In the ever-changing world of sports, crazy things happen. Another crazy change could be coming to college football if a group of people find a way to make it happen.
According to reports from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand and Stewart Mandel ($$$), a group of several college presidents and some of sports’ top executives have proposed what is being dubbed as a ‘Super League.’ If this group succeeds, college football will never be the same. Here’s what I took from Marchand and Mandel’s writing about the situation.
The proposed “Super League” in college football aims to reshape the sport’s governance and structure. This comprehensive plan involves replacing traditional conference affiliations with a tiered system featuring promotion and relegation, inspired by models seen in European football leagues. The proposal suggests direct player compensation, addressing ongoing concerns surrounding athlete compensation and rights. While facing skepticism from established powers within collegiate athletics, proponents argue that it represents a necessary step forward to ensure the sport’s sustainability.
At the heart of the “Super League” concept is a simplified playoff format that eliminates subjective selection committees, favoring a more straightforward performance-based qualification process. This proposed change seemingly aims to bolster competitiveness and increase television revenue, drawing inspiration from successful models found in professional sports leagues mentioned earlier. Despite encountering resistance and logistical hurdles, proponents stress the urgency of their agenda, citing mounting legal pressures and the need to adapt to evolving norms within the sports landscape.
After breaking things down, it is truly crazy how far college football has come in less than a decade. When changes happen, it tends to induce more change down the line, but down the line, it has become a much more rapid thing in recent memory when considering college football.
The Atheltic’s duo makes it clear that there is resistance here, and not much ground has been made, but this it’s definitely something of note. Some have been vocal about this being the direction college football is going. To their credit, this further affirms that it could be (pat yourself on the back; you know who you are). The key here is could.
Like many things in our lives, the future is uncertain, and that is incredibly clear with a sport like college football. Does the sport ‘need to be saved’? No. College football may be, in a way, a mess right now, but drastic changes by no means guarantee positive change.
One thing I can promise you is that college football will continue to be, well, wild.