1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to the solid verbal. He'll that for me. I'm 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well, 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: I want to be happy. You want to be happy 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: for a day at the State. 5 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 2: Is that? 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: Whoo Whoomdan and Tye. 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 3: Welcome back to being celebrable boys and girls. My name 8 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 3: is ty Hildenbrandt. Dan Rubenstein. 9 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: Feeling a little. 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 3: Under the weather today, So that means you got me. 11 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 3: That means I am flying solo at least for this 12 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 3: part of the show. For the intro, I put a 13 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 3: call out on Discord. I asked folks, who do you 14 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 3: want me to chat with? We got a bunch of 15 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 3: requests for Matt Brown. Matt Brown, longtime paleled the show. 16 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 3: He writes the very popular Extra Points with Matt Brown Newsletter, which, 17 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 3: as you know if you've listened to this show, it 18 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 3: covers sort of the game within the game, stuff like 19 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 3: NIL and conference realignment and media deals and the new 20 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 3: EA Sports video game, and the looming legal challenges around 21 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 3: the state of amateurism in college athletics. There's a whole 22 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 3: lot of meat on that bone, and Matt does an 23 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 3: admirable job translating it into Layman's term so that folks 24 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 3: like you and I can understand it. He gave me 25 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 3: an hour of his time, and I feel smarter for it. 26 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 3: I'm grateful anytime Matt comes on to give us his insight, 27 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 3: you're going to hear from Matt momentarily. Don't forget to 28 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 3: hit follow on your podcasting app of choice. Don't forget 29 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 3: to check us out at our ballers dot com. That's 30 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 3: where you can find out more on joining our secret 31 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 3: society of listeners on our Patreon. Hopefully Dan's going to 32 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 3: be back in time for our next episode. It sounds 33 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 3: like you're starting to feel better and turn the corner 34 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 3: a bit. In the meantime, without further ado, put your 35 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 3: hands together for a friend, Matt Brown. All right, let's 36 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 3: welcome back, longtime friend of the show, the one the 37 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 3: only Matt Brown Extra Points newsletter going for two podcasts, Sir, 38 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 3: How goes it? How are you in the heart of 39 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 3: the Midwest, Chicago, Illinois. 40 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: That's right, man, I'm I'm I'm so glad to be here. 41 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm doing great. There's a there's an almost 42 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: sense of optimism, I think for those of us in 43 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: our line of work. After the season not that it's 44 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: not that I didn't enjoy college football. It's not that 45 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm certainly going to miss it over the 46 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: you know, come May when I'm going to be looking 47 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: through YouTube for some like Division two game, But like 48 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: right afterwards, the whole wide off season is kind of 49 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: your oyster like there's a it's kind of it's kind 50 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: of it's kind of like the first day of summer vacation, 51 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: only it's fifteen degrees outside for you. 52 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 3: Fifteen degrees outside a little bit warmer here, thankfully. But 53 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 3: I want to push back on that point if I could, 54 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 3: for me, for Dan, that is sort of the case 55 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 3: when they stop playing the games, it is kind of 56 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 3: like a moment in time where we can catch our breath. 57 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 3: For you, is that true? 58 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: Well, it's you know, it's funny. I I probably have 59 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: been more busy over the off season the last couple 60 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:58,959 Speaker 1: of years than I am during the year, because I 61 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: I'm still watching the fine ten hours of college football. 62 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: But I'm not expected to write a recap or an 63 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: analysis of what happened in that game, right, But I 64 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: know from thinking back, all right, extra points launches. In 65 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, we had COVID had to pretend to be 66 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: an epidemiologist. There's something going on over there. Last year 67 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: we had the Austin case and we all had to 68 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: pretend to be labor attorneys and and and of course texts, 69 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: you know, conference realignment and television deals. And then this 70 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: year there's going to be some very big legal and 71 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: political shifts. And certainly there's good you know, there's gonna 72 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: be a lot going on on this beat. But also 73 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: my non industry people, they're they're gonna be watching college basketball, 74 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: they're gonna be watching, you know, the the NFL, they're 75 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 1: gonna watch the NBA a little bit. So even though 76 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: I always have something to write about, it's not quite 77 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: as stressful, I think, as it is in August and September, 78 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: which would you know, which is nice? Right? The rest 79 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: of college football Internet gets to like rank Pokemon or 80 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: talk about pizza topics or something, and then like, I 81 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: have my little by little of the corner of the 82 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: world that's still chugging along. It's it's a good system. 83 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 3: What keeps you up at night currently? 84 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: What keeps me up at night? Well, I mean, candidly, 85 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: there's a bunch of stuff that keeps me up at 86 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: night about being a publisher that's kind of independent of 87 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: the college sports world. Like I don't think i'm I'm 88 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: telling tales here. A large chunk of my audience comes 89 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: from Twitter. That's how a lot of ways that other people, 90 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: you know, reach their audiences, and that's a little bit 91 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: less stable I think within the college sports world. Don't 92 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: know if it's keep me up at night, but it's 93 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: definitely the sword kind of hanging over my schedule. And 94 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: my plan is there are two gigantic threats to the 95 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: legal status quo for how college sports is organized, like 96 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: you know, making the air quotes here around amateurism. One 97 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: of those is the National Labor Relations Board. One of 98 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: those is the federal court system. To say nothing of 99 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: what might happen in Congress and that those things change. 100 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: That blows up so much of what we know and 101 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: assume about college sports. It blows up the entire anil ecosystem. 102 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: It blows up potentially conferences, It blows of how scholarships work. 103 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: And that's a story I have to get right right 104 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: right is going to be kind of scrambling. That's the 105 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: kind of thing I'm thinking about too, because there's so much. 106 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: I don't know, even though I think I probably know 107 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 1: a little bit more about this world than the average bear. 108 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,119 Speaker 3: I want you to unpack that because I was hoping 109 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 3: we would get there with it. I know it's a complex, 110 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 3: nuanced issue, but it does feel as if it is 111 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 3: the asteroid headed towards us in the Uar of a 112 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 3: Lord twenty twenty three. Right, we had nil, We had 113 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 3: all sorts of stuff go down with metia, riots and alignment, 114 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 3: and maybe we can talk about that if we have time. 115 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 3: But it seems like this year, as you alluded, that 116 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 3: that's going to be the story. 117 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: That I think so. And I also I have a 118 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: lot of empathy for people that are like mat. I 119 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: watch college football, so I don't have to think about 120 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: things like anti trust exemptions, and I have empathy for it. 121 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: But like, bear with me, let me try to get 122 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: through this in the least boring way possible, so you 123 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: can people can kind of understand what's happening. Right So, 124 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: with and with the Alston case and with some of 125 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: these changes, we had college athletes that can now earn 126 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: money even though they're not directly getting it from the school. 