NYTimes Magazine: “Was the College Football Season Worth It”
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/magazine/college-football-pandemic.html
The long article may be paywalled: The focus is largely on Kevin Warren and OSU’s Smith. Little discussion of other teams except mentions of the Nebraska lawsuit and economics at schools like Iowa.The only mentions of Michigan was the fact that the initial cancellation endangered the Brown Jug game (no mention that B1G schedule now omits the game many years). And, that OSU initially tried to get a rematch with Indiana to qualify for the Championship game when “mediocre” Michigan had to cancel because of COVID positivity. The article’s answer to the question posed is inconclusive, but seems to be on the side of NO.
December 30th, 2020 at 1:45 PM ^
Unquestionably yes.
December 30th, 2020 at 1:46 PM ^
Well, if the NY Times says no, that means yes... Seriously tired of the media and click bait.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:02 PM ^
Watch it, buddy. They are our 'betters'.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:24 PM ^
This is an opinion piece and they publish many of those.
The “better” comment is true of their news articles. They make mistakes, but 99/100 are more accurate and factual than other news sources.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:38 PM ^
99/100 NYT articles are more accurate and factual than other news sources? How do you know that??
You don't. You choose to believe it is so. Likely because it imbues legitimacy upon your already held opinions. And that makes you no different than everyone else.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:48 PM ^
Now I'm not sure about 99/100. But they are definitely more factual than most outlets. How do I know this- to head off your snark- is that they actually reference verifiable facts in their works. That's right, anyone can follow links in their articles to verify their references, or request references. They clearly follow an old, esteemed journalistic tradition in which their editors verify sources prior to publishing. Thus, unlike many outlets, they don't end up publishing innuendo and rumor. They also issue corrections when provably challenged. They make mistakes, as they did in the run-up to the Iraq war. But they also directly take accountability for mistakes. You never see that out of some news outlets. Lastly, there is a reason they are the most desirable job in the world of journalism. They are understood to be one of the world's very best, and it's a career goal for many of the best journalists to work for the Times.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:03 PM ^
It's interesting how people and institutions can coast for many years on a reputation built in the past, which may no longer be true but still gets credit for it.
Bari Weiss has some interesting views about the NYT, having worked there herself. The Grey Lady is a pale visage of what she used to be.
https://heavy.com/news/2020/07/bari-weiss-resignation-letter-nytimes/
December 30th, 2020 at 3:20 PM ^
Or maybe people at NYT didn't like Bari Weiss because she misleadingly live-tweeted internal discussions about a controversial Op-Ed they ran for Tom Cotton, cited a fake Twitter account as justification for her take, and various other missteps. NYT has problems and they aren't perfect, but uncritically taking Bari Weiss's word for it doesn't really move the needle.
December 30th, 2020 at 5:46 PM ^
So, I get it. Bari Weiss questions the deity and is excommunicated. Then the excommunication is justified by "misleading live tweeted internal discussions" and citing a "fake twitter account."
She is a progressive! She worked for years at the NYT! And now she is a heretic. Burn her (professionally) at the stake!!!
Not the way I would like to see decent people treated.
December 31st, 2020 at 2:44 PM ^
Just FYI, you're making no- as in zero- viable argument in your post. People can have nasty interpersonal conflicts and smear each other, even if they're cut from the same political cloth. The difference is that the Times has the professionalism not to engage in Bari Weiss level histrionics.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^
Lol Bari Weiss
December 31st, 2020 at 2:41 PM ^
To me, this kind of argument is very much that of the modern GOP. Find one example of something, one person to make a claim or one case of something like voter fraud, and then use it to justify a view of a global or systemic corruption. Unfortunately, that isn't how things actually work. It's just a tired, intellectually lazy methodology based on emotion, not fact or science.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:53 PM ^
All good, except for that detail of NYT being respected industry-wide, considered very reliable by all reputable fact-checking and media bias outlets, and generally having a long-standing reputation as one of the best news outlets in the United States.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:59 PM ^
You do realize that for about 50% of the adult population regards 'fact-checking" is just the fox checking the security of the henhouse right?
