Burnt

This week has been ridiculous for me and ESPN. Not one thing has gotten me angry enough to devote an entire post to it, so instead you're going to get a series of rants about what's been burning me up this week.

1. Alright Boise State lost, I watched the entire second half of that game and had a hard time changing the channel during Nevada's celebration because I was so shocked. Nevada is a good team, and there is no shame in losing to them at their house if you are just another good team, but most people had hopes that Boise State was special. The kind of team that could go to the National Championship against one of the elite teams and win. Sadly, Boise State wasn't that team and we have to hope that things fall into place for TCU to fill in for them. The only thing that bothered me about this loss was how quickly analysts jumped on Boise State and seemingly rubbed BSU's nose in the loss in a way I haven't seen with other teams. With all that was at stake I suppose that kind of response is to be expected to a small extent, but what bothers me is the lack of shame being distributed. I saw three different articles disrespecting BSU on ESPN the day after the loss, and no articles about how terrible the Big East is. The only criticism the Big East gets is an aside from commentators on ESPN who say that it's clearly the worst BCS conference. That's it, it's as if everyone knows the Big East is a joke, but it's not a big deal. That a conference who doesn't have one team ranked in the Top 25 is contractually obligated to have a team in a BCS game. If ESPN took a general stance that they were OK with the Big East making it into a BCS game because the present system is such that all regions must be represented I would be OK with that. But it isn't their general stance, because at the exact same time we are hearing the opposite argument about how no team from the NFC West should be able to make it into the playoffs because they're so bad. The double standard is what is bothering me and I think it's unfair.

2. This whole Cam Newton situation is unbelievable. Whether you think College players should get paid or not we are unfortunately seeing a ridiculous double standard. It appears as if there is sufficient evidence to show that Cam Newton's Father looked for "Pay for Play". It's still under investigation if Cam knew or not, but we are seeing another gross double standard. There are countless examples of seemingly innocuous actions leading to players and coaches being suspended. AJ Green sold a game jersey and missed four games because of it. Dillon Baxter accepted a ride on a golf cart from someone he didn't know was an agent and he still missed a game.(Source) And a throwback to show how ridiculous the NCAA is, give this story about Rick Majerus a read. The article discusses Majerus having too many meals with his students, one which Rick had breakfast with Keith Van Horn to tell Keith that his Father had just died. This is why people hate the NCAA, because they claim to take a high road when it comes ethical issues and then they show they are hypocrites. These are just a few of the ridiculous things the NCAA has come down on schools and players for. I'm not going to come up with conspiracy theories even if some of the ones I've heard seem plausible. I'm just pointing out that there is a flaw in the system and it's disappointing to me. Say what you do, and do what you say. I think what we're seeing here is a bad precedence, that if you want to get around the NCAA rules simply enlist the help of your parents. Clearly that's a good enough excuse to avoid suspending Cam Newton even though there is evidence to support that Cam did know what was going on. (i.e. the alleged conversation where he told someone, "...the money is too much at Auburn") If Cecil Newton took the 180 K, does that mean that anything he's purchased for Cam since receiving the money constitutes a violation for Cam? After all, the money is coming from someone who paid for Cam to play at Auburn. Are they going to investigate what Cam get's for Christmas from his parents? The entire situation is frustrating and confusing and I'm sick of it. They either need to start paying college athletes or come out with fair, clear, and steadfast rules that don't get bent because he's the best player on a National Championship contending team.

3. Lastly, ESPN needs to back off the NFC West. I know I referenced this earlier and how I believe there is a double standard. But I am so tired of hearing about how bad the NFC West is. Alright, we're having a down year, and frankly it's a really bad year. But tell me why the NFC West has been represented in 2 out of the last 5 Super Bowls and 3 out of the last 8. And the most recent trip to the Super Bowl from the division was nearly identical to the current situation we find the NFC West in. Look, I'm not delusional, I know things are really bad right now. All I'm saying is you need to lay off a little bit, it's unprecedented how much coverage this division is getting for being bad. We have some of the best fans in football who support our teams even when they've been disappointing. We're an up and coming division as well, with nearly every team having something to be excited about. A great QB in St. Louis, a great defense in San Francisco as well as a great RB in Frank Gore. Additionally the Seahawks have reason to be optimistic because despite an inordinate amount of changes to their roster in the offseason they have won some big games. Including beating both the Chargers and the Bears who are considered to be very good teams. Lastly, Arizona has Larry Fitzgerald which should excite any football fan. Give us some time, we'll be back, and if you continue to ride us into the ground with segments like "Westbound and Down" on NFL Live, you better talk about us like the 85' Bears when these developing teams come to fruition. I for one won't forget the disrespect we've seen over the past 5 years.

That's it for now, have a good weekend! Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments section, I'd like to hear your ideas as well.

Breezy