Fight Over Future of Football in California (U San Diego)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

https://www.theringer.com/features/2019/1/22/18192071/california-high-school-football-future-politics

A great article about what's happening in California in general about football and the debate that's going on, but this had me raise an eyebrow. (Roughly 3/4ers down the page)


Roughly a year ago, Goldschmied teamed with a pair of colleagues—one a history professor, the other a physics professor—and introduced a resolution to ban USD’s football program. The resolution was nonbinding, meaning the effect would have largely been symbolic and required several more steps to have any impact. But at a school that regularly competes for conference championships in the FCS (and that kick-started Jim Harbaugh’s head-coaching career in 2004), that symbolism might have garnered the kind of attention that Goldschmied hoped would at least begin a protracted conversation. Instead, the faculty voted it down, 50-26, with 30 abstentions. And there seems to be no will to prolong the discussion any further.

This is the part that boggles Goldschmied’s mind: Why, he says, shouldn’t this conversation be had at institutions of higher learning? Why shouldn’t schools like USD be leading the way? And why aren’t the faculty members at any other schools, either inside or outside of California, asking the same questions?

50-26 with 30 abstentions to me is not at all good.

[POD Knows]

https://www.theringer.com/features/2019/1/22/18192071/california-high-school-football-future-politics

A great article about what's happening in California in general about football and the debate that's going on, but this had me raise an eyebrow. (Roughly 3/4ers down the page)



50-26 with 30 abstentions to me is not at all good.
You better ask that this get moved to the poli board because this will probably get political in short order

[TheKingpin28]

You better ask that this get moved to the poli board because this will probably get political in short order

I want to believe we can be responsible about this without getting political. That goes for me as well. xnodx

[Model Citizen]

I abstain from this discussion.

[clenz]

I want to believe we can be responsible about this without getting political. That goes for me as well. xnodx🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[TheKingpin28]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sent from my Pixel 3 using TapatalkI didn't reize having optimism was a bad thing.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

https://www.theringer.com/features/2019/1/22/18192071/california-high-school-football-future-politics

A great article about what's happening in California in general about football and the debate that's going on, but this had me raise an eyebrow. (Roughly 3/4ers down the page)



50-26 with 30 abstentions to me is not at all good.106 Faculty Members & I’m assuming this means Academic Faculty - not Staff, such as Football Coaches, Residential Leaders, or Sanitation Crewmembers...at a fairly elite (if that’s fair to say) Academic University that doesn’t, as an Institutional decision, support Football with Athletics Scholarships...that only 5 years ago had a bit of a ‘scandal’ around providing Football Players with Financial Aid in excess of that provided to non-Football Players...and, I believe has the same Football Coach now as they did then...and the 3 “sponsors” of this proposal were only able to find 23 other like-minded Academians?

In other words, almost 80% of the Professors (?) either want or have no stated objection to having Football played in the shadows of their ivory towers!

So, on the contrary, I find that result shockingly positive.

[JacksFan40]

Everything I have to say is politics related so I’ll just wait.

[Laker]

I didn't reize having optimism was a bad thing.

It often didn't help me with prom dates.............

[bonarae]

Meanwhile...

The death of small college football in California over the past 25-30 years has been mostly true thanks to indifferent administrations, but why even HS football there has taken a hit?

Looks like it's not good for California football in general. xsmhx

[walliver]

Every academically-oriented school in the country has these issues from time to time.

The academic faculty rarely has any power to do anything however.

[clenz]

I didn't reize having optimism was a bad thing.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk
Optimism is one thing...but...

It's like you haven't read yours, or anyone else's posts, that are in topics even borderline political in any thread ever.

[PAllen]

It often didn't help me with prom dates.............

How often did you go to your prom?

[Ivytalk]

Every academically-oriented school in the country has these issues from time to time.

The academic faculty rarely has any power to do anything however.
I remember back in 2000 when Swarthmore College, an academic powerhouse, dropped its venerable D-III football program after a 4-5 season (its best record in some time). The reason given: the school didn’t want to recruit any more athletes.

[PaladinFan]

Every academically-oriented school in the country has these issues from time to time.

The academic faculty rarely has any power to do anything however.

Football programs (and really any athletic program), at their core, are marketing arms of the university. They connect alums and attempt to place a school's brand to a national audience.

The football program does not exist for the pleasure of the faculty, however. I'm sure many faculty members can get a bit bent out of shape watching some of these schools poor money down an athletic black hole (see Connecticut, University of).

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I remember back in 2000 when Swarthmore College, an academic powerhouse, dropped its venerable D-III football program after a 4-5 season (its best record in some time). The reason given: the school didn’t want to recruit any more athletes.

Nice. I see what you did there.

[Laker]

How often did you go to your prom?

Besides high school, about thirty. I was senior class adviser through my teaching career and was there to supervise and chaperone.

[Derby City Duke]

Besides high school, about thirty. I was senior class adviser through my teaching career and was there to supervise and chaperone.

I've been to the 7 since I started teaching -- at 6'4" and 260ish, the senior class sponsor likes having my big, bad, intimidating self around...:D

[Laker]

I've been to the 7 since I started teaching -- at 6'4" and 260ish, the senior class sponsor likes having my big, bad, intimidating self around...:D

I was lucky to either be with the principal or with my best friend, Steve Johnson, who was the wrestling coach. When Steve retired I was with his son Chad, who was the new wrestling coach. Both guys had a great sense of humor, but on the rare occasion that someone (usually a date from outside of school) started acting like an idiot they weren't afraid to take care of it. :D

[Outsider1]

Everything in life is calculated risk. We have come a long way in sports medicine and we have taken really good steps in increasing safety. That doesn't mean we will eliminate risk. Risk and reward is at the base of sports. The article brings up a troubling trend, but I also think some of the drop is due to the popularity of other sports as well as fears of injury.

[Go...gate]

Every academically-oriented school in the country has these issues from time to time.

The academic faculty rarely has any power to do anything however.

Colgate went through this before/around the time of the adoption of football scholarships and survived.

[Twentysix]

Every academically-oriented school in the country has these issues from time to time.

The academic faculty rarely has any power to do anything however.I love football, but that you can even suggest that all schools aren't academically oriented by default is an absurdity that demonstrates a detour from the purpose of a school. If schools are not for academics, what purpose do they serve? Are they just daycare for adult children?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[SochorField]

Look at college football attendance numbers in California. That will tell you all about the state of college football in California.

Hell, even High School. Where I'm from in Northern CA, a Friday night game at the only HS in a city of 65,000 people has around 500 family and friends in attendance.

The most well-know HS program in CA is De La Salle. DLS is in Concord, surrounded by a population of 122,000 (Concord) and 65,000 (Walnut Creek). The stadium seats (I'm guessing) 1,500 in permanent seating https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities. (https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities) For "big games" they bring in one set of bleachers in the endzone for mostly students / band. This probably increases capacity to around 3,000?

Same story for college programs like USD, UCD, Slack St., and what used to be Humbolt State football. Cal and Stanford barely draw 40,000 on Saturdays. UCLA and SDSU play in caverns. USC seems to fair the best.

The faculty at UC Davis has historically fought against football (especially the move to D1). I feel for USD fan(s). CA has ditched something like 28 football programs in the last 35 years.

.....A little different than Texas. I don't think things are going to get better any time soon.

[JacksFan40]

Look at college football attendance numbers in California. That will tell you all about the state of college football in California.

Hell, even High School. Where I'm from in Northern CA, a Friday night game at the only HS in a city of 65,000 people has around 500 family and friends in attendance.

The most well-know HS program in CA is De La Salle. DLS is in Concord, surrounded by a population of 122,000 (Concord) and 65,000 (Walnut Creek). The stadium seats (I'm guessing) 1,500 in permanent seating https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities. (https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities) For "big games" they bring in one set of bleachers in the endzone for mostly students / band. This probably increases capacity to around 3,000?

Same story for college programs like USD, UCD, Slack St., and what used to be Humbolt State football. Cal and Stanford barely draw 40,000 on Saturdays. UCLA and SDSU play in caverns. USC seems to fair the best.

The faculty at UC Davis has historically fought against football (especially the move to D1). I feel for USD fan(s). CA has ditched something like 28 football programs in the last 35 years.

.....A little different than Texas. I don't think things are going to get better any time soon.
Texas and California are complete polar opposites when it comes to how football is treated.

[bonarae]

Look at college football attendance numbers in California. That will tell you all about the state of college football in California.

Hell, even High School. Where I'm from in Northern CA, a Friday night game at the only HS in a city of 65,000 people has around 500 family and friends in attendance.

The most well-know HS program in CA is De La Salle. DLS is in Concord, surrounded by a population of 122,000 (Concord) and 65,000 (Walnut Creek). The stadium seats (I'm guessing) 1,500 in permanent seating https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities. (https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities) For "big games" they bring in one set of bleachers in the endzone for mostly students / band. This probably increases capacity to around 3,000?

Same story for college programs like USD, UCD, Slack St., and what used to be Humbolt State football. Cal and Stanford barely draw 40,000 on Saturdays. UCLA and SDSU play in caverns. USC seems to fair the best.

The faculty at UC Davis has historically fought against football (especially the move to D1). I feel for USD fan(s). CA has ditched something like 28 football programs in the last 35 years.

.....A little different than Texas. I don't think things are going to get better any time soon.Wow. Didn't realize that California football in general isn't adjusting well to the fast-changing demographics of the state...

But the parents there aren't actually leading the anti-football advocacy in America, I suppose... xsmhx

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

[ST_Lawson]

The most well-know HS program in CA is De La Salle. DLS is in Concord, surrounded by a population of 122,000 (Concord) and 65,000 (Walnut Creek). The stadium seats (I'm guessing) 1,500 in permanent seating https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities. (https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/facilities) For "big games" they bring in one set of bleachers in the endzone for mostly students / band. This probably increases capacity to around 3,000?

Those stands are...inside....the track?
Um....ok.

My small-town midwestern high school has more seating than that and we only have ~10k town residents and ~650 students total in the HS.

[walliver]

Wow. Didn't realize that California football in general isn't adjusting well to the fast-changing demographics of the state...

But the parents there aren't actually leading the anti-football advocacy in America, I suppose... xsmhx

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk

California demographic changes favor futbol over football.

[clenz]

Those stands are...inside....the track?
Um....ok.

My small-town midwestern high school has more seating than that and we only have ~10k town residents and ~650 students total in the HS.Iowa has towns shut down for HS football games. I know that stereotype only exists in Texas but it holds true in Iowa.

I played on a team made up of two school districts sharing a team. The two schools has combined less than 300 in the high schools. The two schools were made up of 5 towns that had a combined population of about 3100. There would be/is 4000 at games. Out biggest rival would have 5000 plus easy.

We played games at the other districts stadium. If you wanted to commit crimes in my home town Friday nights were the nights to do it. The one resturant, one grocery store, amd hardware store in town closed at 530on Friday nights and would hang signs up that it was closed for football games (home and road). The one bar in town would stay open but only the most ardent alcoholics wouldn't go.

The only people that didn't go to games were those going to the races (a mile from the football stadium) or the elderly who couldn't.

State football semi finals and finals are in the UNIDome.

The smallest schools (8 man and class a) are towns and schools that barely exist. Yet come State football time the towns are even more empty and you'll see thousands of people at 8 man games that normally have 500

This photo is from a HS game 2 years ago. Both sides of the dome looked like that each side holds about 8200 people.


Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190128/75b062f603e6cf80afb1f6ee1392edba.jpg

[SochorField]

Those stands are...inside....the track?
Um....ok.

Ya, They put them on the track, a few feet from the back of the endzone.

This is on the East side only (opposite the pool facility).
The visitor side looks pretty meager on those ESPN games.

[Derby City Duke]

Those stands are...inside....the track?
Um....ok.

My small-town midwestern high school has more seating than that and we only have ~10k town residents and ~650 students total in the HS.

I did notice when I looked at the full screen image that the track is only 7 lanes for 3/4 of its length with the 8th lane only on the non-bleacher side. You're right, however, but it looks 'different.'