Grow the Game®

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Unforgivable Hubris

Editor’s note: Introducing the first post from “Ghost of the Union”. Step right up and get to know why he loves lacrosse and is uber-passionate about the MCLA in particular.

Since Ghost of the Union ran out of eligibility, he spends his summers drinking and playing for Scallywag Lax and spends the rest of his time thinking about things that annoy him complaining about them on the internet. You shouldn’t encourage him.
______________________________________________________________________________

So I’m new. Hi.

Alright then, I’m glad that’s out of the way. On to the substance! I’ve got opinions people – important ones. I do not claim any of these opinions to be justified, well-reasoned, or even reasonable. But here they are:

1. I love the Red Hot Buffs and think they belong in Denver. Their losing record is a result of cancellations and despite being sub .500, they’re one of the 16 toughest teams in the country right now. If we don’t want teams with losing records at the Tournament, then we should make a rule about it.

I’m also a Hopkins man and am glad they’re in the tournament too. I’ve read some very well-reasoned arguments for why they ought not to be. Haven’t heard yet who ought to be instead though — I’m sure it’s out there, but I haven’t seen it.

Unfortunate as it may be, ratings and audience are very important to our sport right now and if those considerations serve as a tipping point on close calls then so be it. The Buffs will attract people to Denver. Hopkins will attract viewers to ESPN. There it is.
Go Buffs. Go Hop.

2. I think the league’s current criteria for determining what teams belong in D1 or D2 is a complete farce. It should be based on school size and be unbending. If that results in teams like Chapman (whom I also love) being chained to D2 forever, so be it. If we don’t want D2 to be thought of as a developmental league then we should stop allowing it to be.

3. Furthermore, I support an eventual 3-division format in the MCLA. We’ve got 1,010-student liberal arts colleges playing in the same division as 14,575-student universities.

Zuh?

I understand there are logistical and financial issues that would have to be resolved. There always are. Note that I said “eventual”.

4. What I don’t support is an “elite division”. That sounds like a good way to delegitimize the league as a whole.

5. MCLA’s media civil war has gotten real old. That the Mag’s website is little more than an advertisement for The Mag with no content of its own is lame beyond reckoning.

That MCLA.us is little more than a stat repository with no content is a waste of a golden opportunity to hook curious visitors who are unfamiliar with our league. Plus it’s boring.

At the very least CollegeLax should be integrated if the MCLA is going to drop the ball entirely when it comes to online media.

Everytime anyone brings any of this up, the Mag Staff or MCLA.us staff (whatever the difference is) comes in gets all defensive about how none of this is their job and finds some passive aggressive way to throw Sonny and CollegeLax under the bus for being uncooperative and standoffish.

I’m sure that’s all true to a point but guess what: I don’t really care. I just don’t.

Everyone needs to get over themselves and whoever is in charge of all this needs to step up to the damn plate and see to it that a more cohesive product is generated.

6. Another thing: why is The Mag a print-only magazine? When do I have time to sit down and read a paper magazine anymore? Rarely. Am I supposed to cart the Mag around wherever I go just in case I get a moment? I have a subscription to ESPN the Magazine and I never read it for this very reason.

The only reason I get it is because it comes with my Insider subscription. But I get bored at work/wherever and visit ESPN.com all the time. The Lax Mag needs to be viewable online like everything else. Also, those stupid music bios at the end of each issue are so dumb you lose IQ points for reading.

7. Still wondering what it is the MCLA is doing to reach out to kids. It all starts with the kids. Did I miss a press release somewhere?

8. The 2010 NCAA Lax Championship logo is so weak it might have Lou Gehrig’s disease (too soon?). I think we could do better.

9. Riddell helmets look so dorky that there’s no amount of safety that could ever overcome it.

10. For someone to keep playing well past their eligibility would be a simple matter of going to grad school in another conference and committing some light identity theft. Just saying. Not that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it and making the arrangements or growing an identity-disguising mustache or anything like that. Nope.

Seriously, if this guy can pull it off at a government-run facility, what hope does the MCLA have of stopping me- er i mean .. someone.

That’s all for now. If you disagree I present you with two options: (1) Tell me how dumb I am in the comments section; or (2) challenge me to glorious combat.

Or some combination I guess. Whatever.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Got a question, something that deserves to be seen, or a hot tip?
Drop us a line at info@lacrosseallstars.com