FCS/FBS designations are not understood by the press

[Ronbo]

Apparently the FCS/FBS designations are just silly as far as the press writers and TV announcers are concerned. It seems the real reason for the designation change hasn't been explained to them. Why haven't the schools Media Departments and the NCAA sent out explainations to the sports press?

Here is my standard email that I send out to every writer that calls the designations silly or stupid.


Hi Gene,

The Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision designations were mostly voted in by AD's because of the problem with the TV and Newspaper press. They were refering to I-AA Football schools as I-AA Basketball teams when in fact all Division I schools are Division I in Basketball. In fact, I read that it was being used in Baseball, Track, and many other sports too. It boils down to the AD's being tired of all their Division I sports being called I-AA. Now with Football in the designation it can't be used for Basketball or any other sport, it forces the press to use Div. I.

I wish the press would help right the wrong they were doing to Div I schools with I-AA football by explaining this to the public rather than just saying it's silly.

Thanks,

Ron (last name)
Missoula, Montana

I would recommend we all make an effort to educate the press by sending them email every time we read comments like silly or stupid. Keep posting the articles from newspapers and blogs, etc. where you see that the writer doesn't understand why the names were changed.

[SU Jag]

Its confusing, it wasnt broke so why did it needed to be fixed. I like 1-A and 1-AA a lot better!

[Ronbo]

If they were calling Montana's Basketball team IAA then it was broke.

[Seahawks Fan]

Its confusing, it wasnt broke so why did it needed to be fixed. I like 1-A and 1-AA a lot better!


I agree with you.

[SU Jag]

If they were calling Montana's Basketball team IAA then it was broke.


Thats not broke, thats uneducated!

[bandit]

Its confusing, it wasnt broke so why did it needed to be fixed. I like 1-A and 1-AA a lot better!

I agree. FBS and FCS will never catch on, in my humble opinion. I use the terms, but most folks use 1-A and 1-AA, and will continue to do so. I personally didn't see anything wrong w/ the terms.

[IaaScribe]

Ronbo, it's not necessarily the issue of the new designations not being understood by the media. It's actually the other way around. I try to write FBS/FCS in my stories, but every time you do that, you have to explain what it is. It's a lot less clunky to write I-AA than it is to write Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

In a perfect world, we would just write FCS and be done with it. But when you readers pick up a story and go, "what the heck is FCS?" that's when you run into a problem. Give it time.

[laxVik]

Apparently the FCS/FBS designations are just silly as far as the press writers and TV announcers are concerned. It seems the real reason for the designation change hasn't been explained to them. Why haven't the schools Media Departments and the NCAA sent out explainations to the sports press?

Here is my standard email that I send out to every writer that calls the designations silly or stupid.



I would recommend we all make an effort to educate the press by sending them email every time we read comments like silly or stupid. Keep posting the articles from newspapers and blogs, etc. where you see that the writer doesn't understand why the names were changed.

It'll never work or stick. You just don't change things like this and expect people to immediately do the same.

[Lionsrking]

It's clumsy and doesn't work in the near term but like a lot of things, you have to give it time. Eventually folks will figure it out. It took TV and print reporters several years to quit calling the Indianapolis Colts, the "Baltimore Colts" and the Los Angeles Raiders, the "Oakland Raiders." Of course the L.A. Raiders are once again the Oakland Raiders. People still confuse WAC schools and Mountain West schools but it's slowly catching on. Again, give it some time.

[Ronbo]

It'll never work or stick. You just don't change things like this and expect people to immediately do the same.

Probably the same thing was said when they changed from Small College to I-AA. But boy it stuck. I guess in another 5 years it will finally take hold.

If you want to know why this Divison will never ever get respect it is because we allow schools in the designation that should be Division III and Division II. The NCAA should go to Division I, Divison II, and Division III and be DONE with it. If a program is willing to carry 63 to 85 schollies they are Div. I, if they won't carry 63 they play Divison II, and if they want to go no schollie then they are Division III. This mixed up Division with all three in it is ridiculous.

[DFW HOYA]

The NCAA should go to Division I, Divison II, and Division III and be DONE with it. If a program is willing to carry 63 to 85 schollies they are Div. I, if they won't carry 63 they play Divison II, and if they want to go no schollie then they are Division III. This mixed up Division with all three in it is ridiculous.

Not this argument again...

Division membership is based on sports sponsored and overall budgets, not scholarships. And you fail to account for schools without football at all--where do you put them?

No Division I team is looking to play in Division III.

[I-AA Fan]

Apparently the FCS/FBS designations are just silly as far as the press writers and TV announcers are concerned. It seems the real reason for the designation change hasn't been explained to them. Why haven't the schools Media Departments and the NCAA sent out explainations to the sports press?

Here is my standard email that I send out to every writer that calls the designations silly or stupid.

I think you will find that most all fans of fkaI-AA think the new designations are silly and stupid as well. The old name told people we were DI, and in the "AA" sub-class, all in one nice short description. Now noone knows that we are DI. If people are too lazy to say Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) or International House of Pancakes (IHOP), what makes you think they will say NCAA Division-I Football Championship Sub-division? Unless one says the entire thing, it does not fully explain we are DI. Believe me, no one that 'truly' appreciates our level wanted the name change ...if they gave a it single ounce of forethought.

[henfan]

Too much fuss about nothing, IMO. Teams have yet to play a single regular season game with the new designations.xwhistlex

The lazy media will eventually get it right but it's apparently going to take them time and gentle reminders before that happens. We'll have to exercise a little patience in the meantime. Hang in there, boys.

[SuperJon]

Why are they lazy? A lot of them have restraints on how much they can write. Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) takes up a crap load of room and completely disrupts the flow of an article. If it wasn't such a stupid name, and people actually gave a crap what it was called, then it'd be different. Our AD, our coach, our coaches, our players, our fans, they all still call it I-AA.

[Flyer Gramps]

Its confusing, it wasnt broke so why did it needed to be fixed. I like 1-A and 1-AA a lot better!

Glad I'm not alone having issue with FBS and FCS. Thought it was just my age. But I think the eye quickly showed us and thereby told us the difference between 1-A and 1-AA but it requires a little mind work to feret out the difference between a FBS and FCS. Only a bit of my mind left to be taxed with this stuff.