Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams-1955 - Chicago Tribune Photo
Wrigley Field will play host to its first football game since the Bears moved out in 1970. Northwestern will play Illinois on November 20, 2010.
The Bears played there from 1921 thru 1970 and made a lot of history. It's where they became th Monsters of the Midway. Red Grange played there, along with Nagurski, Luckman, Ditka, Sayers, and Butkus, not to mention all the other greats that helped make the NFL what it is today.
The NFL forced the Bears to move because the seating capacity (47,000 for football) was below its new standard of at least 50,000. The east stands were erected over what is right and centerfield for baseball. When the Bears moved, those stands became the north end zone seats at Soldier Field.
There is barely enough room for a football field. Bronko Nagurski is said to have put a dent in the concrete abutting the old first base dugout and what was then the south end zone. Talk about being on top of the action. The only bad seats were those obstructed by a post.
I wouldn't want to watch a hockey game there (although a lot of people did), but a football game is something else. It should be quite a spectacle.
NCAA=HYPOCRISY
The NCAA has entered into agreements for 35 bowl games over the next four years. That means 70 teams will be taking part in bowl games. Why? Money, of course.
It's why Division-1 college football is the ONLY sport that doesn't have a playoff. The argument against a playoff structure for Division-1 was that it would mean too much missed class time for the so-called "student athletes. Never mind the fact that the other divisions have football playoffs.
That argument began when teams had 10-game schedules. Then the schedules were expanded to 11 games, then 12 games, and now 13 game for conferences with two divisions.
Last year there were 34 bowl games. Of the 68 teams that particiapted, eight didn't even have a winning record. The Insight Bowl featured two 6-6 teams. They deserved each other. Iowa State beat Minnesota 14-13 in front of an announced crowd of 45,000 at 73,000 seast Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
Among the two new bowls added this year is the Dallas Football Classic. Classic??? It will bring together the 6th place team in the Big Ten against the 7th place team in the Big 12.
The reason for the sham is obvious. More games mean more television dollars. What I don't get is why the NCAA remains in denial. Why don't they just admit they are in it for the money. If it was all about sport, there would be a playoff and not a token arrangement called the BCS.
I understand the member schools are having great difficulty staying within their budgets. It's a never-ending upward spiral as they try to remain competitive by building upgraded facilities and hiring mult-million dollar coaches. I stopped contributing to my alma mater's athletic program 25 years ago. When they last asked me for a donation, I suggested they contact Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or McDonalds and slap their logos on their uniforms next to the Nike logo. Who knows, it may come to that some day. Football players will look like race car drivers.
As a practical matter, the NCAA could continue with its present-day bowl format and then arrive at a FINAL FOUR. It would mean one additional game for two teams (the semi-final losers) and two additional games for the two teams that play for the championship.
Scrap the BCS. Put the best teams in the major bowls, and eliminate all the losers from playoff consideration. That way, more teams would have a chance to play for the championship based on merit and not some artificial criteria.
It would also generate even more $$$$. Isn't that why the NCAA just expanded its basketball tournament to 68 teams?
1 Comment
chillustration said:
You are right to bring up the fact that an 8 team playoff only adds 3 games... really only two when you consider the "National Championship Game" already exists.
They already somehow selected that 4 bowls and 8 teams are above the rest (Cotton Bowl must wonder how they were inferior to the Sugar). They're ok with having one more big game, it just can't come as the result of the 4 winners playing one more game.
Leave a Comment?
What your comment will look like:
said: