Sally Jenkins is a real mixed bag. Just when we get good and mad at her
for condoning bottle throwing and rioting, she
says stuff about football that we really agree with.
We don't
understand the entire problem very well, but football is at least partly out of
whack because it is a major revenue producing sport, and Title IX requirements
force schools to fund things whether or not they make sense in a broader
view. Don't misunderstand us: almost everyone now respects women athletes
and takes pride in them. But the way the system is now, football and
basketball have to, as the Sopranos say, produce. And when even a powerhouse
like Miami is losing money, the whole system needs to be overhauled.
There are
some straightforward ways to do it. First, a national championship
playoff. The Bowls are just a relic, to be blunt, and they should either
be incorporated into the playoffs or done away with. Once it's the
Weedeater Bowl, who really cares anymore?
The revenue from a playoff would be
enormous. Then the lesser conferences could have a stake again.
The
other idea would be fairly simple, though it would annoy football-dom: end
liberal substitution and cut scholarships. This would force schools to
recruit superior athletes with two-way skills, which would make it a vastly more
interesting game, in our opinion. It would also cut the overhead with
regards to Title IX compliance. It'll never happen, needless to say, but
it would be a much more fun game if it did.