Politics: The Bane Of Sports

  I tend to stay away from politics in my blogs. For good reason. The political world can be a mixture of righteousness and toxicity, with common sense at a minimum. 

Then again, the self-centered nature of college and professional sports, driven, as it is,  by money is a microcosm of the political world.

With the political climate in Washington and in many states which are known as “red states” in a state of measured chaos right now and with highly divisive agendas, it made me think about what could happen if the same mentality permeated the sports world. As it continues, we have no idea what the landscape of this country or the world will look like. 

How this tumult affects sports is a great question. These are uncertain times.

What you see now in sports may have changed in six months. Witness at the big wigs of the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference having a powwow in New Orleans this past week. 

These are the power brokers of collegiate sports. These are the two mega conferences where the vast amount of television money along with NIL payments reside. This is where the television networks and streaming services gravitate. March Madness would never have become such a big thing without CBS making it into a must-see event. 

The SEC has sixteen members. There are the flagship public universities of 12 states. Additionally, there are three public land-grant universities and one private research university. The conference headquarters is in Birmingham, Alabama. Every member either makes a profit or breaks even on expenses compared to revenue generated; those figures are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Even with four schools (Georgia, Auburn, Texas A&M and South Carolina) competing in Equestrian events as a SEC-sanctioned sport.  

Meanwhile, the expanded Big Ten has 15 of 18 schools enrolling more than 30,000 students, with all public universities, with the exception of Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. All except Nebraska are members of the Association of American Universities, while USC is the only non-member of the Universities Research Association. These schools educate more than 520,000 students and are purported to have 5.7 million living alumni. Big Ten headquarters is in Rosemont, Illinois. Moreover, Johns Hopkins University is an affiliate member for lacrosse, while Notre Dame University is a member solely in ice hockey. 

These conferences extend from the West Coast to the East Coast, up and down the Eastern Seaboard and states abutting the Gulf of Mexico or America, as some now must refer to that body of water. That covers a lot of territory which is full of political ammunition and entrenched power. 

Which is why, in this politically-charged environment, a cartel is forming and will certainly be protected like other big businesses will be. The fact that the two conferences each want to have four guaranteed spots in the College Football Playoffs shows their strength and avarice. 

Expect that to translate to basketball—I believe that upwards of nine schools from each conference will likely make the Big Dance. That will diminish the opportunities for upsets by small to mid-major schools over the big boys, because the marginal spots in the tournament will go to one of the Big Ten or SEC schools on the bubble. 

Don’t expect the state legislatures to act against what is going on. Nor, in this time of wholesale change in government, where reckless downsizing is happening with abandon, will this overriding of the collegiate sports landscape be halted. 

The only thing which will serve to hurt the SEC-Big Ten conglomerate will be what affects it the most—money. While the revenue seems to be guaranteed, if there is a downturn in the nation’s economy, which many believe will occur with a slowing of economic growth coupled with rising inflation, then the dollars spent on everything from merchandise to luxury suites won’t necessarily be there. 

The NCAA seems to be toothless in its governing of its membership. The CFP is not part of the NCAA, and football is the driving sport in the equation. What is going on isn’t good. But in this day and age, no one is going to decry what is happening—except maybe a negative blogger or two who thinks conference expansion and TV money are the root causes of all evil in collegiate sports and who prefers to watch the clarity of competition at the Ivies, Patriot League or Division III, where few worry too much about NIL and even fewer go on to play professionally. 

Sure, I watched the glitz and glamor of Friday night SEC women’s gymnastics on ESPN.  Just like I tuned into Michigan State-Michigan and USC-Rutgers in men’s basketball. 

Yet I found myself at peace watching Franklin and Marshall vie with Gettysburg for the regular season title in the Centennial Conference, and home court advantage in the upcoming playoffs. Two schools in historic areas, with the word College affixed to their names. 

Not too many people cared to watch on their computers—there isn’t any commercial appeal for these games nor are there any TV time outs at regulated times. Just a number of kids playing their hearts out in a less-than packed small gymnasium. 

Simplicity in sports. What a novel idea. Which, at that level, will seemingly endure. Unlike what is happening in Division I. (For the record, F&M won)

Returning to the theme I began with, I worry where this new government will be heading regarding sports. I see a President who appeared at the Super Bowl, staying for a half, then heading to Daytona for the big race, and providing such a stirring pep talk to the USA hockey team before the 4 Nations championship game versus Canada, complete with references to our neighbors to the north as the 51st state. He didn’t fare too well after praising supporter Brittany Mahomes, wife of the Kansas City quarterback nor were his words impactful on the USA team, which lost in overtime to its northern rivals. Heck, I hope he doesn’t weigh in on the efficacy of the “Tush Push.”

No, I am concerned that he and his fans will seek to quash the number of players from other countries entering the United States. The impact will be catastrophic for professional and college sports at all levels. In keeping with the theme of less reliance upon other nations while angering their residents and leaders, I don’t see this outside the realm of possibility. Especially if there is an economic decline. 

You won’t see players like Frenchman Victor Wembanyama display his enormous talent in a nation alien to his interests once he is medically cleared to return from the deep vein thrombosis which has sidelined him for the remainder of the NBA season. Who knows how the anti-vaccine beliefs permeating government will align with the safety of foreign players coming into our country—that is a serious potential issue. 

In this changing world, will the National Football League be welcome in its outreach and games outside of the US? Ditto the NBA and all of the foreign-born players in so many other sports. And will the Olympic ideal be lost to political vitriol? 

Outlandish, you think? No more than the changes which are happening on a daily basis in Washington and resonating throughout our Nation. 

I love to discuss sports. My beliefs are my own. When politics overwhelms sports, I worry.

Politics. The bane of sports right now and in the future.