SPORTS
The Hotseat
A Change for the Worse?
NOVEMBER 24, 2OO8
Obdulio Salazar
Sport: Wrestling Position: Senior Wrestler
New FCS Playoff plan could hurt more than help Alex Hartford senior staffwriter
Salazar is entering his third year as a varsity wrestler. The versatile senior has wrestled in various weight classes throughout his career. This season, in one of his proudest moments at West, he moved up to 215 pounds for a match weighing in at only 180. Salazar still won. One of only six seniors, Salazar’s leadership and experience are extremely valuable. Favorite wrestler? - Big John Hundtofte Favorite coaches comment? - “¡No quejes!” (spanish for “Don’t complain”) Favorite team moment? - Eating after weigh-ins Favorite roommate? -Nate Kobalt Worst roommate? - Pat Webster Pairs of shoes? - Five Favorite flavor of ice cream? - Moosetracks The Heisman race was… - Not interesting Favorite song - “Heartless” by Kanye West Abercrombie or American Eagle? - Neither
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Some people fear change, but the NCAA Football Championship Series [FCS] committee, formally known as 1AA, is accepting change starting in 2010. In 2010, the FCS playoffs will expand from 16 teams to 20 teams, with a possible expansion to 24 teams in the next four years. This will give 20 out of 125 college football teams an opportunity to make the playoffs starting in November of that year. As of now, the playoffs start in November and end with a championship game in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the middle of December. Now, ESPN wants to move the national championship game to January 5, 2011, almost three weeks after the national semi final game. The FCS game would be aired the night before the Bowl Championship Series [BCS] championship. The hype of the BCS national championship could get in the way of the FCS national championship, and the FCS title game has even been called the “JV” game of college football. Jim O’Day, Athletic Director at the University of Montana, believes that the ESPN hype of the game will not matter for the FCS. “If we think we’re going to get more national exposure for our playoff championship the night before the BCS
Championship game, we’re dreaming,” O’Day explained. “ESPN and the other networks will broadcast live from the location of the BCS Championship, and we’ll be nothing more than a blip on the radar screen… a brief mention.” While students and athletes are away for Christmas break, all facilities and dorm rooms are closed, thus making it hard to feed and house players during Christmas break while they practice. O’Day has many beliefs and views on the playoff change as he continued, “I do not believe we are financially stable enough to hold student-athletes through December and into January. Dorms and dining services are closed during the Christmas break, and we will have to provide lodging, meals, etc., for not only the football team, but also for the bands, cheerleaders, etc. We estimate this will be at least $70,000 – and the NCAA won’t be footing this bill.” The cold conditions of states like Montana or New York will also create problems for teams practicing in late December and early January, and Montana State Athletic Director Peter Fields agrees. “The climate could very well have a great effect in the team’s preparation in late December or early January,” said Fields. “The need for an indoor facility will come forward.” In the three weeks between the semi-final and the championship games, it is very probable that national interest will be lost
outside of the community. “I think there could be some down turn in interest as a whole. The interest will remain high in the community of fans that are participating,” Fields said. Despite all the difficulties that come with this playoff change, O’Day and Fields do see some improvement in the system. “The expansion of the bracket by four more teams will allow for more student-athletes to appear in post-season competition… and that is positive. Right now, football players at the FCS level have the fewest opportunities in all the championships to appear in post-season opportunities.” O’Day said. Fields added, “I think more people may take the time to view if it is the only game on the night before the BCS championship, and that game is for a National Championship.” There are other positives to come out of this; players will not have to practice during final weeks, they will get some time to heal injuries that come from the result of a long season, which is now made longer, and the preparation for the national championship will be increased. It is clear that in this part of the United States, the change is not welcomed, but two athletic directors do not speak for the entire FCS committee. Only O’Day and Charlie Cobb, the athletic director of Appalachian State University, voted against the change; Peter Fields is not yet a part of the committee.
and arrogance led Burress to believe he was indestructible, which is clearly not the case. According to espn.com, Burress has been fined by the team at least 40 times, yet he still continued to receive obscene amounts of money and positive attention from the press. Players are making more and more money, becoming increas-
ingly more famous in the public eye and more reckless with their behaviors. There have been many pro athletes who have had run ins with the law, most notably Falcons player Michael Vick, who was convicted of federal dog-fighting charges.
N.Y. Giants’ Star Burress Charged With Felonies Karly South senior columnist To the dismay of New York Giants fans, wide receiver Plaxico Burress was indicted on two felony charges of illegal weapons possession on Tuesday December 2, 2008. According to authorities, Burress had a Glock semiautomatic pistol tucked in the waist band of his sweat pants loaded and ready to fire at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Saturday, November 29. Apparently, the gun slipped from his waistband and fired a bullet into his leg when he tried to stop it from falling. As if the embarrassment of shooting himself in the leg was not enough, Burress is now involved in a weighty legal battle over the situation. He was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon. He was released from jail on a bail of $100,000 but also has the chance of serving a minimum of three and a half years in a state prison for the unregistered weapon, if convicted.
It seems that the biggest issue in this case is not the fact that Burress had a loaded and unregistered weapon with him in a New York nightclub. Instead, a majority of the public concern is over whether or not the state of New York should make an example out of him because he is a celebrity, and it seems they just get away with everything these days. Although most cases of this type are not given the maximum penalty for this crime assigned, it seems many New Yorkers are hoping that Burress will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Giants fans probably being the only exception to that category. Although many people would like for Burress to be pros-
ecuted to the highest degree of the law, many people have to take in to consideration cases just like his and what kind of punishment the offender was given then. So what is different about Plaxico Burress? Perhaps the public has had it with celebrities running about doing what they want and receiving no consequences for their actions. Another point is that prosecution is focusing on the fact that Burress was carrying a loaded weapon in a public area and was lucky that he only accidentally shot himself. According to the Giants, Burress had been suspended earlier in the season for repeatedly breaking team rules. It seems that his multi-million dollar contract