arms and applying it to college football teams?  Oh hails, yes.

Friday morning buffet

There’s always something to grab.

• Talk about preparation:  Mike Ekeler watched every snap last season of the Bulldogs’ special teams before his interview with Richt.  Talk about being a glutton for punishment, too.
• Based on recruiting rankings, which teams and coaches were the biggest over and under achievers?
• ESPN is set to announce that the 2014 college football season will begin at its earliest point in 11 years.
• Here are some details from the third day of hearings on whether the National Labor Relations Board should certify the Northwestern players’ unionization request.
• And here is a listing of the spring practice start dates and spring game dates for all 14 SEC schools.
• Charlie Pierce uses Mark Richt to mock Georgia pols’ attempt to let guns on campus.
• Arkansas’ plan to modify its school color leads to a post about color scales that probably has more information than you could possibly care about.  But since it also mentions Georgia, what the hell.
• MaconDawg wonders if Georgia’s 2015 recruiting indicates that future offensive changes are a possibility.

Amateurism is for losers.

Somebody in the great state of Mississippi has had enough of players not giving their all in some weak-ass bowl game.

With the NCAA now starting to get on board with the idea, Mississippi Democrat Omeria Scott has proposed legislation to pay college athletes in the state of Mississippi.

One interesting thing about this bill is that it’s based on performance, not of the individual but of the team. The bill calls for “every University eligible for a postseason bowl game to place into an escrow account 33% of all revenue received by the University for being accepted into, participating in, and winning a bowl game.”  [Emphasis added.]

Got that?  You want some money, student-athletes?  You’d better show him how much.  The man intends to put the play back in “play for pay”.

Sounds like Representative Scott lost a bowl bet.  Although at least he’s not requiring that they cover the spread, too.

Wednesday morning buffet

Hungry?

• There is a Chris Conley-Georgia Tech-Dragon*Con joke lurking somewhere in this story, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be the one to make it.
• On the other hand, I think we all know this is something else Mark Richt has lost control of.
• Another tale of amateurism:  “To be honest,” he said, “I didn’t feel like I was doing nothing wrong.”
• Can you guess the only SEC head coach who wasn’t employed when he was hired for his current gig?
• How smarmy is Urban Meyer?  Smarmy enough that I can’t mock a John Feinstein column related to college football.
• Now this is some world-class trolling.
• Shilling for himself in South Carolina, Rick Perry makes a funny about TAMU failing to beat Missouri.  Well, I’m sure somebody thought it was funny.
• And here’s Athlon’s list of college football’s 20 worst coaches at great programs.  Georgia has fewer on the list than Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame or Southern Cal.
• Loran Smith has a nice write-up of the Georgia Tech game.

The last refuge

Arizona State just lost its athletic director to the deeper pocketed University of Texas and its president is wondering where he goes from here.

“I am looking for people committed to the model that we’re trying to advance,” he said. “Obviously there are other models. There are models of $6 million football coaches. Maybe that’ll soon be $10 million. For me, I don’t think that’s the way for college sports to go, but at the same time I’ve got to keep the team on track, and have to keep the positions filled in a very, very rough and tumble market.

“If the only path to athletic success is the same path as professional teams — more and more money like the Yankees model — then where does that leave us in college sports?”

Judging from what the NFL has pulled off, it should leave you making plans to go lobby Congress.  An antitrust exemption would come in mighty handy about now.  Added bonus:  even the losers reformers think that’s the way to go.  Socialism, for the win!

“But we know the appetite out there is strong to help college athletes.”

Once again proving that there is no better misleading political excuse than “do it for the children”, everyone’s favorite self-billed “college-sports watchdog group” proposes (1) Congress grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption so it can cap coaching salaries and control the days on which college football is broadcast; (2) giving the NCAA the power to issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify; (3) turning control of the college football postseason over to the NCAA; and (4) tougher academic standards for student-athletes.

C’mon, kids.  Don’t you want to help Mark Emmert to help schools’ reserve funds you?

Expect more and more of this bullshit the closer the NCAA gets to losing O’Bannon.

Casualty of war

According to Air Force’s associate athletic director, there is a chance this Saturday’s Air Force-Navy game may not be played because of the federal government shutdown.

Garnhart explained that upper-class cadets at the Air Force Academy are considered military personnel, which means they could be subject to travel restrictions under the shutdown.

You gotta love this country.

**************************************************************************

UPDATE:

Due to the government shutdown, #AirForce has canceled today’s press conference with Troy Calhoun and players.—
Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) October 01, 2013