Top Five Sports Debates

In honor of the Presidential Debate between Romney and Obama, I thought why not talk about some hot topics in the sporting world. I am going to focus on five recent debates. In no particular order I will talk about BCS vs Playoff format in college football, All-Star Games, “One and done” in college basketball, Eli versus Peyton, and is the NFL getting soft. After you hear my take I would love to hear your opinion on the five topics.

 

1. BCS vs Playoffs in college football: To be clear I am first and foremost I a huge NFL fan. I do watch college football, but my heart lies in the NFL. I do like to watch college football to see who will be the next biggest and brightest stars in the NFL. For me I think the BCS should be buried in a time capsule and 20 years from now when it is dug back up people will wonder why the hell there was the BCS in the first place.  Going with my NFL ties I think playoff games will show that a team can run the gauntlet and beat a few teams and declare themselves the undisputed champion for that year.

Plus we trust a computer to figure out who should play in the championship game. If that is the case, why not simulate a season of Madden to determine who will play in the Super Bowl. Also haven’t we learned our lesson from films like Terminator, 2001 Space Odyssey, and The Matrix when we put our faith in computers? The current system doesn’t take a school’s overall ability or their strength of schedule in account. If a team destroys on another team they will get a higher mark in the rankings even though those schools had no business playing each other. So for me I would love to see a playoff format in college football.

2. All-Star Games:  I am not in favor of these games. Two words: Pro and Bowl. Nuff said right? If that doesn’t win my argument I will go on the All-Star weekend for the NBA. After Jordan…..no wait after Vince Carter the slam dunk contest has been lame. People dressing up as Superman or jumping over a Fiat is not needed. The game itself is like seeing all the NBA elite in an open gym. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS! The pro’s don’t want to get hurt and I understand that so, let’s skip the NBA one as well.  

For the NHL All-Star game please see my reason for the NBA All-Star game sans the dunk contest. Both the NHL and NBA have their skills contest, which is better is high school kids competed in them just like the NFL’s Punt, Pass, and Kick contest. The MLB All-Star game is okay to watch since now the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series, but an 8-0 lead in the first inning like this year’s game is a something that I will not watch.

3. “One and Done” in college basketball: Another debate that can be tied into this one is the one about college athletes getting paid, but I will not get into that one….too messy. If a kid has the skills to go into the NBA and succeed in the Association I say go right ahead. He can always take online classes or take classes in the offseason. Look at KG, LeBron, and Kobe. They are beasts in the league and they didn’t even go to college. There might be some traditionalists that say “One and Done” is killing college basketball, but I say no. March Madness will always be a draw and the elite colleges will always find players to recruit and carry on the school’s tradition of being a power house in the sport of basketball.

4. Eli versus Peyton: Who would ever think that there would be a debate? For me it is still Peyton, but Eli is right at his big brother’s heels. Yes, Eli has more rings and I get that, but look at one of the best quarterbacks of all time Dan Marino. No ring, but he is one of the best to play the game. Both pulled their weight on Saturday Night Live, so that is a draw. One reason is that I am still on the Peyton band wagon is what happened to the Colts in 2011. 2-14. Heck people were putting Peyton’s name in the ring for who should be the NFL’s MVP for 2011. He did not even take one snap during that season. Both of them are great quarterbacks and are students of the game. Eli is calm under pressure and Peyton makes players around him better. Eli will tip the scales if he starts breaking records and winning more Super Bowls.

5. Is the NFL getting soft? Lockouts for players and refs, lawsuits, and rules geared to benefit the offense. Could you imagine if Dick Butkus or Jack Lambert was playing now? I do care for people’s safety, but the game has become soft. For some they say it might be for good, yet I think defenders should make receivers and tight ends think twice before going in the middle of the field. Watching the Pats and Ravens game there were some solid and legit tackles that brought the yellow flags out. Football is a violent game and I am not saying that players should put their life on the line, but if you play the game you are accepting the risks that come with the reward of playing in the NFL.

Category: College Sports, Featured