127 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes that's through a business. Sometimes it's through a collective 128 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: that's pretending it's through a business, but it's really just 129 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: a bagman kind of thing. And that system has worked 130 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: in some ways and it has colossally not worked in 131 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: other ways. Maybe we can talk about those, but it 132 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: hinges of this idea that the athlete is not an 133 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: employee of the school and can't get the money directly 134 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: from them. See, you know, there was some CJ Strod 135 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: might have given millions of dollars in value to Ohio State, 136 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: and Ohio State can't cut the check. They has to 137 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: rely on other people to do that, and there are 138 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: outside forces that might change that. So one of these 139 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: is a federal case You're Neck of the Woods in 140 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania that is likely to get an initial decision. In 141 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, a group of FCS football players at 142 00:06:55,200 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: places like Bucknell and Villanova have sued, saying we should 143 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: have been considered employees, and our schools owe us minimum 144 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: wage and they need to be paying payroll tax and 145 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: workers compensation and all of those things. I'm not asking 146 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 1: for millions of dollars, but they're saying that we met 147 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: the federal definition of an employee, and that will probably 148 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: be appealed, so like the final finals say, probably won't 149 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: happen this year, but there will be developments in that case. 150 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: We also have a group called the National Labor Relations Board, 151 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: and this is the government entity that helps adjudicate when 152 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: unions start settles labor disputes, and they are investigating whether 153 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: athletes are not just USC and UCLA, but throughout the 154 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: PAC twelve and the entire country or the whole NCAA, 155 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: whether they have been improperly classified and if they should 156 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: be employees. And that also probably won't be completely resolved 157 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: this year, but the hearings for that are going to 158 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: start in like six weeks, oh man. And then there's 159 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: going to be appeals and it's going to go back 160 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: and forth, but it will work its way through that system. 161 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: My best professional projection here, and this is one that's 162 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: shared by many of the attorneys that I'm talking to, 163 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: is that the nc DOUBLEA is highly unlikely to win 164 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: both of those wow. In fact, they may very well 165 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: go over too. We'll see what happens if it goes 166 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court or if it goes to any 167 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: other places here, but the idea that amateurism as we 168 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: know it may become legally extinct. Is not just a 169 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: hypothetical like that is something we can look and see 170 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: within sixteen months. And so that is why the new 171 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: president of the nc double A is not an ad 172 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: or president or administrator, a politician. It's a politician. And 173 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: when I was at the NCUBA convention, you know, about 174 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: a week ago, you know, I got a chance to 175 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: talk to Baylor President, doctor Lynda Livingstone, who's the head 176 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: of the NCAA Board of Governors, got the chance to 177 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: talk to Governor Charlie Baker, is the new head of 178 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: the NCUBA, and talk about what is it you're trying 179 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: to do. What are your goals for this year. It's 180 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,679 Speaker 1: one hundred percent centered on working with the federal government, 181 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: working with Congress to potentially head off these existential threats. 182 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 3: That was going to be my question. So is is 183 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 3: that the direction in general of the NCUBA, now led 184 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 3: by Charlie Baker. They're trying to get out in front 185 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 3: of these court cases, pass some sort of provision. Maybe 186 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 3: you can explain what their ideal state would be, but 187 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 3: at least get this whole thing to a place where 188 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 3: it feels stable and it doesn't feel like something's going 189 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 3: to undercut them. 190 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: That's what it is. As frustrating as this might sound like, 191 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: the big NCAA story right now is about government lobbying 192 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: rather than about recruiting calendars or enforcement or anything else. 193 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:37,199 Speaker 1: So the NCAA wants Congress to grant three things. I'll 194 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: try to explain what these things mean. So one of 195 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: them is they want a federal law passed by the 196 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: House in the Senate, get Biden to sign it that 197 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: says this new federal college sports law preempts all of 198 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 1: the other state laws. So we have I don't know, 199 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,079 Speaker 1: over two dozen state specific NIL laws right now, and 200 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: a couple of those NIL laws say other things about 201 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: college sports, and they're not the saint. We have some 202 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: states that say you are legally required to tell schools 203 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: the NIL deal that you signed. You have some states 204 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: that say, actually, you are legally required to not do that. 205 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 1: You have a right to privacy. Some states say you 206 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,719 Speaker 1: can't do something with gambling, some say you can, Some 207 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: say you can't do something with porn, some say you can. 208 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: And the ncflies like, we can't. We literally cannot do 209 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: any NIL policy or anything that would you know where 210 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: there's twenty six different laws. We need one national standard. 211 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: You've probably heard a coach or an ad talk about 212 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: this too. It's a source of deep frustration, particularly among 213 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 1: football coaches right now now. In practice, in my opinion, 214 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: it doesn't really matter because none of these states are 215 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: enforcing any of these laws. It's not like the Florida 216 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: Highway Patrol is going to come arrest the Gator Collective 217 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: for recruiting crimes. Like that's not really how this works. 218 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,439 Speaker 1: But that's one thing they're asking for. They're also asking 219 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: for Congress to say college athletes are not employees, so 220 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter what the NLRB says, it doesn't matter 221 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: what the Seventh District Court says. We're making a law 222 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: that says they're not employees and therefore they can't unionize, 223 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 1: they don't have collective bargaining, we don't have to give 224 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: them payroll tax and these other things. And then the 225 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: third thing is they want what's called a limited anti 226 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: trust exemption. Bajor League Baseball has this. There's a couple 227 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: examples within professional sports broadcasting, but basically they're saying, if 228 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: we don't have this, if we try to investigate somebody 229 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: for nil rule violations, or if we try to honestly 230 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 1: do anything with the NCAA infractions, we're going to be 231 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: sued and maybe we win, maybe we lose. Probably we lose. 232 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: And the only way to prevent constantly being sued is 233 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 1: to have a carve out from this labor law. So 234 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: these are the three things that they're asking for. There's 235 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: a couple of big problems though, setting aside whether this 236 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: is good policy or not. And I'm trying not to 237 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: be partisan in this kind of conversation, not that I 238 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: don't know how many people here have really passionate opinions 239 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: about anti trust law. One is, they tried this last 240 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: year too, and none of these bills got out of committee, 241 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 1: and that was what Democrats controlled everything. Other Republicans control 242 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: the House, so presumably it will be harder to pass 243 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: any think and guys like the Republicans didn't have a 244 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: speaker for like a week. It's it's a complicated mess 245 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: over there right now. And the dirty little secret about 246 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 1: DC is that most of these guys and girls do 247 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: not care about college sports at all. These are these 248 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: we have a lot more Yale people than we have 249 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: Alabama people, like in the House, in the Senate and 250 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: there's not like some constituent group that's like, I have 251 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: a single issue voter and that issue is college football. Now, 252 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: you would think that that might exist in a place 253 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: like Ohio or a place like like Tennessee, but not really. 254 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: And so you think of all the things that a 255 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: politician has to worry about right now, this is generally 256 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: not one of them. So this is the key question 257 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: I think for this year. Do you get Congress to 258 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: do this? Which we could talk about what might happen 259 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: if they do or if they don't. And if you don't, 260 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: odds are somebody else is going to say college athletes 261 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: are now employees and that will happen pretty soon. 262 00:12:54,320 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 3: What kind of appetite do you feel exists for Congress 263 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 3: and anybody with any kind of political capital. Why would 264 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 3: they care about this? Why should they care about. 265 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: Why should well? Why should they? And why might they 266 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: might be? It might be two different things. Sure, So 267 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: I'm going to try to look at this as charitably 268 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: as possible, because you could be very cynical about this 269 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: kind of thing. I'm going to try to avoid doing that. 270 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: The idea of if you don't do this, then the 271 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: worst thing that will happen is we have nil chaos 272 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: was not a very compelling argument to many senators who 273 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: do not have rival subscriptions and like or their staffers 274 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: do not have rival subscriptions, and nil chaos on some 275 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: level did happen, but the world didn't end. And there 276 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 1: they're right there, there wasn't a major appetite. There were 277 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:43,719 Speaker 1: some people who are highly invested. A lot of these 278 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: Democratic senators wanted something with more expansive reform, meaning they 279 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: wanted to guarantee health insurance for college athletes. They wanted 280 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: to guarantee collective bargaining rights for athletes part of a 281 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: broader labor bill. There's even some Republicans who are interested 282 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: in this raw Utah Marshall Blackburn, Tennessee, former football coach 283 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: Tommy Tubberville, you know, at Alabama, And they've tended to 284 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: want as narrow as possible as you might expect that 285 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: these are not groups that tend to be overly sympathetic 286 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 1: to organize labor, So it's hard to get them all 287 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: to agree. What I think is possible, though, is let's 288 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: say it's this summer and the NLRB has already ruled 289 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: once and it's it's indicating further that you know they're 290 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: going to rule the college athletes are going to be employees, 291 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: and that's where this thing ends. And then you have 292 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: not just Charlie Baker, but I think athletic directors and 293 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: university presidents and coaches from all these other states saying, 294 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: if we don't fix this, we might have to get 295 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: rid of half of our our of our college sports offers. Wow, 296 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: or we might whether they have whether they will or 297 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 1: they won't, like that could be a thing that they say, 298 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: or hey, what might make sense for Michigan does not 299 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: make sense for Western Michigan. Or here are the potential 300 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: unforeseen outcomes from moving to this and the only people 301 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: that can fix it are US senators. I don't know 302 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: if that will work necessarily, but I think that's a 303 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: much more compelling pitch than what they were offering eighteen 304 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: months ago. The other thing, too, you can't discount honestly, 305 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: is almost everybody hated Mark Emmert and bringing in a 306 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: new person who is a better communicator, maybe speaks politician 307 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: may help the NCAA get into some doors that they 308 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: weren't in before. 309 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 3: The way that you've outlined this is there's a doomsday 310 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 3: scenario that could, as you said earlier, blow everything up. 311 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 3: There is obviously a more middle of the road path 312 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 3: that feels like we'll end up with, As we do 313 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 3: with most things, It seems a stretch to me that 314 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 3: Congress is just going to go for it and that's 315 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 3: suddenly they're going to back the NCUBA and they're going 316 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 3: to maybe head off this whole thing, which, as you 317 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 3: said at the top, is sort of what the NCAA 318 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 3: is hoping for. That seems like a stretch, given where 319 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 3: the NCAA is at, where Congress is at right, that 320 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 3: just that would require a lot to go. I think 321 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 3: think in lockstep, which doesn't seem likely to me. What 322 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 3: is the doomsday scenario here? If this comes to fruition 323 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 3: and if the labor Relations Board decides that everyone's an 324 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 3: employee of university, what does that mean? What are the 325 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 3: ramifications for that? And then I guess, secondly, what is 326 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 3: the middle of the road solution that doesn't mean everything 327 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 3: gets nuked, but still means we have significant changes. 328 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: Look like it's a really good question, and one of 329 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: the things that makes a lot of this challenging is 330 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: that we don't really have a lot of other industries. 331 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: To compare this to so the obvious you thought would be, well, 332 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: you know, all the professional sports leagues in the United 333 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: States are employees, and they have unions and they sign 334 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: collective bargaining agreements. Right, So like the idea of, for example, 335 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: setting up a group here in Chicago to raise donations 336 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 1: to the Chicago Bears so they can sign a better 337 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: free agent and have like an NIL like Bears collect 338 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: the Patriot right, a Patreon right be ridiculous. It will 339 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: be ridiculous because somebody wants to give money to the Bears, 340 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:05,840 Speaker 1: unless you're like the state of Illinois and thinking about 341 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: a new stadium. But you wouldn't do that to help 342 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 1: get justin field some offensive lineman. It would say, that's 343 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:13,360 Speaker 1: the Bears problem. And also the collective bargaining agreement forbids. 344 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: It like the idea of like trying to spend money 345 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: to get around a salary cap generally has some significant consequences, 346 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: and I could see a world where that is where 347 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: NIL ends up looking like where a lot of these 348 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: collectives and a lot of these outside fundraising groups disappear 349 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: because they'll fall that will be regulated spending by the 350 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: schools or whatever. You know this new body ends up 351 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: being and it will be hard to get people to 352 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: want to donate if they see that everyone on the 353 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: roster's making two hundred thousand dollars and you're bringing in 354 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: this gigantic television deal. So that would obviously change the 355 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: business of the sport. The challenge is who's the union 356 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 1: and who's in the union? What kind of what kind 357 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 1: of union does to look like? Right? Is the bargaining 358 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,479 Speaker 1: unit the Big Ten and all Big Ten athletes are 359 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: in here? Well, the interest a Big Ten baseball player, 360 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,679 Speaker 1: which is like not a power conference at all, and 361 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: a Big Ten football player very different, which would make 362 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: it hard to agree to anything. Is it just football players? Well, 363 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: when I'm at Coastal Carolina or Western Michigan might be different. 364 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: Even within a saw this during COVID on the same roster, 365 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: it might be different. And a place like Ohio State 366 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,199 Speaker 1: the top forty five guys, I'll have NFL aspirations, but 367 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: maybe somebody at the bottom, near the bottom of the 368 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: roster does it. They might want for different things, and 369 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 1: that's a struggle for all of these The other challenge 370 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: with setting up these union and everything is that college 371 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: athletes don't stay in college for that long. They you know, 372 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: people cycle out four, five, six years and everybody stetson 373 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 1: Bennet and a handful of of LDS missionaries aside, they're 374 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: like under twenty two, which would make that one of 375 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: the youngest unions in the entire world, to say nothing 376 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: of the United States. Like ask anybody that works in labor, 377 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: organizing a McDonald's is hard because they're younger and they're 378 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: not going to be there for very long. And that's 379 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 1: what this world would look like. So I say, one potential, 380 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: you know, doomsday scenario here is we end up with 381 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: the collective bargaining agreement, we end up towards the employee model, 382 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: and things get worse for most athletes, even football players, 383 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: because theoretically a scholarship then becomes something you can negotiate 384 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,719 Speaker 1: over or any other kinds of benefits, and so some 385 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: of the things that everybody gets could be taken off 386 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: the table, and maybe only the Caleb Williams of the 387 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: world's benefit. That's I think that's a legitimate concern. There's 388 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,360 Speaker 1: a legitimate concern about does this mean that you take 389 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: away more scholarship opportunities? You know, we're talking to an 390 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: ad at the convention who put it to me this way, 391 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: that like across Division one and Division two, we offer 392 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: about the NCAA offers like one hundred and ninety something 393 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: thousand athletic scholarships, and if the costs dramatically increase to 394 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,239 Speaker 1: where schools have to cut some of those, you know, 395 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: maybe we get rid of the bowling team, maybe we 396 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: get rid of the cross country team or the tennis team. 397 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: We may end up with the world where there's fifty 398 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: thousand fewer scholarships to go to college. And for all 399 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 1: the bad things about college sports, it's one of the 400 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: biggest scholarship programs in the entire country. And do fifty 401 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,199 Speaker 1: thousand people now lose out on a more affordable pathway 402 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,960 Speaker 1: to college? Are they all absorbed by academics or by 403 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 1: the Peilgrant program or something like That's a that's a 404 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 1: societal question that has to be grasped. That being said, 405 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:22,679 Speaker 1: it may very well be that it's more ethical and 406 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: it makes better business sense and it's more legal to 407 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: make all college athletes employees. I think the middle ground question, 408 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: and I hope that everybody involved can find a way 409 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 1: to make this work would be Defenser at Northwestern that 410 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 1: life probably is closer to a marching band trombone player 411 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: or a student newspaper editor than a full fledged employee. 