Money

A Philadelphia soul group who called themselves “The O’Jays” had a hit song back in 1974 entitled “For the Love of Money”. Although the song saw moderate success, it was only in 2004, when the television reality show “The Apprentice” hit the airwaves that the song became a household anthem of sorts. You remember, as Donald Trump gets out of his spit polished midnight black limousine with the words, “money money money money…..some people got to have it…..some people really need it…..money money money money…..

By now, I am sure you have heard about the new television deals struck between the Southeastern Conference and ESPN, which falls on the heal of the deal struck between the SEC and CBS. The landmark deal with ESPN is worth $2.25 Billion over the next 15 years. The CBS deal, another 15 year contract, is worth approximately $1 Billion. That is $3.35 BILLION dollars over the next 15 years.

Just how much is a billion dollars? Well, it is 1000 Million dollars. And a Million is 1000 thousand dollars. Any way you cut it, a Billion is 1000 x 1000 x 1000. And the SEC is getting over three of them.

The U.S. Census Bureau shows that the yearly household income in United States of America (the richest country on earth, by the way) averages $48,000 per year. This family would have to work 20.8 years to FINALLY earn, in aggregate, one thousandth of a billion dollars. For you see, one thousandth of a billion is a million. And for them to earn a billion dollars? Well, it would take 1000 families earning $48,000 per year over 20 years to earn, in aggregate, a billion dollars.

With all of white papers, webinars and academic rhetoric from university presidents about college football being secondary to education, about the student-athlete first, and having at it’s core the fundamental philosophy of amateur athletics, make no mistake. It is business. Big business. And in the Southeastern Conference, multi-billion dollar business. While one hand is on the mantle of academia, the other is in the piggy bank. And though I am thrilled that our Auburn Tigers will be on television even more than they are now, I am concerned about the direction college athletics is taking. Because in fact it is becoming LESS about the student athlete, and more about the money.

Kind of reminds me of the rest of the song by the O’Jays:
For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don't care who they hurt or beat
For a small piece of paper
it carries a lot of weight
Call it lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSr

The Man

Richard Morgan Fliehre was adopted from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis in 1953, when the young boy was four years old. His adopted parents moved him to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was raised in a modest, lower middle class home. Quite an humble beginning for the philosopher that he was to become. Not that philosophy was his chosen vocation, or that he ever considered himself very smart. Rather than an academic scholarship, he received a football scholarship to the University of Minnesota, only to drop out of school after his junior year. He began working as a bouncer at a nearby club, and met another bouncer Ken Patera, an Olympic weightlifter. Working out with Patera in the mornings, and working at the club in the evenings, he finally found his way to the career for which he would be known. Patera introduced him to Verne Gagne, who looked at Fliehre with his long flowing blond hair and dark tan and said to him, “I guess you think you’re a real nature boy, don’t you.” And the name stuck. For Richard Morgan Fliehre became “The Nature Boy Ric Flair” of professional wrestling fame. With his “Woooo!” and ornate fur lined robes, he became one of the wealthiest and most well known wrestlers of all time. Oh, and as for philosophy….well, he is the one who came up with the line, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!” In fact, it is the title of his autobiography. In a sense, it is a book that gives a roadmap of one man’s rise from orphanage to the top in his game.

The Franklin System is supposed to do the same thing. In fact, listening to Tony Franklin, and reading his words about the Kodi Burns / Chris Todd fight to become the #1 quarterback for Auburn, one can almost hear The Nature Boy. “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!” Franklin says it is like watching a prize fight. One of them makes a play and you think he’s knocked the other one out, and then, the other one tops it. “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.”

As of this writing, neither of them has beaten the other. All indications are that both will play, and play a lot, on Saturday. Hopefully, this dual quarterback situation is good and not bad…..fruitful and not contentious. It certainly should be exciting. I can hardly wait for the weekend as the Tigers try to become the Man. But to be the man, we gotta beat the man…..one week at a time.

Woooooo!!!

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR