The season was canceled because, despite five months to work things out, the Big Ten had no plan for player safety

Omaha fan said:
 No worries, thought it was Amazing almost perfect direct  correlation between who is playing football and who isn’t. If it needs to be  nixed, So be it.

My thought process is it seems like the leadership of the conference and the political leanings of the leagues geographic footprint seems to be a factor in who is playing and who is not playing. The map was kind of compelling. 
 

The university presidents seem to be mirroring perfectly the political leanings of their respective states. One type of majority in a state consistently doesn’t want to play and the other side when in a majority in a state consistently wants to play. Interesting stuff. 
 

Utah not surprisingly is the outlier in the pac

nebraska and Indians are the outliers in the Big10.  With Iowa, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin on the fence. 
 

southeast, big 12 and acc are all perfectly aligned across the board, with just Virginia and Boston college as an outlier 
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Agree 1,000 ^

Its amazing how many want to brush the map and this line of thinking under the carpet.

 
JJ Husker said:
..."unexpected but foreseeable events"... ? Do you have an example of a foreseeable unexpected event? I'm curious to learn.
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I could give lots of them.  A few would be:

- sex abuse allegations by a coach

   w/ multiple victims ala PSU

-  tornados damage bldgs/equip

-  lightening fry the big screens

-  roof collapse of bldg

-  tragic bus crash with players hurt 

   or killed

-  crowd goes crazy after big win and tears down goals and fans are injured or killed

-  panic in a crowd and children are trampled etc

-  massive malfeasance of dept $ by staff / embezzlement

-  bad dept investments made

-  breach of contracts for any of many matters.  

-  scandal erupts inside dept and fans simply stop buying tickets.  - a 50% drop in one aeason would be big losses.  

-  cheating or other issues can lead to fines, severance or other costs

- Big Ten buy-outs

- Big 12 or SEC buy-ins.  

- cost overuns on new facilities projects or weather delays cause losses in participations/hosting events.  

- fire injures dept staff and negligence / fraud is apparently

a factor.   

 
84HuskerLaw said:
Define rich.   Rich is assets.  Revenues exceeded expenses by about 10% in recent years.  Over decades, the Athletic Dept managed to accumulate a ‘rainy

day’ fund of roughly 60 million about the time TO ended as Director.  I recall a report that amount was roughly still available.  That fund was for unexpected but foreseeable events.  While this is certainly one of those, obviously it is a hurricane not a rainy day.  

To be rich, NU would need about 300 million in reserves by any reasonable definition.  From what is generally reported, many programs around the country rely on big taxpayer subsidies to operate annually.   At this point, there arent many States with big budget surpluses to just kick a 100 million extra to shore up non-functioning athletic depts.  
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The fund you are speaking of is only one of several. Additionally, the department doesn’t need $300 million. They need access to it. Let’s just pretend what you’ve stated could actually happen. Trust me, if they need money to keep things afloat it would only take about 3 phone calls. 
 

EDIT: also your revenues over expenses doesn’t include a very large piece. Tax deductible donations that go directly into multiple funds that the Athletic Department has in many places. Not to mention the total endowment of the University that sits at a little under $1.7 Billion. 

 
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In the Deed the Glory said:
The fund you are speaking of is only one of several. Additionally, the department doesn’t need $300 million. They need access to it. Let’s just pretend what you’ve stated could actually happen. Trust me, if they need money to keep things afloat it would only take about 3 phone calls. 
 

EDIT: also your revenues over expenses doesn’t include a very large piece. Tax deductible donations that go directly into multiple funds that the Athletic Department has in many places. Not to mention the total endowment of the University that sits at a little under $1.7 Billion. 
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The University endowment is NOT the ath dept.  Very doubtful that money would be touchable for sports etc.  There may be endowment funds in trust for athletic supports such as scholarships but there have been no reports I have seen of big bucks in the bank for athletic dept operations.  Seems odd that this is not publicly referenced if u are correct.  The endowment is for the entire university academic and other supports is my understanding.  

 
GBRFAN said:
Agree 1,000 ^

Its amazing how many want to brush the map and this line of thinking under the carpet.
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Unfortunately the numbers clearly show at the high school and youth level, football is a dying sport. The numbers are down everywhere, but In some areas like the northeast, the numbers are far worse than in places like the Deep South, Midwest and rural areas. 