412 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: Caleb Williams, C. J. Stroud, You know, JJ McCarthy. We 413 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: shouldn't have to pretend that they have a marketing value 414 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 1: of two million dollars that we flow through a charity. 415 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: Given the amount of time that they spend that university, 416 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: they're probably closer to being an employee. And if there's 417 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:01,960 Speaker 1: a world or we can pay those people what they 418 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: deserve from Michigan and not through some shady third party 419 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: person who's pretending to be an agent, and we let 420 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: the fencer keep doing their fencing thing. I think that 421 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,120 Speaker 1: would be ideal, But I didn't pass the bar right 422 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:20,399 Speaker 1: the way to figure that out legally and legislatively and administratively. 423 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: You know, that might be outside the scope of a 424 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: humble newsletterman like me. 425 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 3: But what's interesting about that is, even if that is 426 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 3: the quote unquote middle of the road solution, doesn't that 427 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 3: also kind of spell doomsday for some of the mid 428 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 3: tier FBS programs? 429 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: You know, it might you know, the I've heard fans 430 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 1: and I've heard administrators say this, and you know, I 431 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,400 Speaker 1: think my follow up question would be, you know, when 432 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: in college football world, have the mid majors ever been 433 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: at level playing field with the big boys? You know, 434 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: the Western Michigan has not gotten the same guys or 435 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 1: had the same resources or the same anything as Michigan 436 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: since time immortal. So in a world where maybe the 437 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,639 Speaker 1: Michigan athletes are now w nine employees and the Western 438 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,240 Speaker 1: Michigan ones aren't, we have a decision. Maybe I don't 439 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: know if you want to keep them in the same 440 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: competitive playing field or not, But I don't know if 441 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: that's dramatically different from where it is now because quite 442 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:18,200 Speaker 1: frankly Western, you know, Michigan. I'm saying this as an example. 443 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: I'm not accusing anybody of anything here, Like Michigan's going 444 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: to have nil opportunities that will provide a full time 445 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 1: salary in a way that some of these mid majors can't. 446 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,679 Speaker 1: And if you scout really well and you develop really well, 447 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: have a good culture, you can still win a lot 448 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: of football games. And if you don't have those things, 449 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: you're Texas and like those teams still find a way 450 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: to lose. But I can certainly see how this could 451 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:39,919 Speaker 1: make it harder. 452 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 3: The other interesting component of this is I don't suspect 453 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 3: any of the schools, if we want to use Michigan 454 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 3: as an example, would be all that eager to part 455 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,080 Speaker 3: ways with some of the newfound revenue they're going to 456 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,880 Speaker 3: get from this big media deal. That said, if it's 457 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 3: an existential crisis, and if they truly have no choice, 458 00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 3: I suspect they'll find a way to do it if 459 00:22:59,359 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 3: they have to. 460 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: That I agree, and that's part of what makes this 461 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,160 Speaker 1: time being interesting because it's happening at a time when 462 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: there's a ton of new revenue coming in, not just 463 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: from multiple leagues signing new TV deals, but the college 464 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 1: Football Playoff is expanding and which could triple the amount 465 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: of the amount of money coming in. So it's not 466 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,359 Speaker 1: an accident that some of this is happening now. Actually, 467 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: lawmakers in California just a couple of days ago, state 468 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: lawmakers they're proposed to build that will require UCLA and 469 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: USC to share some of that revenue explicitly, and that 470 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: might happen in other states there as well. The question 471 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: that has not really been answered for me when I 472 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: talk to people on the NCAA side is what are 473 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: you willing to give up to get what you're asking for? 474 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 1: Because most times when you go to Congress for something 475 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:48,480 Speaker 1: and they tell you to do it yourself and you 476 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: beg them again, there's usually some kind of give and take. 477 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: Are you willing to guarantee health insurance for a decade 478 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 1: to get some of us to get some of these things? 479 00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,439 Speaker 1: Are you willing to share some of the revenue and 480 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: some trust? Are you willing to revisit this in five years? 481 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: And I don't know right they're kind of the last 482 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: pitch was we're not willing to give up anything, and 483 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,800 Speaker 1: Wildmakers kind of told them to kick sand So we'll 484 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: see what happens here. 485 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 3: The last I think status check that you gave us 486 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 3: with respect to the NC double A is that they 487 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 3: were weighing over their heads with NIL with just this 488 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 3: this levee that has broken with respect to new policy. 489 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 3: They can't they can't put effective guardrails up around the 490 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 3: transfer portal to make that a little bit more organized, 491 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:38,119 Speaker 3: Albeit they are trying. NIL has clearly been a tidal 492 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 3: wave that has overtaken the NC double A. As you 493 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 3: said earlier, they have trouble investigating even simple issues. Are 494 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 3: they at all in a place where they've got the 495 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,639 Speaker 3: bandwidth to make this kind of push, because this is 496 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 3: a big deal. This is this is probably bigger than 497 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 3: all the things combined that we've been talking about for 498 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 3: the last three years. 499 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 1: It could be the biggest deal. Ye I've heard this joke, 500 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: and it might not even a joke that like, there's 501 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: no pressure on Charlie Baker. But if he gets this wrong, 502 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: he's going to be the last NC double a president 503 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,679 Speaker 1: at least right it's over, it's going to be a 504 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: weird end to his Wikipedia article about you know, the 505 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: big dig or whatever else he did in Massachusetts. I 506 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:17,920 Speaker 1: would say that that's that capacity is trying to change 507 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 1: a little bit. You know what typically happens when you 508 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: have a new head of an agency like this is 509 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: that there's gonna be a lot of staff turnover. I 510 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:26,399 Speaker 1: know a couple of the people that are going to 511 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: be moving into there's the NC I've always been quietly 512 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: staffing up on infractions and investigations. I believe they brought 513 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 1: in at least one x FBI person to be involved, 514 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,159 Speaker 1: which seems like overkilled me. 515 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 3: But yeah, okay, sure, yeah, So. 516 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: You're going to have some people coming in here who 517 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,919 Speaker 1: may not be college sports professionals, and that can be 518 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 1: a good thing or a very bad thing. And we'll 519 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: we'll see, you know, because I wouldn't be shocked if 520 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: the NC double is capacity to do other stuff diminishes, 521 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: because they're going to be spending a lot of time 522 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,400 Speaker 1: in d C and trying to to find a way 523 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: it's nowavigate the court system. 524 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 3: Wow, well, this is going to be fascinating to watch. 525 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 3: I'm sure we'll have you back on at some point 526 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 3: after news breaks a little bit more on this front 527 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 3: to read us in and help us understand it, because 528 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,479 Speaker 3: you have your finger on this pulse more so than 529 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 3: anybody that Dan or I know around college football. You're 530 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 3: doing really good work with this. I do want to 531 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 3: ask you about a few other things, if that's okay. 532 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you. 533 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 3: Know, different but related in their own right. We mentioned 534 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 3: realignment a couple questions ago, and of course the USC 535 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 3: and UCLA thing is notable. That's the most recent. There 536 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,440 Speaker 3: was some news that came out I guess a little 537 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 3: bit before we hit record here that they're trying to 538 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 3: figure things out on the Big twelve side, when Oklahoma, 539 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 3: when Texas might ultimately go to the SEC. Looks like 540 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 3: twenty twenty four, but it could be immediately. There's a chance, 541 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 3: who knows. Like there are things that are very much 542 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 3: in flux on both fronts there with respect to realignment. 