Realignment is back again, baby

The increasing absurdity of reality feels a little on the nose at times, like the things that are happening are supposed to be just a tad more subtle than they are—like they should contain any subtlety at all.

There isn’t a better summation of the last two decades of avarice within major college athletics than Colorado’s saga: a school that was in the Big 12, where it fit naturally, then left because of money, and has now rejoined because of money, or at least, theoretical money. Colorado announced its departure from the Pac-12 for the Big 12 today; a week ago, Colorado was participating in Pac-12 media days.

Colorado, mind you, exists in a no-man’s land for football; there is no in-state talent, no brand anyone would recognize, and the reach required to even begin getting into decent players’ homes is not possible without a QVC salesman as the head coach. Colorado has been to seven bowl games in this century, and has been more noteworthy for its extreme failures than its triumphs.

I don’t point those things out just to drag Colorado, because that’s easy enough, but rather to point out we’re so many levels deep in realignment that we’ve got leagues playing for locker room one-ups, and a twisted bunch of wet-brained fools hurling hundreds of athletes they’re supposed to care about into a constant state of worry—about where their sport stands, where they stand, whether or not their parents can still come see them play.

All of this sucks, man. Fans have been talked into it being life or death, and meanwhile, for a couple additional cents on the dollar, they’re given road trips to Mars, Texas instead of Seattle. If you’re a Colorado fan, what is compelling about Colorado going back to, well, anywhere in Texas?

Tough to imagine how that’s good. Everyone’s secretly miserable about that. But it’s not important, not important; what is important, of course, is THE FUTURE. Nobody launders their greed through sports quite like college administrators.