A speedy recovery is indeed good news. On another front, I am wondering why this blog is not discussing the biggest news item to hit college football in decades. I am referring to the NIL debacle that threatens to permanently upend the sport. I fell on the floor this morning when I saw the sophomore QB from Alabama has already accrued $1 million, and he has not even been named the starter yet.
And then there is Kayvan Thibodeaux, a California kid who went to Oregon and has already amassed $100,000 in NIL through the auspices of Daddy Warbucks Phil Knight. This is going to further exacerbate the caste system of haves and have nots and threatens unity on every team. My Saturday golfing partner played tight end at Oregon State in the 70's, and he is telling me the end is near to what we all love about college football. Anyone else bothered by this?
Other than that, there isn't a ton of Cal-related NIL news and frankly, no one knows what any of it means since it's all so new. The Bearcast pod has also covered this very in-depth.
Steve: You bring up some excellent points about Oregon and all of their Nike money (which has also gone to our arch-nemesis across the bay. Knight is an alum of the business school). However, we have one of the best business schools in the country located ACROSS THE STREET from Memorial not to mention all of our ties to Silicon Valley and the "Wall Street of the West" (aka, San Francisco). If we can't put together NIL agreements that will entice recruits, then maybe we should just drop athletics altogether. Also, let's not forget the kind of student-athletes we recruit. Oregon can get all of the five and four star players they want because the school is a major launch pad to the pros and is academically so-so. We are the #1 public university in the U.S. and our recruits have to be able to compete in the classroom and on the field of play. There are only so many five and four star recruits who can do both and there are only a handful of schools (Cal, 'Furd, Notre Dame, UCLA) that can land them. I have a feeling that Coach Wilcox and his staff are pitching recruits with the entire Haas/NIL/Silicon Valley connection so have some faith. As a program, we are heading in the right direction and I think that this new NIL business will make us more competitive on the field and off.
Wish it wasn't invasion of privacy to know more about his hip injury. As you would guess, a small fracture or chip off the edge is one things, but a full shattering where the head of the femur connects is another. I'm guessing he got a serious hip break, and will therefore face longer rehab. You hear him say in the video that he cannot really do lower body work yet. He's not back out on the field yet. Well,. I'm no trainer, but that sure sounds to me like he is a solid 6 months away from being solidly in his body. We easily forget how finely tuned their bodies are for football. I love his play, and wish him all the best in the long term. Hope he heals fully before coming back. Go Big B, and Go Bears!
I really thought he was calling a press conference to annouce the Brett Johnson Korean Barbecue opening in th Asian Ghetto
great news
A speedy recovery is indeed good news. On another front, I am wondering why this blog is not discussing the biggest news item to hit college football in decades. I am referring to the NIL debacle that threatens to permanently upend the sport. I fell on the floor this morning when I saw the sophomore QB from Alabama has already accrued $1 million, and he has not even been named the starter yet.
And then there is Kayvan Thibodeaux, a California kid who went to Oregon and has already amassed $100,000 in NIL through the auspices of Daddy Warbucks Phil Knight. This is going to further exacerbate the caste system of haves and have nots and threatens unity on every team. My Saturday golfing partner played tight end at Oregon State in the 70's, and he is telling me the end is near to what we all love about college football. Anyone else bothered by this?
May I kindly point you to the W4C coverage of NIL?
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/nil-live-thread-cal-players-begin/comments
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/cal-and-the-recruiting-landscape
Other than that, there isn't a ton of Cal-related NIL news and frankly, no one knows what any of it means since it's all so new. The Bearcast pod has also covered this very in-depth.
Steve: You bring up some excellent points about Oregon and all of their Nike money (which has also gone to our arch-nemesis across the bay. Knight is an alum of the business school). However, we have one of the best business schools in the country located ACROSS THE STREET from Memorial not to mention all of our ties to Silicon Valley and the "Wall Street of the West" (aka, San Francisco). If we can't put together NIL agreements that will entice recruits, then maybe we should just drop athletics altogether. Also, let's not forget the kind of student-athletes we recruit. Oregon can get all of the five and four star players they want because the school is a major launch pad to the pros and is academically so-so. We are the #1 public university in the U.S. and our recruits have to be able to compete in the classroom and on the field of play. There are only so many five and four star recruits who can do both and there are only a handful of schools (Cal, 'Furd, Notre Dame, UCLA) that can land them. I have a feeling that Coach Wilcox and his staff are pitching recruits with the entire Haas/NIL/Silicon Valley connection so have some faith. As a program, we are heading in the right direction and I think that this new NIL business will make us more competitive on the field and off.
Wish it wasn't invasion of privacy to know more about his hip injury. As you would guess, a small fracture or chip off the edge is one things, but a full shattering where the head of the femur connects is another. I'm guessing he got a serious hip break, and will therefore face longer rehab. You hear him say in the video that he cannot really do lower body work yet. He's not back out on the field yet. Well,. I'm no trainer, but that sure sounds to me like he is a solid 6 months away from being solidly in his body. We easily forget how finely tuned their bodies are for football. I love his play, and wish him all the best in the long term. Hope he heals fully before coming back. Go Big B, and Go Bears!
So he might be back in 2021 (reading the headlines)?