543 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 3: Are we out of the woods now with the broader 544 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 3: real li alignment of college football? Do you think there 545 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 3: are any other surprises that are lurking or are we 546 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 3: kind of in a period now of relative calm. 547 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 1: I have now been on this beat long enough that 548 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,399 Speaker 1: I don't think I ever want to say into a 549 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: microphone that, like, I think we're out of the woods, 550 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 1: because that's where something stupid happens, right, I feel like 551 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: a couple of these big bombshells have happened when I 552 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,400 Speaker 1: wasn't expecting it. I will say this, I don't think 553 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 1: we're completely done. Because whenever the PAC twelve finishes that 554 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:32,159 Speaker 1: TV deal, which could be in the next four weeks, 555 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 1: it could be in the next four months, I expect 556 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,920 Speaker 1: them to take a hard look at San Diego State 557 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: as a chance to be able to gain some presence 558 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: back in southern California. You have a brand new stadium 559 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: that could potentially be used for other events. San Diego 560 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,640 Speaker 1: State's research classification status and their ability to give PhDs 561 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: has recently changed, which feels like a very funny thing 562 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: that matters in this world. But to pack twelve presidents 563 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: as the thing that matters. We know what the Big 564 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: twelve would like to be in the Pacific time zone. 565 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: They are unlikely to be able to pry away any 566 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,719 Speaker 1: current pac twelve teams, and like I've been saying that 567 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: now for six months, I don't think that that's changed. 568 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,120 Speaker 1: But they're also going to be talking to San Diego State. 569 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:17,919 Speaker 1: They'll also be kicking the tires on some of these 570 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 1: other places. But I don't expect any big moves from 571 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: the SEC, Big ten or the ACC in the next year. 572 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: And I can share a little bit that you know, 573 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,160 Speaker 1: McMurphy reported this first and I was able to get 574 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,679 Speaker 1: confirmation and clarification on this a little bit. You know, 575 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: back in the beginning of the fall, there reports about 576 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:36,840 Speaker 1: Oregon and later Washington meeting with the Big Ted talking 577 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 1: through these things. Right. That was you know, a couple 578 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: of attorneys, and you had a television consulting company here 579 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: in Chicago and a couple other another television consulting company 580 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: in the South that we're helping to to have some 581 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: of these conversations. It wasn't a secret that Kevin Warren 582 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,040 Speaker 1: would have preferred to get up to twenty and have 583 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: something similar to the NFL. Right, Big ten football sun 584 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 1: never sets on Rosemont or right all day long, I 585 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: have another TV window. But the university presidents in the 586 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,080 Speaker 1: Big ten we're buying large not nearly as excited about that, 587 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: in part because it wouldn't give you that much more money, 588 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: and in some cases it might dilute your television a 589 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 1: little bit. The bigger you get, the more valuable each 590 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: additional team needs to be. Before you're you're cutting the 591 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: pie into smaller slices. But also they looked and they 592 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: saw what happened when USC and you see when you 593 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: see LA jumped to the Big ten. It became a 594 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: gigantic political football. You had, you had the you got 595 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: the regions involved, The governor was complaining about it. You're 596 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: going to have some some you know, a coldonoscopy of 597 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: a state audit into your budgets and everything. And they're 598 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: looking out and they're seeing seeing lawmakers in Washington and 599 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 1: lawmakers in Oregon thinking about doing that same thing. This 600 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: process can't be a secret the second time along? Is 601 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 1: it worth it? Do we need the Huskies that badly 602 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: to turn this into ll we're the bad guys and 603 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: we're blowing this thing up. Maybe we don't. And that 604 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: that's something else to think of out here too. The 605 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: bigger you get beyond sixteen if you're a major league, 606 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 1: there are the bigger the the side effects that come 607 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: with that, both and trying to build a schedule, dealing 608 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: with lawmakers, dealing with with people knows, the reporters, filing 609 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: FOY was different egos to manage, like that's going to 610 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: be fun to see for the SEC and that is 611 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: something that I think was slowed this process a little 612 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: bit more than maybe we might expected compared to last year. 613 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 3: What was the reaction to the piece that you sent out. 614 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 3: I know it was half joking, at least half joking 615 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 3: about announcing your own candidacy to be the next Big 616 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 3: ten commissioner. 617 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: You know, I think this might hurt my ability to 618 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 1: get credentials for the next Big ten media events. Ah, 619 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,120 Speaker 1: And that's just that's just the risk I'm willing to take. 620 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 3: At the stage of Mike, we got a question about 621 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 3: that in our Patreon show that we do every Thursday, 622 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 3: asking which direction the big tension look to head in, 623 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 3: you know, kind of their next chapter now with a 624 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 3: new person running things. And I sided up your newsletter verbatim. 625 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 3: I thought you had some good ideas. I know, again, 626 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 3: it was very tongue in cheek, but at the same note, 627 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 3: like I have to imagine a chunk of the people 628 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 3: that read your newsletter extra points looked at it and said, hey, 629 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 3: this guy actually knows what he's talking about. 630 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: You know, it was funny. I did hear from a 631 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: couple of ads and a couple like industry people are like, 632 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: obviously you're joking, right, Like just a picture of media, 633 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 1: you know what this job? Right? Right? Well, I'm like, 634 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: I'm like literally like I'm wearing a suit jacket in 635 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: an Ohio state Jersey, and I'm pulling a giganic bag 636 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: of money, right like, let's pay the players. But yeah, 637 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:36,720 Speaker 1: I have thought about it. I did have some people 638 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: saying like you have my vote or you know, like 639 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: you do have a point. I legitimately have more college 640 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: sports experience than Kevin Warren did when he got that job. 641 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: I legitimately know more about bylaws and about like the 642 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: nuts and bolts of governance than Governor Baker did. And 643 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,400 Speaker 1: that's not because I was some super genius. It's just 644 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 1: because that that's part of my world. I would I 645 00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: don't think I want that job in real life, Like did. 646 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: The joke around the office has been I would like 647 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,120 Speaker 1: turnkey or like whatever search firm to at least call 648 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 1: me and like, yeah, let's let's have the conversation. But 649 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: it's a job that pays really well, but I don't 650 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: think I would actually want it. That's that's that's a 651 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 1: stressful gig. 652 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 3: Let me turn the page and talk about something a 653 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 3: little bit more fun now, Yeah, let's do it. You 654 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 3: know where I'm going with this. You've been our guy 655 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 3: for all things NCAA College Football twenty twenty four, twenty 656 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,480 Speaker 3: twenty five, twenty twenty Yeah, t who knows when this 657 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,239 Speaker 3: dampig is going to come out. They pushed it by 658 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 3: a year they did, hopefully before the heat that of 659 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 3: the universe. 660 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: We get a chance to play this on next generation consoles. 