In the ever changing world of college football, BYU's hopes seem to have taken another blow. But now is not the time for despair. You might think that BYU may as well give up and go back to the MWC, but that is not going to happen...at least that does not seen like the case.
First of all, more than ever, the world of college sports is changing by forces outside of the NCAA. Here are a few things that could work in BYU's favor.
-First, the results of the Ed O'Bannon suit, the full cost of scholarships, guaranteed scholarships and unionization have not fully been realized. UAB is likely the first of many schools that will drop football in the coming years. I even saw reports that Kentucky and Virginia were considering it. Yes, these reports came out on April first, but there is a kernel of truth to these joke reports. The expense of football will even cause some P5 schools to join UAB. Kentucky may be one of those schools, as it it obvious that Basketball is their top priority. Schools like Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest also put primary emphasis on roundball over football. Schools with such an emphasis in the Big 12 include Kansas and Iowa State. This could be both good and bad news for the Cougars. The good news is that the ACC beats the Big 12 to Cincinnati and Memphis and other East Coast school. The bad news, there may not be a Big 12 for BYU to get into. It is also possible that if the PAC-12 loses schools like Washington State, not because of a great emphasis on basketball, but because they simply can't keep up being in the small market where they reside.
Another problem that lurks is the student loan crisis. This will eventually put a cap on student loans, and possibly keep colleges from raising tuition and fees to support their sports programs. This will negatively effect many schools and will cause some of them to drop sports, including football.
Another potential problem is the NFL and NBA. These leagues have relied too long on almost exclusively college talent. And while the NBA has been buoyed up by talent from Europe, the NFL has not. When colleges stop sponsoring football, the NFL talent pool will begin to shallow. The NBA, sooner or later, will need to develop a farm system much more similar to what exists in soccer and hockey. Sooner or later, the NFL will need to follow. Already, there is a lot of talent in the US that is wasted because kids can't make it in college.
Other sports are beginning to surge in popularity in the United States. Soccer and lacrosse are particularly becoming more popular with youth today, and while there are injuries, visits to the emergency room happen with less frequency. Well, that is the perception, but many of these sports have as many injuries as football, especially when coaches are not training their players on how to avoid injury in the first place.
Finally, popularity of non-football/basketball sports is increasing at the expense of football and basketball. The good ol' American pastime of baseball is seeing a resurgence while soccer and some women's sports are beginning to enjoy a level of popularity that was considered unthinkable in the days when the old NASL folded.
Take all of these factors into consideration. There will likely be room for BYU in the top tier of college football, as long as fans are patient enough to wait for it. Someone will leave and make room for the Cougars. It's just a matter of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment