NCAA

California Governor, Gavin Newson, signs SB206 on HBO's The Shop (screen capture via The Uninterrupted

In Their Own Image – SB 206 Signed, First Domino Falls

October 1, 2019 by Ryan Ritter

When the winds of change blow, two choices exist. The first is getting ahead of the game, sitting on the cutting edge and leading a new path forward. The other choice is to do nothing, foolishly attempting to stand in place while blown over. The NCAA, its member institutions, and conferences chose the later. California Governor, Gavin Newsom, unleashed the final gust with a stroke of his pen, singing SB 206 (the full text of which can be found ...

They are here. Every college football Saturday. Repeatedly. Whether we like it or not.

Friday Roundup: The Fake Boy Band Edition

September 27, 2019 by Ryan Ritter

If you've watched any amount of college football this season, you've seen them. AT&T's "OK Boy Band" lip syncing a hook to a fake song that you probably don't want to admit becoming an ear-worm. It turns out the fake band has a name, 300 Likes, which I discovered because their fake song, "Summertime Lover" released as a full-blown song last Friday. I've been wanting to write about the most hated/loved commercial of this football season for some time now. However, I don't want to talk ...

New NCAA Rule Changes Hit Some Targets, Misses Others

April 23, 2019 by Ryan Ritter

Your eyes aren't deceiving you this is an actual post that isn't tied to a podcast or Twitter competition. Thankfully, I saw word that the NCAA approved various rule changes for next football season right as I was going to take a lunch break. I've had the itch to write something so let's get to scratching as there are updates to targeting, blind side blocks, and overtime among others. ...

Restoring Faith in College Athletics

April 3, 2018 by Jimmy Grant

It's been a while--bowl season to be precise--since I've graced the pages of HLS. A lot has happened since I've been gone: a dramatic win in the Citrus Bowl that helped to wash away a difficult November of Notre Dame football, a litany of injuries in for men's and women's basketball, making for a long winter, and a stellar season of Irish Hockey storming through the Big Ten that helped ease the pain. Then came February 13th, 2018. As many of you know on this day, Notre Dame lost their NCAA ...

Analyzing APR (Again): How ND Football Compares

April 28, 2016 by Bayou Irish

The NCAA released the latest tranche of data pertaining to the graduation rates of the country's student-athletes, known as Academic Progress Rate, or APR. On this Day o' the Draft, a day in which we all prostrate ourselves before the altar of mercantilism and money, I felt it somehow appropriate to look at how the Irish did this year, insofar as academics are concerned. I think you might be surprised. "This year" is, of course, a complicated term, when speaking of a program's APR. Earlier ...

Guide to Reasonably Discussing Paying Players

March 17, 2015 by Moons

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone! I hope you read this with a pint of the Black Stuff in your hands and friends and family around you. More likely though, you’re sitting in your office or in a class somewhere looking to kill a few minutes. If that’s the case, then please, still try to find a nice stiff drink or say a calming meditation because I’m about to bring up everyone’s favorite topic: Should the NCAA permit payment to student athletes? Why am I bringing this up? Well, it’s found a new ...

via @LTorbin

Friday Roundup: The “Horseman” Edition

August 8, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

Outlined against a clear-blue August sky, the Lone Horseman rode again. In dramatic lore he is known as the Purple-Faced Monster. This is only an alias. His real name is Brian Kelly. He trotted in front of his South Bend squad before which another practice would be held in the friendly confines of the Culver Academies as a handful of Fighting Irish Digital Media employees peered through their camera lenses and over their Twitter devices at the bewildering sight prancing on the synthetic field ...

Friday Roundup: The “NCAA, We Need to Talk” Edition

June 27, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

As I mentioned last week, the O'Bannon case is in full swing. Currently the NCAA is "presenting" their defense. I say "presenting" because they are absolutely making a complete mess out of it. For those that aren't aware what the case is about, here is the quick version: Former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon has brought an antitrust class action lawsuit against the NCAA saying they are profiting off images and likeness of former student athletes and those athletes have no right to ...

Via @RussellSauve

Friday Roundup: The “Stealing, Disney Style” Edition

May 2, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

Jameis Winston decided to break up a boring week in the long offseason by stealing crab legs from a local Publix. Winston admitted that he forgot to pay, yet didn't care to go back and correct his error. I'm sure the police asked why he decided just sitting around with pilfered seafood was a good idea. Well, Molly and I put our heads together and figured that it went something like this... The crab legs is always sweeter When it's something you just take. You dream about paying up ...

Friday Roundup: The “Changes” Edition

April 18, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

This past week has seen quite a bit of change for Notre Dame. Of course, HLS being primarily a football site, I'm sure the change that most readily comes to mind is the upcoming switch to field turf at Notre Dame Stadium. The attention given to this little announcement, and the debates/angst/celebration that have followed, pale in comparison to what I would consider far bigger announcements made by ND this week. On the football side, a "Football Ambassador" group has been announced. This paid ...