661 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: That's my goal before the PS six comes out. 662 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, So you've been our guy on the ground here. 663 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 3: You've been You've been pretty good about not only staying 664 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 3: up to date with what's going on. But you've broken 665 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 3: some news on this front. You had some news about 666 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 3: a week or two ago about some of the audio 667 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 3: assets that had been sent with respect to Oklahoma and 668 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 3: how they were kind of crafting that sound design experience, 669 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 3: if you will. On the Oklahoma A side. Where is 670 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,560 Speaker 3: EA Sports at with the next generation of its college 671 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 3: football video game. 672 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think there's been a little bit of a 673 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: misconception about why this project was delayed because I think 674 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: that some well meaning folks on the outside looked at 675 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 1: this and thought they must be pushing it back because 676 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: of licensing. They haven't figured out nil, they haven't figured 677 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: out how to pay everybody yet, and and or they 678 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: haven't gotten every school on board, and that's why they 679 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: want to put it back a year. And I've people 680 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: had EA and people with the CLC and folks within 681 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 1: the licensing rold that told me that wasn't really the case. 682 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: And while it's true, the like the licensing model to 683 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,480 Speaker 1: pay all the athletes is not finalized yet. A major 684 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: reason why that's gone slower is because of some legal 685 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: issues that have nothing to do with the electronic arts 686 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:44,000 Speaker 1: and have everything to do with some of these big 687 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: licensing companies. But like, we'll get there, Like that's that's 688 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: we're not We're not super worried about that. It's going 689 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 1: to take a while. The biggest reason was delayed is 690 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,160 Speaker 1: because the game wasn't ready, Like the nuts and bolts 691 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 1: technical infrastructure of the game wasn't ready. There's there's this 692 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,360 Speaker 1: idea that would you can just report twenty fourteen right 693 00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:02,520 Speaker 1: and just drag it into a PS five, Like what 694 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: I've heard around me is no, because almost none of 695 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: those developers are still at the company that was two 696 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 1: video game systems ago. None of the architecture works anymore. 697 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: And also it's not an NCAA game anymore. We're calling 698 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: this EA Sports College Football. We want this to be 699 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 1: completely new IP, which means we don't want it to 700 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:20,479 Speaker 1: be the same thing that it was. We're not saying 701 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: that we're gonna get rid of Dynasty Mode or get 702 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: rid of the things that you loved about it. But 703 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: this is our one chance to rebuild everything and make 704 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: it really good. Because you know, I think consumers probably 705 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 1: realize this, but for the video games that are annual 706 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:36,920 Speaker 1: for sports games, like they're not building a completely new 707 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 1: NBA two K. Every single year, they're they're changing the rosters, 708 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: they're adding like, what are two new features. They're getting 709 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: a new celebrity cameo for the career mode. They're going 710 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: to charge another hundred bucks for it, and like the 711 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,480 Speaker 1: college football game that comes out after this College Football 712 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,239 Speaker 1: Game will not be a completely new product. They're going 713 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 1: to make some tweaks. So you want to make sure 714 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:57,359 Speaker 1: that that the framework, the architecture of the game as 715 00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: best as it could be. And you know, buy pretty 716 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: late in the football season is when they, as I 717 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: understand it, they reached that conclusion that this is going 718 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: to have to get moved back and hopefully it's ready 719 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,360 Speaker 1: in the summer before the twenty four season. 720 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,760 Speaker 3: So that is a target. The summer before the twenty 721 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 3: four season is. 722 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, that's the target for that July. And the 723 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 1: other thing is they're hoping more people have PlayStation fives 724 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,359 Speaker 1: by then, because this is not going to be something 725 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: that's going to be released on the PS four or 726 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: the last version of Xbox I don't think it's going 727 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:28,200 Speaker 1: to be on the tend to switch. And you know, 728 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:30,000 Speaker 1: as a lot of us realized, it was hard to 729 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: get a PS five coming out of COVID, there were 730 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:37,359 Speaker 1: shortages everywhere. Hopefully by next summer anybody that wants one 731 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:38,520 Speaker 1: of these things will be able to get one. 732 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,080 Speaker 3: The most recent reporting you've done on the game has 733 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 3: been around the audio assets, which is near and dear 734 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:45,719 Speaker 3: to our hearts here at the solid verbal given ar 735 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,560 Speaker 3: given our attention to detail with respect to all things audio. 736 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 3: But what have you learned on that front that you 737 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:52,280 Speaker 3: found interesting? 738 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 1: Yeah? Let me, I'm want to actually see while we're talking, 739 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:56,600 Speaker 1: I could pull up the exact spreadsheet so I can 740 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: kind of cite chapter and verse exactly what's in these 741 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 1: kind of things. So over the summer, yeah, asks every 742 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 1: single school that's participating in the game, like, we want 743 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:10,080 Speaker 1: a the as authentic of a stadium experience as we 744 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,200 Speaker 1: could possibly get. So we're going to take like two 745 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,920 Speaker 1: thousand photos of your stadium from every possible angle so 746 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: we can render it in three D. Not just the 747 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: stadium itself, but what you see, you know, in the horizon, 748 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 1: the dorm that's over like the west, you know, sideline 749 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: or something, you know, the whole the whole thing. And 750 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,960 Speaker 1: we also want to re replicate the in stadium experience. 751 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,879 Speaker 1: So if you guys play a song as the team 752 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,839 Speaker 1: is coming out of the tunnel, even if it's like 753 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 1: a copyrighted song by another artist, we want to know 754 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 1: what that is. If you play a funny sound effect 755 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,120 Speaker 1: on third down from this, we want to know what 756 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: that is. We don't just want your fight song. If 757 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,560 Speaker 1: you if your students do a chance a lot of 758 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: schools do a kind of like production between the third 759 00:36:49,719 --> 00:36:52,040 Speaker 1: and fourth quarters. We want that entire thing. And it 760 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: was a big spreadsheet you have like twenty eight different events, 761 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,399 Speaker 1: and they asked everybody give us the name of the song. 762 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:00,239 Speaker 1: You'll give us a clip of the audio asset if 763 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:02,719 Speaker 1: you've got it, and send it to us. We can't 764 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: promise we're going to pay for every single license thing, 765 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:07,399 Speaker 1: but we're gonna make this as authentic as we can. 766 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 1: And people at EA said, like, we are going to 767 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,120 Speaker 1: spend for some of those licenses, So I do think 768 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 1: it's safe to assume, barring something unforeseen, like yeah, to 769 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,440 Speaker 1: jump around at Camp Randall for Wisconsin. 770 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 3: That's going to be there. That's so cool. 771 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: We're gonna go. We're gonna get in Enter Sandman for 772 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 1: Virginia Tech. And it was kind of surprising, which is 773 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:29,880 Speaker 1: how granular everybody's gonna everyone's been doing about this. They 774 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,279 Speaker 1: were like, hey, I think Eastern Michigan when they come 775 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,839 Speaker 1: out on the field, they have somebody with like a sledgehammer, 776 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:37,719 Speaker 1: I think, and like breaks through a concrete wall. Because 777 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:41,440 Speaker 1: the whole thing is like the factory. Yeah, that was submitted. 778 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:42,960 Speaker 1: That's something the EA is going to try to do. 779 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:45,680 Speaker 1: We're trying to get the chainsaws for Oregon State, like 780 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 1: the whole thing. I can't promise that every single one 781 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 1: of those is going to be in the game, but 782 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: I can't tell you. Here's what the school sent to 783 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: electronic Arts, and that has been the thing that's been 784 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,640 Speaker 1: reiterated to me again and again, like I can't promise everything. 785 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,640 Speaker 1: It's going to be a perfect game. If you are 786 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 1: skeptical about electronic arts, I get it. Like I played 787 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:05,400 Speaker 1: the last Mass Effect game. I know that some of 788 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,839 Speaker 1: these things are dunes, right like we understand. But I 789 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 1: can tell you what they are trying. They care very 790 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,279 Speaker 1: deeply about making this as authentic as possible, and that's 791 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: part of what makes college football cool. It isn't just 792 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: the RPO, it's the chainsaw on the sidelines and the 793 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: crazy things and seeing your hometown on a PS five. 794 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:28,040 Speaker 3: It is the very small nuance and these very very 795 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,719 Speaker 3: specific traditions that make college football special. You know, that 796 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:33,759 Speaker 3: is the life point that makes this whole thing go. 797 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:38,239 Speaker 3: And with respect to the video game, the fact that 798 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:41,000 Speaker 3: they are trying to incorporate that level of detail is 799 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 3: I think encouraging. Right it comes It's like that you 800 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 3: were describing this to me, I was thinking of the 801 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:48,040 Speaker 3: old computer programming exercise that they would teach you in 802 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:49,920 Speaker 3: like COMPSI one on one, where they ask you how 803 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,799 Speaker 3: to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And it's 804 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 3: not just you get two slices of bread, you smear 805 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 3: peanut butter and jelly on it, and then you eat it. No, 806 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,400 Speaker 3: you actually have to define all the different steps that 807 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,800 Speaker 3: go into makeing the peanut butter, jel and jelly sandwich. 