Note that today anything that is uniquely American, uniquely masculine and part of our historic culture is going to be under severe attack by certain segments of our population  and their willing accomplices in the media. The pandemic, racial issues, cte, pay for play and the budget shortfalls are a perfect tsunami to cut sports like football down.  
 

There  are several segments of our population beyond the man bun-vegan- sjw-video game-no girlfriend- skateboard guy that were never part of that Americana scene that would absolutely love for football to go away forever. They would love to deprive us of what really is an integral social bonding and tribal construct that brings families, friends and neighbors together to support a common goal and just enjoy ourselves. Yes, commitment, hard work, competition, being on time,  meritocracy and excellence/winners losers thing are very very bad words in some segments of our society. 
 

The trends are very real and only getting worse. Who knows where we will be 30 years from now. But my thoughts are football will most likely be a very regional game by then. 

 
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84HuskerLaw said:
The University endowment is NOT the ath dept.  Very doubtful that money would be touchable for sports etc.  There may be endowment funds in trust for athletic supports such as scholarships but there have been no reports I have seen of big bucks in the bank for athletic dept operations.  Seems odd that this is not publicly referenced if u are correct.  The endowment is for the entire university academic and other supports is my understanding.  
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The endowment is for the University to use. If the AD was in debt, the University can cover the losses. After all, they own the athletic department. 

 
In the Deed the Glory said:
The endowment is for the University to use. If the AD was in debt, the University can cover the losses. After all, they own the athletic department. 
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I am sure the great bulk of endowment funds are directed use only.  Ex).  For the engineering dept.  or for the Carson Theater Arts, etc.  Again, if they have a bunch of $ setting in 2% interest investments, they would have tapped it to build the new facilities and not keep deferring projects for lack of money (turf, restrooms, bldgs, etc).  No doubt they always want $ as the needs / wants never end, but I will be shocked if Moos says “oh, we got plenty of money and we are cutting ticket prices, giving bonuses and hiring back the recent layoffs”.  

 
Omaha fan said:
Unfortunately the numbers clearly show at the high school and youth level, football is a dying sport. The numbers are down everywhere, but In some areas like the northeast, the numbers are far worse than in places like the Deep South, Midwest and rural areas. 

Note that today anything that is uniquely American, uniquely masculine and part of our historic culture is going to be under severe attack by certain segments of our population  and their willing accomplices in the media. The pandemic, racial issues, cte, pay for play and the budget shortfalls are a perfect tsunami to cut sports like football down.  
 

There  are several segments of our population beyond the man bun-vegan- sjw-video game-no girlfriend- skateboard guy that were never part of that Americana scene that would absolutely love for football to go away forever. They would love to deprive us of what really is an integral social bonding and tribal construct that brings families, friends and neighbors together to support a common goal and just enjoy ourselves. Yes, commitment, hard work, competition, being on time,  meritocracy and excellence/winners losers thing are very very bad words in some segments of our society. 
 

The trends are very real and only getting worse. Who knows where we will be 30 years from now. But my thoughts are football will most likely be a very regional game by then. 
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Oh good Lord.....

:facepalm:

 
BigRedBuster said:
Oh good Lord.....

:facepalm:
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(This will be unpopular)

I mean, on his stance that there are people who would like to see football lessened in our country:

I see a large amount of unwarranted vitriol towards football from a lot of circles directly. It’s odd how much some people hate football for seemingly no reason at all other than it wasn’t what they participated in when they are/were in school. They participated in other activities and are as such part of other groups. (He touched on different groups but I disagree with his groups and how he went about it.) Like most on here, I have hobbies other than football and as such I frequent other Internet circles (ie forums). For example, I frequent a video game forum, and they almost unanimously hate football more than anything else in the world. I see countless posts about how thickheaded sports fans are and players are and how pointless it all is (nevermind the fact that football helps local businesses, schools, and universities, as well as many charities). And to go back to the school activities aspect, my wife was in One Acts growing up and she had a strong dislike for football that was, in her words, fostered by everyone else in One Acts hating it. And it was the only sport she disliked or the one acts group collectively disliked. And as far as I’ve been told, nobody from their football team ever did anything to warrant it. 
 

I played football throughout grade school and never found anything that warranted any of this, if it was ever directed towards us/me at my school. When I went to college, I didn’t play football (apparently they weren’t looking for a 3rd stringer from a Nebraska high school) and I didn’t associate with anyone from the team, but in passing by they were cordial to me and my now wife. They also did a lot for the community including moving many students in.

