Category Archives: Media

Whither College Sports?

So long ago, far away.

When I was a kid — As the Tap would say, “In ancient times hundreds of years before the dawn of history” — intercollegiate athletics was, well, quaint actually. At least given what’s going on these wacko days.

Pardon my sentimental journey for a sec to the mid 50s in the Way Back Machine.

Here’s how you’d find out about college football teams and players and schedules. Your dad would bring home some little pamphlet he’d gotten off the counter at Bonnycastle Drugs or Spangler’s Shell or the hardware store.

There’d be all the above noted and results and maybe a story or two. Sometime wondrous little factoids in smaller print at the bottom of the page. (When you are an budding adolescent sports addict, the threshold for wondrous is low.)

One I particularly remember had a couple of pages in the back with outlines of all the big stadiums. Not seating charts, just the shape, their footprints. Which I memorized. For years, I could identify a line drawing of Camp Randall.

One game a week on the grainy black and white TV. Lindsey Nelson or Chris Schenkel on the call. Being impatient, I’d hate when the game was late afternoon, and have to wait so long for kickoff. Except of course for the Rose Bowl because there would be the Cotton or Orange earlier on New Year’s Day.

I’d sit mesmerized watching post game score shows. SMU vs. TCU seemed so mysterious, exotic. Where were these schools? Horned Frogs vs. Mustangs.

So long ago, so far away.

So hard to talk about now. Continue reading Whither College Sports?

Seedy K’s Huzzahs & Harangues: 8/16

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Note: If you are viewing this article on a smartphone, the photo in the body of the post might appear upside down. Not sure why. My apologies for any inconvenience.

Media Misses Mark. Oh how we in the media can hype.Were your ready, I mean, really ready for Katie Ledecky’s triumphs? Usain Bolt’s post posturing after his sure to come W? Another gold for USA in Women’s Futbol.

Okay, we don’t always get it right, but even if we don’t, there’s always a Hope Solo to say something really, ingratiously stupid.

So, Ledecky, and that guy swimmer, you know whatisname Phelps, gave us what we wanted. In record time a lot of the time, thank you very much.

Bolt took care of biz too, prevailing in the 100 meters as he’s done twice before. Then dominated in the headlines as he’s wont to do.

Just one problem. Bolt’s scintillating come from behind W to secure yet again his title as “fastest man in the world” was not the best performance in track & field so far this year in Rio. It wasn’t the best that very evening. Not the best consummation of expectation. His three Golds over eight years in the same event notwithstanding, not the best storyline.

The morning after, all we saw in the headlines was Bolt this, and Bolt that.

You had to dig to read about the night’s real star. Continue reading Seedy K’s Huzzahs & Harangues: 8/16