808 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,279 Speaker 3: Open the jar, stick knife in jars, scoop up all 809 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:08,920 Speaker 3: of these different process oriented things that it sounds like 810 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,960 Speaker 3: that's where they're at with collecting some of these assets. 811 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 3: It's not just what is the vibe when a team 812 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,000 Speaker 3: comes out onto the field. It's okay, how do we 813 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:20,760 Speaker 3: get the sound of the chainsaw that we can actually 814 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:21,520 Speaker 3: put in this thing. 815 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, and then what you know, or what can we 816 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:28,080 Speaker 1: get away with without messing with rights holders or budgets? Right, So, 817 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:29,360 Speaker 1: like you know, one of the thing that the internet 818 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,440 Speaker 1: was asking me about is all right, they are they 819 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:34,280 Speaker 1: going to put Neck in the game? Is the LSU 820 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: band gonna do that? Are you gonna is there gonna 821 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:37,799 Speaker 1: be an option to pay a fine to play Neck 822 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:39,480 Speaker 1: if if you're out by a lot and if you do, 823 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: what student chance you're gonna put in the game. Because 824 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 1: part of the of the authentic college football experience, I 825 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 1: think is sometimes hearing things that don't necessarily get an 826 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: E rating from the ESRB side. 827 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 3: Believe that's actly. 828 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: So there's a little bit of a push and pull. 829 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: We're trying to figure out how to make this authentic 830 00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,080 Speaker 1: but still brands safe. Right, So well, I can't In 831 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 1: case you're wondering us, you did not submit Neck, but 832 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:05,359 Speaker 1: some other schools did, so we'll see if that makes 833 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:06,440 Speaker 1: its way into the game or not. 834 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:12,920 Speaker 3: Fascinating stuff, Matt, how much would you say of your 835 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,960 Speaker 3: day to day is people writing with questions about this? 836 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:22,920 Speaker 1: It is the overwhelmingly number one way that I get 837 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:27,320 Speaker 1: new readers from people that don't work or study college athletics. 838 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 1: You know, I can track, you know, who's going to 839 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,640 Speaker 1: die du email address or like a you know, an 840 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 1: Ohio Valley Conference dot Com email address or something, and 841 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:37,200 Speaker 1: he's just a guy. And if they're just a guy, 842 00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:39,200 Speaker 1: a lot of them are interested in realignment. They're interested 843 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:40,799 Speaker 1: in money, but it's the video game that they're most 844 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,239 Speaker 1: interested in. And if I'm doing like a national hit 845 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:46,880 Speaker 1: on something, it's more likely to be this and it 846 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 1: is the NLRB, which is funny. I don't know if 847 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,680 Speaker 1: I told you guys this last time. You know what, 848 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:52,960 Speaker 1: I kind of became this beat writer on this thing 849 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:57,400 Speaker 1: by accident, right, Like, I wasn't looking for this information specifically. 850 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 1: I filed a request to learn about a school who 851 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:03,320 Speaker 1: was dropping a licensed beer, and it was through those 852 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:06,600 Speaker 1: emails that I got the initial project proposal. I'm like, well, 853 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 1: this is way more interesting, yeah than somebody cutting up 854 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 1: yeah a beer at the University of Nevada. And that's 855 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 1: kind of how I fell into it. But yeah, I mean, 856 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 1: I think since we've been talking, someone's already asked me 857 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,360 Speaker 1: about it on Twitter. I can assure all of you 858 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:24,279 Speaker 1: who are listening. If I know something, now, if I'm 859 00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:26,319 Speaker 1: not speculating, If I know something, I promise you I'll 860 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,560 Speaker 1: write it. I'm not good at keeping secrets. I just 861 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:30,560 Speaker 1: don't want to. You know, you know bio date on 862 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:32,759 Speaker 1: stuff that I can't cite, chapter in verse. 863 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,920 Speaker 3: You know, one of our interviews that we did with you, 864 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,640 Speaker 3: I might have been May of twenty twenty two or 865 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:40,719 Speaker 3: twenty twenty one. It was one year in the month 866 00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:43,360 Speaker 3: of May, we talked about this video game. It was 867 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:45,400 Speaker 3: one of the biggest videos that we put on YouTube. 868 00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:47,880 Speaker 3: The clip, I mean, it just popped. People really are 869 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:51,879 Speaker 3: craving more information on this, and it's rare. It's let's 870 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:54,919 Speaker 3: be honest, it's a rare thing with respect to video 871 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,319 Speaker 3: games that you get to start over, if you're EA 872 00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:59,200 Speaker 3: or if you're anybody, that you get to start over 873 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,400 Speaker 3: and build up a sports franchise from scratch. Most of 874 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 3: them have been built over the course of many years already. 875 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,080 Speaker 3: You know, Matt Madden, they're not going to redo Madden. 876 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 3: They're not going to redo fully FIFA complicated, right, But 877 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:17,279 Speaker 3: it's it's not often that you have this type of opportunity. 878 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,320 Speaker 3: So I understand that the appetite for the information. I 879 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,960 Speaker 3: count myself among those that are very, very hungry for 880 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:24,839 Speaker 3: more info in with. 881 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:29,160 Speaker 1: I can't wait. I mean it is. I'm often sending 882 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,560 Speaker 1: out a request or trying to talk to somebody in 883 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 1: this industry multiple times a month. And it's been exciting too, 884 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:37,879 Speaker 1: right because I know I play a lot of video chips, 885 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,200 Speaker 1: but I didn't know a lot about the development cycle, 886 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:41,880 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of parts of this world that 887 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:44,759 Speaker 1: I didn't know about. The one I think thing I 888 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,200 Speaker 1: will add to maybe your listeners might be interested in. 889 00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:50,040 Speaker 1: If you are like desperate to scratch this itch and 890 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:52,239 Speaker 1: you don't want to wait, there are a couple of 891 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:54,359 Speaker 1: indie college football games that are out there, like if 892 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,120 Speaker 1: you have Steam. There is a game that I've written 893 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:00,640 Speaker 1: about called College Football Coach College Dynasty, which is kind 894 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,400 Speaker 1: of like Football Manager, like if you're into soccer, but 895 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:06,080 Speaker 1: just for college football. Obviously don't have the licenses, but 896 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:10,240 Speaker 1: if you want to scratch the scouring through recruiting charts 897 00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:13,400 Speaker 1: and like managing who's getting a red shirt and building 898 00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,200 Speaker 1: a dynasty, that way you can do it. I think 899 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:18,920 Speaker 1: it's like ten bucks, and you know I paid for it. 900 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: I wrote a story about it. I think it's pretty 901 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:24,879 Speaker 1: fun and I wouldn't be shocked if when the Yeah 902 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:28,400 Speaker 1: Sports game comes out, if there are other independent titles 903 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 1: that are not trying to be like a simulation game, 904 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:32,919 Speaker 1: whether we end up with a college football trading card 905 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:36,600 Speaker 1: game or some mobile games or some other like offshoots 906 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:38,319 Speaker 1: of this, I think there's going to be more than 907 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:39,839 Speaker 1: one game that comes out Yeah. 908 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 3: And that's not even to say that if you still 909 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:46,480 Speaker 3: have your old PlayStation and the copy of NCAA fourteen, 910 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:48,279 Speaker 3: I've got it back behind me. I don't know if 911 00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:49,719 Speaker 3: it's visible in the shot. 912 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:51,720 Speaker 1: I have it just off camera here too. 913 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:54,400 Speaker 3: But you know, you can do all sorts of modifications 914 00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:58,040 Speaker 3: or something called College Football Revamped, which has definitely taken 915 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:01,360 Speaker 3: on a kind of a second life now in the 916 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:03,680 Speaker 3: absence of there actually being a title out there. So 917 00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:08,680 Speaker 3: it's a very interesting world. And if the reaction to 918 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,239 Speaker 3: some of the videos, some of our conversations with you, 919 00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:14,839 Speaker 3: or any indication there's a strong appetite for this next 920 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:17,600 Speaker 3: version of the game, So I'm excited. One question, I'll 921 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:20,000 Speaker 3: close out with this match, Sure, let's do it. One 922 00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:23,840 Speaker 3: question that we got from our community was maybe you 923 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:26,520 Speaker 3: already answered this. But the oddest thing that you found 924 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:29,120 Speaker 3: in some of your foyer requests is you're digging in. 925 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,479 Speaker 2: That's a good one where this game goes the game's going, 926 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:37,399 Speaker 2: you know, let me just see if I could pull 927 00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:40,279 Speaker 2: up the audio thing here real quick, because there were 928 00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:41,279 Speaker 2: a couple that surprised me. 929 00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:43,080 Speaker 1: I'm thinking, like one of the oddest ones, just like 930 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:45,640 Speaker 1: in general. I remember I filed a request for what 931 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,959 Speaker 1: people were saying after the college football playoff rankings during 932 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 1: the COVID year, and somebody sent an email to Iowa 933 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:56,319 Speaker 1: calling the ad there, Gary Farta, because he was mad 934 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,120 Speaker 1: about like by you and Cincinnati's ranking, And that has 935 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:01,080 Speaker 1: stuck with me so much. So never people are complaining 936 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:04,120 Speaker 1: about Iowa, I just want to Gary farda send tweet 937 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:06,879 Speaker 1: which which which? Which was real? 938 00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:08,719 Speaker 3: That's beautiful? 