A school and its money are soon parted.
Murphy’s Law times two, this past Saturday, as two football money-first colleges had now standard pay-for-slay cupcakes DoorDashed.
First, Bowling Green at Penn State. BGU was paid $1.5 million to be crushed by a 35-point favorite, a state-funded school that just approved $700 million to upgrade its football stadium.
Not only did PSU trail at the half, it barely won, 34-27, the kind of “win” looked upon poorly by those who devote their sorry lives to ranking fraud-reliant, education-optional college football and basketball teams.
Then there was 29-point favorite Notre Dame at home vs. Northern Illinois, a must-pay “contest” for season ticket holders that was deemed such a mismatch that NBC was embarrassed to promote NIU as ND’s opponent.
ND paid NIU $1.4 million to show up to be slaughtered, then lost, 16-14.
Say it in any language: Germans choose “schadenfreude,” Yiddish-speakers go with “kenahora,” and the Irish — of all nationalities — call it “Murphy’s Law.” What can happen, will happen.
Media at large too polite when discussing 9/11 terror
Mass media continue to describe the 3,000 dead in the 9/11 Islamic terror attacks as if they were victims of a car accident.
Wednesday we were politely told or read that the 3,000 simply “died,” “were killed” “perished” or “were lost.”
But they were murdered, executed. In what’s also described as “Palestine,” there was great rejoicing. The media have avoided asking pro-Hamas agitators throughout the U.S. to provide their feelings on 9/11.
As for a sports connection, wouldn’t it also be nice to ask these protesters how they feel about the Islamic brothers who left Boston Marathoners maimed and murdered? Are they good with that?”
The NFL and MLB continue to hustle short-term TV bucks to afflict the best long-term interests of their sports.
How many hundreds of thousands or even millions of viewers did Roger “It’s All About Our Fans” Goodell eliminate by selling last week’s Eagles-Packers to NBC’s pay-walled Peacock streaming service?
Goodell allowed at least 15 million fewer to watch January’s Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game by selling it exclusively to Peacock, a night game in sub-zero conditions that led to amputations for frostbite to a dozen spectators.
This rush to have sports serve as TV lab rats by minimizing audiences hid Wednesday’s Royals-Yankees behind a paywall, and tonight’s two big games — if MLB under Rob Manfred still has big games — Dodgers-Braves and Red Sox-Yanks will be relegated to witness protection status on Apple TV+.
Wednesday, Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis left the mound in the ninth, having just allowed his first hit against the Mets.
As he departed, an ovation from the Jays’ home crowd began.
At that moment, however, SNY cut away to a commercial. The ad was for a sports gambling operation.
This week, Auburn QB Payton Thorne, after an upset loss to California, revealed that he has received “social” media demands from “fans” to cover their gambling losses. Perhaps Payton should take it up with Peyton Manning, seemingly so broke he’s forced to star in sports gambling ads.
The degradation of the NFL under pandering “End Racism” and “It Takes All Of Us” Goodell does not end. The Fox studio crew was delighted to report Sunday that vulgar, sexually explicit, women-objectifying and N-word spreading rapper Kendrick Lamar has been selected to star at halftime of the next Super Bowl, to be seen, of course, on Fox.
Happy to report it, fellas? Then why not recite a sample of Lamar’s lyrics on the air, you bag of phonies?
Despite the sudden shot-dead end to so many rappers and their young aspirants, the most objectionable, thus commercially successful (and living), remain Goodell’s annual form of Super Bowl Sunday best-foot-forward family entertainment.
And where are all the scores of women now in sportscasting on this?
They’re all good with NFL-chosen rappers to perform — or at least hold their crotches — before the largest national audience? Read Lamar’s crude and worse gutter words for women, then give your personal stamp of approval. Where are all those outspoken, empowered ESPN females on this?
It’s all a con, a race to run lower and backwards. And the selectively gutless media are complicit.
Not nearly worth all that ’deaux
Sunday was the latest game in which Giants’ 2022 fifth overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, the self-impressed snow angel (he performed it right beside QB Nick Foles as Foles was writhing in agony), played touch football. He was so inconspicuous that verbose Fox analyst Jonathan Vilma never noticed him.
The only Fox camera focus he earned was when he was flagged for an out-of-the-play, face mask foul.
Late in the game, Fox did show a forlorn fan wearing Thibodeaux’s No. 5 jersey, costing the fan $130 to purchase. He costs the Giants $32 million over four years to employ.
Wonder if the Mets are aware of how excessively ugly they looked by ripping Mark Vientos’ jersey off his body after he hit a game-ending homer. LFGM.
And Fox’s new $375 million pedestrian NFL game speaker Tom Brady has joined the publicly classless and coarse by adopting “LFG.” One’s sincerity is now measure by publicly speaking the “F” word.
Brady and CBS’s Tony Romo went head-to-head Saturday, a contracted total of $555 million for seasonal work. That’s sick. Yet, tomorrow networks will resume jettisoning cafeteria, mailroom and newsroom workers to save money.
Cherished pro Mike Breen and his family this week returned to their rebuilt Long Island home after it was totaled two years ago in a fire.
Everyone I know who met Ed Kranepool came away very glad they did.
Question of the Week: Big Ten Network’s Dannie Rogers, at halftime, asked Penn State coach James Franklin, “What needs to happen to keep your offense on the field?” Franklin remained patient, but the answer was easy: Make more first downs.
Tell me I’m wrong: The catch probability of a ball not caught is zero percent. For those that are caught, it’s 100 percent.
Troy Aikman on ESPN’s Jets-Niners, over a shot of the Jets’ Robert Saleh: “I think he’s an outstanding head coach, but you gotta prove it. Ya gotta go win games.” At $18 million per; fascinating.
The truth will set you free — free to find a new job. That’s why that Commanders VP was fired last week. He was caught telling the truth about Goodell, the NFL and the misconduct of players.
Act now! Don’t delay! NFL Store operators are standing by! Reader Dan Butta was left confused Sunday. He turned to Vikings-Giants only to see the Giants dressed as the Montreal Canadiens.
