{"id":10094,"date":"2017-12-29T18:14:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T23:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=10094"},"modified":"2017-12-29T18:14:19","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T23:14:19","slug":"just-some-chattanooga-streamer-ramblings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=10094","title":{"rendered":"Just some Chattanooga streamer ramblings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Long Live Streamers. Long Live City Stadium!<\/p><\/div>\n

So I’ve been sick as a dog for three days. I didn’t clear this with Rob. And maybe it’s just the tamiflu (sp?) speaking, but the combination of the ’04 title game being on FB Live right now and today’s justification by the NCAA for the new streamer ban in Frisco citing “player safety” has stirred me out of my own pit of misery and hopefully you’ll enjoy a few random thoughts on these two things. I’m feverish and sweating and can barely even get any soup down but a few things cannot go unremarked.<\/p>\n

First, for all the Pepe\/Bison internet trolls who think FCS\/1-AA traditions didn’t exist prior to 2010, those streamers sure looked beautiful, and fully established in JMU lore, in Chattanooga in ’04. Oh yeah, Chattanooga was a helluva site for the title game. Notwithstanding the turf in ’04, ask Montana, JMU, or App. St. fans how great that city was as a host and quit acting like Frisco is some sacred Jedi text.<\/p>\n

On the other side, for all of our own fans making the argument that CAA and the playoffs are so great that anything else would be horrendous, don’t forget we’ve worn a whole lot of “conference” patches on the football unis over the years, including the Atlantic-10 patch from Chattanooga. Things change, always have, always will. JMU will be just fine no matter where we are five or ten years from now so let’s just enjoy the present and not make every game, event, message board thread, or blog post about FCS vs. FBS.<\/p>\n

Next, the NCAA has really screwed the pooch on this streamer thing. Here’s the official statement:<\/p>\n

Following the 2017 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, the Division I Football Championship Committee reviewed multiple incidents involving streamers being thrown towards the opposing team bench area and on the field of play during the game. After discussing the issue at length, the committee added streamers to the list of prohibited items for the 2018 Division I Football Championship Game to help ensure the best championship game environment for fans and players from both teams.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is wholly unsurprising because the NCAA, especially the dotards in Indianapolis, are almost insanely unaware of the passion from fanbases all over the country for events outside of the Power 5. They could’ve just stayed out of it and let things play out. Unlike last year where the tiny Youngstown contingent meant JMU fans were all over the YSU side and inevitably threw streamers that ended up in YSU fan areas or on the sideline itself, this year will be much more of a true 50-50 bowl-game type atmosphere and the sections themselves would’ve likely taken care of most non-frivolous complaints. OR, they could’ve come out strongly and consistently from the beginning regarding the streamer ban. But no, they had to dither for two weeks and allow all of lunatics on both sides to delve deep into every manner of conspiracy theory this side of Infowars. On that note, “of course” the ban was the result of whiny NDSU fans writing the venue and the NCAA about the “dangers” of airborne tissue. And of course now that the NCAA has thrown out the possibility of 15-yard penalties being assessed, in the trolling world we live in today, there’s already an online movement among the worst of the Bison fans to bring streamers to throw in order to get JMU penalized (don’t say we didn’t warn you about this bullshit).<\/p>\n

But all that said, thank goodness the NCAA is finally addressing the very real dangers of football and acknowledging the potential harm to players….from Party City streamers. I mean, potential paper cuts are clearly a much greater risk to the “student-athlete” paradigm than two decades of no-show classes like a certain blue-blood.<\/p>\n

Things That Are Still Wonderful From ’04<\/strong><\/p>\n

Justin Rascati, Matt Magerko and the whole O-Line, Tony LeZotte, a young Akeem Jordan, Townsend, etc. et al. – How great were all these guys?! We have been so fortunate as JMU fans to enjoy some seriously great players over the years and that ’04 group was the spark that started the conflagration we all get to witness again in Frisco next week. Thanks fellas!<\/p>\n

Mickey the Gambler – Coach Matthews’ rep as an uber-conservative in his late JMU years was only more sad because he was the ultimate gambler from ’03-’08. 4th down attempts were consistent no-brainers and the team’s play reflected that.<\/p>\n

Things That Did Not Age Well Since ’04<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Nooga Turf – Still terrible.<\/p>\n

ESPN Assigning Reasonably Competent Announcers to FCS games – Hard to believe ESPN used to assign national guys to FCS games. And without Anish Shroff this year, it remains to be seen if the new group will even have done a college freshman’s amount of homework on the JMU\/NDSU game.Those kids with “DUKES” on their chests in the sub-freezing air. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with those kids?! (side note: thank goodness this was all mostly pre-mobile)<\/p>\n

Bobby Hauck’s haircut – Yowzers. Pretty sure a haircut has never been a better predictor that a coach would be so naive (or good at pretending to be naive) to allow his program to develop such a rape culture that it would precipitate a federal investigation and a book by a bestselling author, after he scooted to greener pastures, and ultimately get him his job back when the fanbase – following proud examples like Baylor and Liberty – would successfully make enough excuses and deflections of such an outcome because losing to Montana St. apparently hurts more than living with that knowledge.<\/p>\n