December 30th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
You don't. You choose to believe it is so
Facts are not facts because you choose to believe them. The past 4 years has pushed perception of media and facts into dangerous territory where some people think this is a legitimate view to hold
December 30th, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
It's been the gold standard in journalism for 100+ years. That doesn't mean they're right 100% of the time, no one is. But what it means is that they are incredibly diligent when it comes to sources and fact-checking and when they're wrong they issue corrections and an apology.
December 30th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
They play to their audience. It's not just how they portray the issues they do cover, but the ones they choose to cover.
Project 1619 anyone?
December 30th, 2020 at 2:05 PM ^
Asking that question is legitimate and hardly clickbait. God I hate when people blame "the media" as if it's all one thing. There's legitimate media and there's shit media. The NYT is legitimate in that it tends to be right a lot more than it's wrong. Then there's shit media like Fox News, which is propaganda. Don't be so lazy.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:13 PM ^
If you think that the NYT is any less manipulative and corrupt than other outlets, then you are the very idiot that they intend to dupe.
It's ALL CLICKBAIT you muggle.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:22 PM ^
He’s referring to the extent.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:27 PM ^
Lmao it's hilarious when y'all are like "all media is the same and bad!" and then use it as an excuse to go watch OAN and NewsMax
December 30th, 2020 at 3:28 PM ^
I read this as if the avatar pic is really you, and I feel like it all makes sense now.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
Lazy you say? As though how you arrived at your views and opinions is the result of a much more rigorous intellectual process than those who don't hold your views? The defining attitudes of our times may well be arrogance and condescension.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:12 PM ^
i personally won't condescend to be condescending to you. the most you'll get from me is a 'harumpf'.
December 30th, 2020 at 5:39 PM ^
It's Hedley.
Hedley LaMarr.
December 30th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
More schnitzengrubben?
December 30th, 2020 at 1:49 PM ^
The people to ask are the players and coaches themselves.
December 30th, 2020 at 1:52 PM ^
The players for the most part seemed like they wanted to play, that should stand for something.
The obvious answers are "yes" to the people who made money off of it, and to the one school/fan base that wins it all. Probably a "no" for everyone else.
December 30th, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
How many who will trash the article will have actually read it?
December 30th, 2020 at 2:23 PM ^
I don't need to read no stinkin article to know this season of college football was pointless. It proved nothing. It decided nothing.
Well...
Upon second thought the college football season determined one thing absolutely. Jim Harbaugh needs to get his act together.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:28 PM ^
Just to be intellectually forthright, if the OP had posted an article from Fox or NewsMax, I'd trash it without having read it.
I think we've arrived at the point we have because those who respond "It's ALL just clickbait" literally believe Fox, Newsmax etc apply the same set of journalistic standards as the NYT (in fact they may even feel they're higher!)
December 30th, 2020 at 3:34 PM ^
If NewsMax could find someone capable of writing coherently for more than a couple of paragraphs I'd read it. This article is mostly a review of the past 4-5 months and the various machinations that led to the season, with particular focus on the Big 10's decision to delay-then-start the season. I know it's inconvenient for some to accept that 2,000+ people have been dying from COVID-19 every day basically since December (and has been on an uptick since October) started but it has, and while that isn't primarily due to college football it certainly hasn't helped limit the mass gatherings that have been shown to spread the disease.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:34 PM ^
Most.
The majority of comments so far are just "NYT = bad!"
December 30th, 2020 at 1:55 PM ^
I don't know. We needed some coaching changes. Got one at least as a partial result of the covid impacted season. Wasn't fun to watch as a Michigan fan.
Overall? No for me, but probably yes for the kids playing the game. I'll defer to their assessment.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
It seemed like a lot of them checked out of the season early... not just Michigan. Who wants to get tested every day? The back and forth with poor leadership was silly. The BIG10 took a big hit in credibility. Twice they broke their own rules to accommodate OSU.