— —

His post sounds extremely over dramatic, but it would be more beneficial for us all to direct the content rather than the drama.

(Note: I’m only giving my purely anecdotal observations to support the above. I’m not going to support the idea that football will actually be overcome by those who dislike it.)

 
Well I don't agree with pretty much all of the novels above, football isn't under attack by people who don't like it,  that's pretty much nonsense.  What I think will happen is less kids will play it in the coming decades,  Mom concerned about head injuries etc. , and other sports will start to become more popular.  A gradual decline but it won't go away.

 
Football is under attack by those who do not like it and there are legitimate efforts being made to ban the game and or cut it off at its knees..state legislators all over the country have tried to slowly destroy the game. 
 

if you don’t think the game is under attack. You certainly haven’t been coaching it or paying close attention to what’s happening nationally. I have coaching friends all over the country that share their numbers problems and horror stories with. Here in Nebraska numbers are down, but we aren’t in the environments many of my friends have to live in. Literally looked down on as ignorant cavemen for supporting their kids playing,
 

 Major news publications have come out in favor of banning tackle football for kids under age 14- a move that would significantly cut the number of kids playing, effectively smothering numbers in the long run. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kcra.com/amp/article/california-youth-football-rules-law-limit-full-contact-practices/28583081

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.boston.com/sports/parenting/2019/03/03/massachusetts-proposed-law-ban-youth-tackle-football/amp

https://brainlaw.com/youth-tackle-football/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/2936638002

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a735bf7e4b0905433b23463/amp

 
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jaws said:
Just admit that you don't understand how endowments work. It isn't a big savings account that a school can spend however they like.
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Suggest you google college endowments and you will find plenty of reading on what they are, how they work, uses, purposes, etc. In general, the $ is donated by indivduals and businesses to help fund the ed missions of the named schools.  The principal is held in perpetuity with the income (or a part of it) used for specific purposes as directed by the donor or the endowment Board of Directors.  It is usually a long, long term deal.  Some gifts are immediate purpose types but the

great majority are not.  

NU and the Athletic Dept may have a athletics endowment fund but I seriously doubt it amounts to anywhere close to 20% of the value of the 1.5 billion roughly that may be the total in the overall endowment funding.  The income therefrom would be perhaps 5 or 10 million tops so maybe half available for this situation.   

 
Omaha fan said:
Football is under attack by those who do not like it and there are legitimate efforts being made to ban the game and or cut it off at its knees..state legislators all over the country have tried to slowly destroy the game. 
 

if you don’t think the game is under attack. You certainly haven’t been coaching it or paying close attention to what’s happening nationally. I have coaching friends all over the country that share their numbers problems and horror stories with. Here in Nebraska numbers are down, but we aren’t in the environments many of my friends have to live in. Literally looked down on as ignorant cavemen for supporting their kids playing,
 

 Major news publications have come out in favor of banning tackle football for kids under age 14- a move that would significantly cut the number of kids playing, effectively smothering numbers in the long run. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kcra.com/amp/article/california-youth-football-rules-law-limit-full-contact-practices/28583081

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.boston.com/sports/parenting/2019/03/03/massachusetts-proposed-law-ban-youth-tackle-football/amp

https://brainlaw.com/youth-tackle-football/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/2936638002

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a735bf7e4b0905433b23463/amp
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An argument could also be made in the Omaha area that the biggest threat to HS football is youth club football: aka the very "pro-football" crowd.

A club team has approximately 25 kids; skill doesn't matter, just the ability to pay.  This team isn't necessarily communicating with HS programs and most likely is doing whatever the "dad coaches" think is best.  These kids don't play for their Middle Schools because they have to wear "used jerseys" and don't get to "ride in the Tahoe to games" (these are real quotes I've heard more than once)

This leads to lower numbers in the middle schools which leads to fewer coaches and fewer teams.  Luckily, for now, we are still able to field at least one team of kids that could contain some future "all-staters" that wouldn't even think about playing if their only option was club.

I'm not saying Middle School sponsored sports makes kids better, but I am saying without Middle School sports there are many kids that will be kept from the game.  And some of those kids can be really, really good.  And right now, our biggest threat is club...

 
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