939 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:11,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know if it was a bit or 940 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,640 Speaker 1: anything there either, the thing that part of the thing. 941 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:16,640 Speaker 1: It's also surprised me a little bit how often some 942 00:45:16,680 --> 00:45:21,160 Speaker 1: of these schools use the same audio. You know. The 943 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:23,920 Speaker 1: thing that you think is like a special sacred tradition 944 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: is in fact used by a gajillion other schools and 945 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,000 Speaker 1: and other places that are like trying to like start 946 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:33,319 Speaker 1: traditions like u c F you know, you know, new 947 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:35,600 Speaker 1: ish program but like, yeah, we really have to make 948 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: sure that we include uh, you can't take my eyes 949 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:41,239 Speaker 1: off you. And like this particular segment in the third 950 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:43,000 Speaker 1: quarter game and I remember like texting a couple of 951 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:44,719 Speaker 1: people I know went to UCFS like is this some 952 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 1: Sacred Nights tradition or like now we just started it, 953 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,440 Speaker 1: like it's it's it's this new thing, Like okay, then 954 00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:52,640 Speaker 1: that's fine. You can you can kind of make your 955 00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:55,760 Speaker 1: own thing. The other thing and this is like super 956 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 1: in the weeds, but I'll share it anyway. One of 957 00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:00,880 Speaker 1: the challenges has been a lot of schools sell this 958 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:04,120 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, right, like oh, this is a Gary's 959 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:07,759 Speaker 1: Honda first down, and like, wells, like we put that 960 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 1: in the game, do we charge this Honda dealership in 961 00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:12,560 Speaker 1: San Marcos, Texas? Do we have to think of something 962 00:46:12,640 --> 00:46:14,960 Speaker 1: like different to put in there. And there's not a 963 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 1: great answer for it yet because none of the infrastructure 964 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:20,359 Speaker 1: around the sponsorship stuff I counts for video games because 965 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:21,800 Speaker 1: it hasn't been a thing for a decade. Yeah, and 966 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:23,399 Speaker 1: so I don't actually know where that ends up going. 967 00:46:23,719 --> 00:46:26,920 Speaker 3: That's really fascinating, really really fascinating stuff. 968 00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:27,319 Speaker 1: Again. 969 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:30,479 Speaker 3: His name is Matt Brown. Extra Points with Matt Brown 970 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:33,399 Speaker 3: is the title of the newsletter. Tell us everything, Matt 971 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:35,600 Speaker 3: to tell people where they can find you, how they 972 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:38,200 Speaker 3: can sign up for your newsletter. I'm a subscriber. You 973 00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:42,279 Speaker 3: do fantastic work. I know you also podcast with our 974 00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:45,160 Speaker 3: friend Brian Fischer. So give everybody here more of a 975 00:46:45,239 --> 00:46:46,560 Speaker 3: lowdown where they can find your work. 976 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:47,920 Speaker 1: I would love to. 977 00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:48,239 Speaker 3: So. 978 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: Extra Points is the newsletter. It's part of the D 979 00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:53,880 Speaker 1: one ticker family of publications. That's that's kind of a 980 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:57,360 Speaker 1: B to B college sports industry. Your kind of company 981 00:46:58,239 --> 00:47:00,279 Speaker 1: writes four times a week, and it covers the off 982 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:02,960 Speaker 1: the field forces that shape this industry. So that includes 983 00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:07,080 Speaker 1: EA sports, that includes realignment, includes legal and political and 984 00:47:07,239 --> 00:47:11,440 Speaker 1: financial forces that shape everything here. It's the kind of 985 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,359 Speaker 1: place where if you want to talk to hear something 986 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:16,320 Speaker 1: from a Division two athletic director or some weird jokes 987 00:47:16,520 --> 00:47:19,400 Speaker 1: or something about softball, this is the place along with 988 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:21,520 Speaker 1: you about recruiting and nil and all that stuff. And 989 00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:24,640 Speaker 1: you can find it at Extra Points mb dot com. 990 00:47:25,239 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 1: There is a free option where you get two newsletters 991 00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:30,440 Speaker 1: a week, or you can subscribe and get everything for 992 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:33,200 Speaker 1: just eight bucks a month, which would warm my heart 993 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:35,759 Speaker 1: because that eight dollars a month goes to things like 994 00:47:35,880 --> 00:47:38,799 Speaker 1: filing a lot of foy wants to learn more about 995 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 1: the video game, or sending me to San Antonio for 996 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:42,880 Speaker 1: the NCAA convention. 997 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:44,560 Speaker 3: How much does it cost to file that foil? 998 00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:49,520 Speaker 1: Here's the thing, it totally depends. Most places, it's free. 999 00:47:49,840 --> 00:47:52,320 Speaker 1: It should be free, but sometimes you kind of have 1000 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:54,239 Speaker 1: to do a little bit of a phishing expedition, and 1001 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 1: there are a handful of schools that will charge you. 1002 00:47:56,560 --> 00:47:58,720 Speaker 1: So I think the most I paid for EA sports 1003 00:47:58,760 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 1: related one was two hundred okay, which is you know, 1004 00:48:02,320 --> 00:48:05,320 Speaker 1: for something where I'm looking for some new kind of 1005 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:08,840 Speaker 1: correspondence that's not on common. The record was the University 1006 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:11,440 Speaker 1: of Georgia once tried to charge me eighteen thousand dollars 1007 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:14,600 Speaker 1: for a request and only back down when I made 1008 00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:16,719 Speaker 1: when I made fun of them on Twitter, and they're like, fun, 1009 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:19,120 Speaker 1: we people will do it for twelve like it's it's 1010 00:48:19,239 --> 00:48:21,319 Speaker 1: it's kind of a scam. And that's because they figure 1011 00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:23,520 Speaker 1: most people are like I don't need the information that badly, 1012 00:48:23,880 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 1: or they don't have an attorney that's you know, this 1013 00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:29,399 Speaker 1: is I don't just use your subscription money to buy 1014 00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:32,360 Speaker 1: like lunchibles and Mountain Dew. It also gets used for 1015 00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:32,960 Speaker 1: stuff like. 1016 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:36,400 Speaker 3: This extra points. Mb dot com is where you can 1017 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:38,200 Speaker 3: go and sign up for the newsletter in the podcast. 1018 00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:42,040 Speaker 1: Oh of course, the podcast you can find Spotify or 1019 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:45,520 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts or anywhere YouTube, anywhere else podcasts are found. 1020 00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:48,080 Speaker 1: It's called Going for two Goes once a week. It's free. 1021 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:51,560 Speaker 1: It's with my colleague Brian Fisher, digging into off the 1022 00:48:51,640 --> 00:48:54,239 Speaker 1: field forces in this industry that we can't squeeze into 1023 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,640 Speaker 1: a newsletter. That's called Going for two Beautiful. 1024 00:48:57,719 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 3: Well, look, it's always a pleasure to have you on. 1025 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:03,040 Speaker 3: You're always the smartest guy in our virtual room. So 1026 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:05,600 Speaker 3: thank you for imparting some of your wisdom on the 1027 00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:07,839 Speaker 3: verballer hood. We will have you back, I'm sure at 1028 00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,560 Speaker 3: some point over the next couple weeks or months here, 1029 00:49:10,640 --> 00:49:13,600 Speaker 3: as some of these topics start to come to their 1030 00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:16,719 Speaker 3: natural conclusion or begin on that journey, it seems like 1031 00:49:16,760 --> 00:49:18,960 Speaker 3: we're going to be here for a while, Matt. But yeah, yeah, 1032 00:49:19,600 --> 00:49:21,840 Speaker 3: suffice to say, we're glad to have you as somebody 1033 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:24,040 Speaker 3: we can call and explain it to us. 1034 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:27,320 Speaker 1: It's my pleasure. I'm happy to come on anytime. I 1035 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: hope that this was all accessible to people and look 1036 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:33,840 Speaker 1: forward to chatting again, maybe about something a little bit 1037 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:34,719 Speaker 1: sillier next time. 1038 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,520 Speaker 3: All right, there you go, Matt Brown Extra points MB 1039 00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:41,080 Speaker 3: dot com. Make sure you go and check out the 1040 00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:43,879 Speaker 3: newsletter as well as his show with our friend Brian 1041 00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:47,879 Speaker 3: Fisher going for two. Hopefully Dan is back in time 1042 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:49,880 Speaker 3: for our next recording, where we continue to talk all 1043 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:53,880 Speaker 3: things college football here on the Solid Verbal. Don't forget 1044 00:49:53,920 --> 00:49:56,480 Speaker 3: to check us out atverballers dot com for more on 1045 00:49:56,719 --> 00:50:00,480 Speaker 3: joining our secret society Overballers. Make sure you follow across 1046 00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:04,279 Speaker 3: all social media, and last but certainly not least, hit 1047 00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:07,759 Speaker 3: follow on your podcasting app of choice twice a week 1048 00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:10,680 Speaker 3: all throughout the off season. Dan and I are going 1049 00:50:10,719 --> 00:50:13,320 Speaker 3: to be podcasting. We'll talk to y'allseon and stay sty