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The Weekly Audible: 6/3/2016

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The Weekly Audible

The Audible is sliding into the weekend like Jim Grobe and fixing everything, because we’re going to do things the right way from now on.

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Democracy In Action

Last week, UC San Diego put forth a student vote to decide whether the athletic department should pursue Division I status. It was a bold move, and brought to light a question that our staff and readers have been debating all week; If sports teams truly represent the students, shouldn’t major  decisions be more democratic?

I agree with Robby here to an extent. Students should have a say in major athletic department moves on all campuses, but I don’t believe it is ever an easy decision. We’ve all seen how the democratic process can be hijacked. For better or worse, the loudest voices in these debates tend to drown out any nuance that should be considered. Thankfully, the nuance in this case fell on the same side as the overwhelming majority.

But in many cases, the right decision and the popular decision don’t align, and it’s often because of the impossibility of educating a large number of people on a detailed topic in a short period of time. This is why we have representative democracies, and why I think the same model is appropriate in this case. Let the student government weigh in on athletic decisions. It gives the students representation, while also providing a smaller, more easily informed electorate. In most cases, they’ll see what everyone else sees.

Well now we’re talking about it

This little bit of news taught me a few things. 1) There is an American Football league in Israel. 2) When teams switch equipment providers they don’t just build a bonfire and burn the old gear. This is probably for the best because of all the wacky chemicals they use to make those compression shirts. 3) This was news, meaning it is apparently rare and/or unique for a team to do this, which is a shame considering how much unusable gear is out there because it has the wrong logo.

So, I’ll agree with Gentry. I wish more schools talked about this. It might make the practice a little more common. I also with I could make a quick trip to Israel to watch a tournament played by four different teams all wearing Power T jerseys.


You gotta work with what you got

It certainly seems like that’s the only reason he hung around. I have to admit, once they let go of Art Briles, I wondered when they would pull the trigger on Ian McCaw. He must have known he would be walked out the door, so there is something commendable about him hanging around long enough to make there was a hand off.

Now the debate is whether or not he made the right call.

https://twitter.com/HiValueOutcomes/status/737416039298797568

I personally agree with Michael on this one. You still have a football team to prepare, and Baylor’s issue isn’t something that can be fixed overnight. Bringing in Grobe, a man who’s ethics are beyond reproach, serves as a necessary stopgap. Sure, his hire doesn’t magically solve every issue Baylor is facing right now, but they needed a football coach who could point their athletes in the right direction, however temporary. That’s what they got in Grobe.

Welcome to the new economy of college basketball

This is one of those times where you see just how different college basketball and football are. In football, smaller schools are paid to fill out larger programs’ schedules because the majority of larger program ticket sales are in season ticket sales. Whether they play Alabama or South Alabama, most of those seats will be purchased.

In basketball, ticket sales still rely heavily on season ticket holders, but these don’t fill the majority of available seats. To fill those seats, schools offer single game or smaller multi-game packages, so bringing in a national brand like Kentucky or Duke generates interest and puts butts in seats.

Kentucky knows this because rarely do they play in front of a less than capacity crowd. As such, they want their cut for selling your tickets. It’s a smart business move, and one that will only help these national brands separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Wait, now I’m confused

https://twitter.com/BestAgency4U/status/738055078410489857

And you knew when the agent tweeted about the other agent speaking out about the school that… I’m not sure whats going on anymore, but it doesn’t look good. The wrestling community is a small one, and the Gophers are a powerhouse program, so these allegations have created shock waves through the sport. Hopefully we’ll be able to clear up this mess and tell you more about it soon.

On a somber note

I woke up this morning practically giddy at the opportunity to attend one of the first games in this year’s NCAA Baseball Regionals, but now that enthusiasm is secondary to the heartbreak I feel for the Vanderbilt community. Last night, Donny Everett, a rising star in the Vandy baseball program, had his life tragically cut short. He is the second Vanderbilt athlete to pass away as a result of a drowning accident in less than a year.

The games will go on, but keep Donny and all of these athletes in your thoughts as they do. They bring us so much joy and excitement on the field and court, sometimes it is hard to remember that they are just young men and women trying to navigate life the same as we are.

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