No. This season was ass.
December 30th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
I think it shows the season had value for those who had something to play for. OSU was willing to run the gauntlet, they had something to play for.
Along those lines it showed which coaches could motivate their players. Fitzgerald and Allen got theirs to play hard every game, even though everyone knows they have to go through OSU for a championship.
For Harbaugh, hopefully he observes that while it may be nice to march on the streets with your players in solidarity, it takes much more than that to keep them focused during the season.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:10 PM ^
December 30th, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
If for nothing else, this year revealed serious issues in Michigan's coaching staff that hopefully will get resolved in the off-season. And I think many of us recognized this year would be a wash once the Big Ten decided they were smarter than everyone else and screwed with any chance of most teams having a legitimate slate of games like the ACC, Big 12 and SEC did.
Next year will be "normal" and no one will really remember Harbaugh went 2-4 in this crazy Covid year if he can win 10 games and/or beat OSU.
December 31st, 2020 at 7:40 AM ^
We sent five linemen to the NFL. We had a brand new starting QB. Those two facts alone meant that under normal circumstances this was going to be a rebuild year. With no spring practice, social distancing and a limited training camp it was a mess.
The good news is that the line needed that limited experience for this coming season. Assuming a full spring practice, off season work out program and fall training camp, the team should be night and day better.
The defense needed a change. Assuming they hire a competent DC, it should be a back to normal season for Michigan. Next season Ohio will be breaking in a new QB so who knows how things will turn out.
December 30th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
The fewer mentions of Michigan football this year the better tbh
December 30th, 2020 at 2:00 PM ^
Eh...I guess so. But not really, too many games were canceled across the country. Some teams played 11, others played 4. That said, from a money perspective, they had to do it.
I would've preferred everyone play 4 in the fall and 4 in January/ February, then bowls and and 8-team CFP, etc.
Basketball shouldn't have started until late January though. Should've let everyone go home for the holidays and then go late January to May Madness.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:12 PM ^
To be clear, my "want" was for EVERYONE to start on Oct. 3 and then play every other Saturday.
Oct. 3
Oct. 17
Oct. 31
Nov. 14
...then an "if necessary" make-up weeks on Nov. 28 and Dec. 12.
Then let the guys go home for the holidays and be with their families.
Come back on Jan. 4 and have a 2-week camp/preseason before the 5th game on January 23. Go every week, with 2 weeks for make-up games.
Jan. 16
Jan. 23
Jan. 30
Feb. 6
...then "if necessary" make-up weeks on Feb. 13 and Febuary 20.
Championship games on the 27th.
Semifinals and NY6 bowls on March 13, CFP National Championship on March 27th.
No spring ball for anyone...everyone, regardless of a bowl practices through March and then shuts it down until fall like normal.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^
That's a big No.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
Nothing that makes people happy is worth it to The NY Times.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:15 PM ^
You may underestimate the New York Times. F'rinstance, here's a collation of good stuff in 2020: rescue animals, being messy, pot edibles, etc.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:41 PM ^
Oh I dunno, the presidential election made nearly 80 MILLION voters (and their kids) happy, and SO totally worth it!
I believe the NYT concurs
December 30th, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
Was it worth it? No. We ended up with the same teams in the cfp, teams that got shafted (Indiana, Cincy...), many cancelled games.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:05 PM ^
I agree with you on Cincinnati, but Indiana had a shot at ohio state in what was essentially a neutral site since there wasn't 100,000 fans there, and they lost.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:04 PM ^
I don't know if it was "worth it," but fans of ten of the fourteen B1G teams were probably pretty miserable this year. That's how many teams had .500 or worse records.
December 30th, 2020 at 2:04 PM ^
I mean it is going to end the same way a 12 game season would have ended. Same 4 teams in the playoffs with Alabama and Clemson in the championship game.