New book on state of college athletics

[BlueAlpha]

THE PRICE


What It Takes to Win in College Football's


Era of Chaos


ARMEN KETEYIAN & JOHN TALTY

Reading books seems to be a lost art today. Owing almost exclusively to the portal & NIL, I watched less college football & basketball this past Fall than anytime since getting cable in the early 80’s. Not mad nor upset at anyone, it’s just become unrecognizable.
Fortunately, much like my musical palette, my sports palette runs equally wide & deep. Likely helped by the fact we have lived in Philly, Seattle & now ATL.
One of my adult daughters surprised me with the above book at Christmas. Candidly, one of the best books I have read. It really gives a great peak behind the curtain over the past 20+ years. And, I am only on page 190.
While I follow college athletics closely, there was so much background, which is well sourced, on how & why college sports got to where it is today.
If you buy & read the book and feel it wasn’t worth the $15 or so, reach back out here and I will PayPal or Venmo you a refund.
That’s how good a book I think it is.

 

[RaiderDoug]

My CFB consumption habits have changed as well. I used to be all college football. From Thursday nights (before the NFL took over), anything on Friday, and from ESPN Gameday on Sat mornings until Pac-10 after dark.

This year, a fraction of that. I watched most of the MT games, most of the Vols games, a handful of others here and there as background noise, and that was it.

I have to admit, I did enjoy the playoffs. Which is essentially what the NFL-ization of college football has done - there are no real die hard college football fans anymore. The regular season is somewhat meaningless - 80% of the teams are out of it before fall camp breaks just because of the gatekeeping, the rest are kind of playing for seeding (there's a few important games here and there). You have no connection to players any more. There's no sense that you're building anything.

You go with your team, and then you watch the playoffs, and maybe you have a gambling interest here and there, but I don't know anyone that is just hardcore about the sport as a whole anymore.

I'll still invest myself when football season comes back around, and probably always will, but i'm probably far more on the casual side than I was.

 

[Hop45]

Talked me into it! $20 on ebay. Sounds like a good read.