View My Seats

At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

Photo Credit for Header: Alex Foucre-Stimes

College Football: The 12th Man is a Living, Breathing Human Entity

by

Last night saw me watching a lot of Big 12 football: Baylor v. Oklahoma, Missouri at Iowa State, and finally a nice upset of Nebraska by Texas A&M at the home of the 12th man!

More interestingly perhaps, I was parked in front of the TV next to a genuine, Oklahoma raised, Oklahoma State alumnus. His passion for the game, and knowledge of opponents players was impressive. I realized that in so many parts of the country, college conferences are the sports leagues to follow.

With all the shake-ups and teams departing for greener, wealthier pastures, I wonder how fans with a more passionate engagement to their local NCAA football conference are handling the change. The adoption of the BCS, and the creation of a National Championship game opened the door for these reorganizations. Bowl games have lost significance through constant expansion and teams fighting for more revenue and greater exposure. It is not particularly interesting to me to see two .500 teams fighting it out on December 29th in the “Eukanuba Puppy Bowl”.

So, the question remains, keep the BCS or abandon the current model for a national playoff?  Share your views.

View My Picks: NFL Week 11

by

I sure hope they didn’t pay face value for these seats! Judging from this vantage point, it’s fair to say that Wrigley Field was not built to house major college football games.  Today’s contest between Northwestern and Illinois was the first college football game played in the Friendly Confines since 1938.  Even though stadium seating wasn’t perfect, and the field itself had only one operable endzone, I still would have enjoyed being a part of the atmosphere in Wrigley today.

On to the NFL Week 11 picks!

Oakland (+8.5) over PITTSBURGH

The Raiders and their fans relish the “no respect” role.  Take the points. Keep Reading

College Football: Harvard vs Yale in the 127th playing of “The Game”

by

127 years is a long time.  That’s the number of times that the Harvard and Yale football teams have faced one another in what is known simply as “The Game”.  “The Game” probably carried more national weight back when these teams were competing for championships during the first half of the 20th century.  Now, Harvard/Yale is regarded as a nice tradition between two of America’s best private universities.

In Boston today, Harvard outlasted Yale  28-21, ending the Bulldogs chances to share the 2010 Ivy League championship.  Yale still holds a 65-54-8 series lead over the Crimson.  While “The Game” gets all the prestige, did you know  that “The Rivalry” between Lehigh and Lafayette, was played for the 146th time today?

Since both of these games no longer have much, if any, national relevance, do you think it’s time we give the titles “The Rivalry” and “The Game” to two different college football matchups?  Also, what’s the best rivalry game nickname?  My vote goes to “The Civil War” between Oregon and Oregon State.  Share your views.

NFL Thursday Night: Maybe It’s a Miami Thing

by

Yesterday, I gave a view from the Heat/Suns game and wrote about how the fans in Miami do not support their basketball team like they should .  Last night, during the Dolphins Thursday Night Football game against the Bears, things became clearer to me.  Maybe it’s a Miami thing.

During the the second half of Chicago’s convincing 16-0 win over Miami, it became clear to TV viewers that Bears supporters in Sun Life Stadium were the much more vocal group.  This could have been a product of the game itself.  The Dolphins looked lost on offense and eventually wore down on defense.  The Bears were solid on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, where they sacked a hapless Tyler Thigpen 6 times. So Chicago did have much more to cheer about during the game.

However, why were there so many Bears fans in the stadium to begin with? Did a lot of Midwesterners travel down to South Florida for an early Thanksgiving break?  Are the Chicago Bears truly one of “America’s Teams” with a national fanbase?  Or, like with the Heat, do people in Miami have priorities that prevent them from supporting the Dolphins?

Share your views.

View of the Day: November 17, 2010

by

This photo was taken roughly 10 minutes prior to tipoff at American Airlines Arena before last night’s Miami Heat 123-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns. And where are all the people?  I can remember Miami having attendance issues last season, when they were a mediocre team at best, but this year?  With the three biggest off-season free agent acquisitions (Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) I figured Miami fans would be turning out early and often.  I watched parts of this game and can tell you that the arena did fill up eventually.  However, we are less than a month into the season and I figured fans would be a bit more present/vocal.

What accounts for the overall malaise in Miami? Part of the economic turndown or are fans, like the Heat players themselves, just waiting for the playoffs to give it their best?  Share your views.