And let's call a spade a spade - Mizzou joined the rest

Posted on: July 23, 2016 at 16:56:08 CT

of college football and helped make it what it is today.

Maybe there is a way to work it all out - but from top to bottom it's turned into an ugly spectacle.

I'd feel good about giving disadvantaged kids more opportunities except when I look at what happens to most of them.

We the fans ride the backs of young men, many who are ill-equipped to handle the fame or the pressure, and then watch them blow-up in about every different way possible.

The starters deliver perhaps the most valuable services to the greatest number of people they ever will in their lives and most walk away with some great memories and a degree that doesn't help them very much in the real world. Not to mention CTE or the lingering injuries. Yes, I'm a believer in getting these young men paid.

I continue to question why I'm addicted to this sport - and I hope we start to handle it's darker aspects more responsibly.

But yes, to your actual point, kudos to Charles Kiesler and the people that built the platform upon which Pinkel and his crew could shine. The Don James coaching tree is a glory to behold, there is no doubt.

Every administrator, every coach, every fan is contributing something and it takes all of us to make it what it is.

Sometimes I do wonder if it is the best use of our time...