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Kevin Scarbinsky |
It's hard not to notice that most of the people making the most important decisions for the sport of college football don't look much like most of the people playing it.
It's not true. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not choose the four new members of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
It just looks that way.
The four playoff committee newbies have something in common with all 20 actors nominated for Academy Awards.
They're all white.
In the playoff committee's case, four old white men departed, and they were replaced by three old white men and one middle-aged white man.
So much for diversity. It's hard not to notice that most of the people making the most important decisions for the sport of college football don't look much like most of the people playing it.
That's not a knock on former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower, former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, former Central Michigan coach Herb Deromedi or the spring chicken of the bunch, Oregon AD Rob Mullens. No doubt each of them is smart enough, fair enough and experienced enough - they certainly don't lack for experience - to make informed judgments in choosing the best four teams in the country.
Those qualities also were evident among the four departing playoff committee members: former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese, former Air Force Academy Superintendent Mike Gould and USC AD Pat Haden.
But what were the Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and the Notre Dame AD thinking? They make up the CFP's management committee, and they choose the selection committee members. The latest version of the 13-member selection committee still includes only two minorities (former Stanford and Notre Dame coach Ty Willingham and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) and one woman (Rice.)
Even more striking, the playoff poobahs have chosen 19 different people as committee members since its inception, and 17 of them have been white males, with their ages skewed heavily toward AARP eligibility.
The overwhelming complexion of the selection committee runs counter to an admirable notion stated on the playoff's website. Under the FAQ section, the website explains there are 13 committee members "to allow for good representation, active discussion and diversity of viewpoints."
The selection committee is a lot of things. Diverse isn't one of them. Unless your idea of adversity is including both Power 5 and Group of 5 representatives.
College football players tend to notice this kind of thing, just as they pay attention when their financial compensation pales in comparison to the salaries of coaches and administrators.
On the same day the SEC announced record-setting revenues, Florida defensive back Jalen Tabor called college football to a "modern form of slavery." The SEC generated $527.4 million in the fiscal year, which coincided with the first year of the College Football Playoff and the first full year of the SEC Network. Tabor tweeted about the news: "The SEC Made 527.4...
Tabor's comparison was historically inaccurate, not to mention terribly insensitive. Slaves didn't choose their lot in life. College football players do.
His take also was factually incorrect. Most of the SEC's revenue is distributed from the conference to the schools, which pass along much of it to the players themselves in different ways, from scholarships to unlimited meals to cost-of-attendance stipends and beyond.
Tabor later apologized, but his words still resonated. It was just the latest indication that players are more aware than ever of the big business in which they participate. While they do receive compensation, it's not in proportion to the amount of work they do, entertainment value they provide and revenue they generate.
As Tabor said in his follow-up tweets, "Y'all get the message."
Look at the new playoff committee. It looks a lot like the old playoff committee. What message are the players getting there?
You have a better chance to play on one of the playoff teams during your college career than you do to help choose them when you grow up.
Continue reading...
It's not true. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not choose the four new members of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
It just looks that way.
The four playoff committee newbies have something in common with all 20 actors nominated for Academy Awards.
They're all white.
In the playoff committee's case, four old white men departed, and they were replaced by three old white men and one middle-aged white man.
So much for diversity. It's hard not to notice that most of the people making the most important decisions for the sport of college football don't look much like most of the people playing it.
That's not a knock on former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower, former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, former Central Michigan coach Herb Deromedi or the spring chicken of the bunch, Oregon AD Rob Mullens. No doubt each of them is smart enough, fair enough and experienced enough - they certainly don't lack for experience - to make informed judgments in choosing the best four teams in the country.
Those qualities also were evident among the four departing playoff committee members: former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese, former Air Force Academy Superintendent Mike Gould and USC AD Pat Haden.
But what were the Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and the Notre Dame AD thinking? They make up the CFP's management committee, and they choose the selection committee members. The latest version of the 13-member selection committee still includes only two minorities (former Stanford and Notre Dame coach Ty Willingham and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) and one woman (Rice.)
Even more striking, the playoff poobahs have chosen 19 different people as committee members since its inception, and 17 of them have been white males, with their ages skewed heavily toward AARP eligibility.
The overwhelming complexion of the selection committee runs counter to an admirable notion stated on the playoff's website. Under the FAQ section, the website explains there are 13 committee members "to allow for good representation, active discussion and diversity of viewpoints."
The selection committee is a lot of things. Diverse isn't one of them. Unless your idea of adversity is including both Power 5 and Group of 5 representatives.
College football players tend to notice this kind of thing, just as they pay attention when their financial compensation pales in comparison to the salaries of coaches and administrators.
On the same day the SEC announced record-setting revenues, Florida defensive back Jalen Tabor called college football to a "modern form of slavery." The SEC generated $527.4 million in the fiscal year, which coincided with the first year of the College Football Playoff and the first full year of the SEC Network. Tabor tweeted about the news: "The SEC Made 527.4...
Tabor's comparison was historically inaccurate, not to mention terribly insensitive. Slaves didn't choose their lot in life. College football players do.
His take also was factually incorrect. Most of the SEC's revenue is distributed from the conference to the schools, which pass along much of it to the players themselves in different ways, from scholarships to unlimited meals to cost-of-attendance stipends and beyond.
Tabor later apologized, but his words still resonated. It was just the latest indication that players are more aware than ever of the big business in which they participate. While they do receive compensation, it's not in proportion to the amount of work they do, entertainment value they provide and revenue they generate.
As Tabor said in his follow-up tweets, "Y'all get the message."
Look at the new playoff committee. It looks a lot like the old playoff committee. What message are the players getting there?
You have a better chance to play on one of the playoff teams during your college career than you do to help choose them when you grow up.
Continue reading...
