The Fan Hub

Craig Lowell — I fully expected Bissinger to come out swinging with his usual bluster, and he certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. Watching Gladwell crack up as Buzz's face turned that familiar shade of red was the highlight of the evening. But he also made the home run point of the night in my mind when he said that football has no academic value whatsoever, and in fact is a drain upon the academic institutions of which it is such a significant part. He correctly pointed out that the strain upon football players to put in upwards 40 hours a week of practice, game film, and weight room time makes it virtually impossible to keep up with a full class schedule, which in turn drastically diminishes the value of their scholarships.

Dave Jacober — Listening to any dialogue that involves banning anything from society (be it same-sex marriage, drugs, certain foods, or college football), the greater issue which is usually never discussed but permeates through every element of the discussion is fear. Society as a whole never looks to ban or dismiss something that it generally perceives as good, therefore during the entire debate on whether college football should be banned, each side's arguments have to be seen not through the prism of right or wrong, but whether fear is dictating the belief.

To me, Bissinger and Gladwell set the argument that carried the most water when they asserted college football essentially fleeces the American taxpayer, especially in a global recession. Gladwell said, "Every single college in this country, rich or poor, big or small, is supported by the taxpayer dollars of the people in this room. They are subsidized by us, they are given immunity from taxes, they are supported by laws of Congress, by acts of local legislatures."

Schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and most FBS schools gross millions of dollars in revenue, and do you know how much money they pay in property taxes alone? Zero, nada. So while we have a national debate in the context of who should be paying their fair share, big time college football has perhaps the best business model going since feudalistic Europe.