The Distorted State of College Sports

 

PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF SALEM "Virginia's Championship City" D3Playbook JANUARY 4, 2021 | written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III Our goal is to keep you - the influencers in DIII athletics - apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers.   >> Good Monday Morning!  Welcome to 2021. Here's hoping that it's a damn sight better than the previous year. >> Today's Word Count: 1,009. >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Remember to follow us on Twitter @D3Playbook for the latest news and transactions   Subscribe to d3Playbook TOP STORY 1.  The Distorted State of College Sports by Michael Rosenberg, Sports Illustrated "If all of 2020 felt like one long Zoom meeting, college sports logged in late and hungover, wearing expensive but stained pajamas, in an enormous but filthy house, leading everybody else to ask: You live like that? Yes, indeed. This was the year when athletic departments exposed themselves for what they really are: large businesses covered in nonprofit wrapping paper. A coronavirus pandemic forced the whole enterprise to announce its priorities, which are even more skewed than we realized. There are thousands of people working in college athletics with excellent priorities, of course—people who value academics, relationships, integrity and personal growth. But those are not the qualities the NCAA system rewards. College sports, purportedly a celebration of amateur athletics, are an exercise in big squashing little: large conferences whipping small ones, and revenue sports hogging resources from nonrevenue sports. Universities are supposed to practice egalitarianism, or at least aspire to it. Future CEOs and artists share a campus, and that coexistence is an essential piece of the experience.  And college athletics are supposedly the sporting version of this. As those NCAA commercials love to remind us, the overwhelming majority of athletes “go pro in something other than sports.” In 2020, though, it became obvious that the apparatus that was supposed to support a larger infrastructure has overwhelmed it instead. >> Why It Matters: "The storyline of the fall was that daily rapid testing had made it safe to conduct sports, but there were two glaring flaws in that argument. One: It conveniently ignores (NCAA President Mark) Emmert’s principle: If a school doesn’t reopen, then they’re not going to be playing sports. Suddenly, that didn’t matter anymore. Schools quickly abandoned the notion that athletes are like other students—all over the country athletes received access to tests that the rest of their university communities lacked. They were prioritized not because they were at greater risk but because their presence was of greater financial value to their schools." >> Reality Check: "Not everybody can win, but everybody can be obsessed, and everybody can market obsession. That is the prominent business model in college sports: Prove to your customers that you are as irrationally committed as they are. Schools are far more likely to be criticized for not paying obscene salaries to football coaches than for doing so. Which is why coaches’ salaries keep going up." >> The Final Word: "College sports will change radically over the next 20 years. The question is how? Rules allowing athletes to profit off their names, images and likenesses are coming—rules that are both fair and overdue. But if 2020 is any indication, then without even the pretense of amateurism, athletic departments will continue to detach themselves from the central mission of their schools." >> An Important Read   SPRING 2. Preseason Lacrosse All-Americans   Mac Bredahl, Tufts (photo by John Strohsacker); Jane Earley, Middlebury (photo courtesy of athletic communications) US Lacrosse Magazine recently announced its 2021 Division III Men’s and Women's Preseason All-Americans, part of the magazine’s immersive coverage leading to the upcoming spring season. >> Men's Story >> Women's Story   CONFERENCES 3.  Scorecard   We continue to update the winter and spring competition seasons for schools and conferences that have made formal announcements. Others have yet to indicate plans for the upcoming seasons. According to D3hoops.com, 92 institutions have opted out of competition in winter sports in 2020-21. Please let us know if we've missed your league or conference.   Moving Forward (21) Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference American Rivers Conference American Southwest Conference College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin  Empire 8 Conference Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Little East Conference Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Northwest Conference Ohio Athletic Conference Old Dominion Athletic Conference Presidents Athletic Conference Southern Athletic Association Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference United Collegiate Hockey Conference Upper Midwest Athletic Conference USA South Conference Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Waiting to Make Call (5) Atlantic East Conference Commonwealth Coast Conference Landmark Conference Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Atlantic Conference Canceled Conference Play and Championships (15) Centennial C2C CSAC GNAC Liberty League Midwest Conference NCAC NEAC NECC New England Hockey Conference Northeast Women's Hockey League NESCAC NEWMAC SCIAC  UAA Canceled Winter Competition (3) CUNYAC MASCAC  SUNYAC No Formal Announcement (3) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association New Jersey Athletic Conference Skyline Conference NCAA 4. Calendar   January 7 - Championships Committee 9-10 - Student-Athlete Advisory Committee 11-15 - NCAA Convention 12 - Management Council 14 - Presidents Council 15 - Post-Convention Management Council   SPONSORED MESSAGE   The City of Salem and Salem Parks & Recreation along with other localities in the Roanoke Valley host a variety of softball and baseball tournaments throughout the year. We work with Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Botetourt County and the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitor's Bureau. USA, NSA, USSSA, Got Game, Softball Nations, Freedom Sports and ISF are organizations that bring tournaments to the Roanoke Valley.   Find out more at SalemChampionships.com   REVIEW 5. Weekend Stars  MBB: Dimitrius Underwood posted his second straight triple-double as UT Dallas (2-0) downed Howard Payne, 82-72. Underwood scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out 10 assists.   MBB: Luke Couch scored a game-high 21 points as Belhaven (1-1) knocked Birmingham-Southern (3-1) from the unbeaten ranks with an 84-80 victory.   WIH: Adrian scored two goals in five minutes midway through the final period but could not overcome a 3-0 deficit in a 3-2 loss to Division I Mercyhurst. Sophie Goldberg made 38 saves for the Bulldogs who were outshot 41-14.   TRANSACTIONS 6.  Comings and Goings   AVERETT - Cody Jones named sports performance assistant coach CONCORDIA-CHICAGO - Kelly Bielec named STUNT coach EARLHAM - Sara Allen named women's golf coach HOOD - Jesse Zafiratos named men's soccer coach JOHN CARROLL - Dylan Tutskey named assistant cross country/track and field coach. Tim Edwards named assistant men's lacrosse coach JUNIATA - Pat Christopher named baseball coach KEAN - LaKitha Murray named deputy director of athletics NEBRASKA WESLEYAN - Ryley Egger named sports information director ST. JOHN FISHER - Ian Pace named assistant football coach SUL ROSS STATE - Wyatt Olson named assistant athletic director SUNY POLY - Tod Laursen named acting president 1 THING 7.  A Man-Cave With a View Photo: ESPN PR via Twitter ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, former Ohio State QB, had this incredible setup as he called the Sugar Bowl (Clemson v. Buckeyes) from his Nashville home on New Year's Day after testing positive for COVID. Here's something cool: a 1-minute video of Herbstreit calling a Sugar Bowl play from his COVID command center.   Subscribe to d3Playbook

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