What it was, was football.
We was just a-fixin' to get into another ramblin' about politics and such. What with the president's poll numbers breaking records, and not in a good way, no sir. Or maybe we'd have another go at the up-comin' next week, and endorse somebody else. There's a lot of folks needin' endorsin', some more than others.
But then, friend, right cheer in the middle of all this heat and spring allergies and before Memorial Day doncha know, we had another football story land slap on our lap like nobody's business.
Now, we know that football is a year-round thing. And we're just gettin' over the NFL draft and tryin' to see who all's going to make it on our favorite club. And training camp news, and recruitin' news, and salary news keep the radio shows a-goin' all year, bless them all to pieces. But there's hardly ever any big talk like this in late May. We ain't lyin' when we say it made national news.
Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher got into a spat. About recruitin' players and signin' players and maybe even payin' players. It was enough to make you drop your big orange drink.
What it was, was football. Or at least football in 2022 and beyond.
The other day Nick Saban, the coach of the Alabama football team--the New York Yankees of college football--apparently said something that other people outside Alabama didn't necessarily dislike. Which is newsworthy in itself.
He mentioned that this NIL deal in college sports--paying players for use of their names, images and likenesses--allows colleges to pay players. Or at least pay them legally. Or maybe just line up sponsors who are fans of the team so they can pay the kids "without the colleges being necessarily involved," which must be put in scare quotes.
(Abraham Lincoln once told the story of an Irishman who had forsworn liquor. But he told the barkeep that he wasn't averse to having some spilled in his lemonade, "as long as it's unbeknownst to me.")
Coach Saban has a point, and you know how that hurts to say. He told a confab in Birmingham last week that some schools are spending "tons of money to get players."
"You read about it. You know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn't buy one player."
And Texas A&M's coach had a fit.
"It's despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn't get his way or things don't go his way," shot back Jimbo Fisher, who used to work for Nick Saban during their LSU days. "The narcissist in him doesn't allow those things to happen--it's ridiculous--when he's not on top. And the parity in college football he's been talking about? Go talk to coaches who have coached for him. You'll find out all the parity. Go dig into wherever he's been."
Coach Fisher wasn't done. When asked about any relationship he might still have with the Bama coach: "We're done. He showed you who he is. He's the greatest ever, huh? When you got all the advantages, it's easy.
"I don't cheat. I don't lie. If you did my old man slapped me across the face. Maybe someone should have slapped (Saban.)"
Just for the record, and because we feel that Gentle Reader may want to circle this in his calendar: The date is October 8th. That's a Saturday. Probably prime time. A&M at Alabama. October 8th. Did we mention October 8th?
Let's you and him fight.
We were early opponents of the NIL way of doing things, too, and still believe that amateurs and schoolkids should be amateurs and schoolkids. But the United States Supreme Court has spoken. And NIL is the law of the land.
Coaches, schools and editorial writers are going to have to get used to the new way of doing things. That includes young athletes appearing in commercials for car dealers and attorneys. And although some of us thought the worst might happen, it hasn't happened yet. Give it a few years, though, before deciding if it's an overall good.
It could still prove awful. Especially if, say, five or seven schools start paying big money to land all the star players. In every sport. That's still very much a possibility.
Sporting fans have little choice but to watch closely for the next few years. And see how this thing evolves.
Until then, we can watch dueling press conferences. What it was, was modern football.
Let's hope it doesn't turn into boxing this fall.