Alabama returns to college football playoffs
A year ago, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee awarded the four spots in the playoffs to Georgia, Michigan, Texas Christian University (TCU), and Ohio State. The University of Alabama was number 5, and the team was left out of the playoffs. Alabama head football Coach Nick Saban argued unsuccessfully then that Alabama would have been more competitive on a neutral site than TCU – which had just lost their conference championship game. The Committee ignored Saban’s arguments a year ago and put TCU in over Alabama, because TCU finished the season 12 and 1 versus Alabama’s 10 and 2 finish. Two of the three playoff games, including the national championship game between Georgia and TCU, were uncompetitive – as Saban had predicted. On Sunday, the Committee awarded the final four spots in the playoffs to Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama. Alabama, who had entered the conference championship game week at number 8, leapfrogged four teams in the rankings after a convincing 27 to 24 win over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in Atlanta on Saturday. The 12 and 1 SEC Champion was the last team in. Florida State University (FSU) finished 13 and 0 and was the Atlantic Coast Conference Champion. This time, the Committee argued that Alabama, rather than Florida State, would be more competitive in the playoffs. Georgia (12-1) and Ohio State (11-1) finished 6th and 7th. Before the SEC Championship Game, a confident Saban was campaigning for the winner of the SEC CG to be included in the final four teams – even if the SEC champion was number 8 in the previous rankings. Georgia had won the last two national championships and had been the number-one team in the country coming into the conference championship games. They will not get an opportunity to play for a third national championship in a row following Saturday’s loss. Alabama’s victory Saturday ended a 29 and 0 winning streak for Georgia. “You know how tired I am right now? I’m happy as hell we won,” Saban told reporters following the game. “My speech in the locker room was one word: Celebrate. And I had just enough in the tank to do a dance.” Alabama faces Michigan in their first game. Michigan has a 13 and 0 record and is the Big 10 Conference Champion for the second year. Michigan defeated Iowa 26 to 0 in the Big 10 Conference Championship Game on Saturday. “We played Alabama before, haven’t beaten them,” said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. “We played Georgia before, haven’t beaten them. So we know it’s going to take our best. We’re gonna have to play really good.” Alabama will face Michigan in the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, California, on January 1 at 4:00 p.m. Texas will play Washington in the other playoff game that night in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The national championship game will be on January 8. The playoffs are expanding to twelve teams, meaning much of this committee drama will soon be a thing of the past. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republican CD2 candidate Wallace Gilberry says he learned life lessons from playing football
Republican Second Congressional District (CD2) candidate Wallace Gilberry is reminding voters of his success playing football for the University of Alabama and in the National Football League. “I cut my teeth on the gridiron in Tuscaloosa,” Gilberry said in a recent fundraising email. “I played for Mike Shula and Nick Saban, then made it 9 seasons in the NFL.” “Football – along with my mom and great-grandmother – taught me everything I know,” Gilberry continued. “Like: 1) Bring glory to God on and off the field 2) Play through the whistle 3) Always stand to honor those who keep us free” “My name is Wallace Gilberry,” Gilberry stated. “If you’ve never heard of me, that’s OK – here’s what you should know: I’m a Black man in America who is familiar with the struggles of our community. But I’m also a Republican who voted for Trump. And I’m running in the single most competitive House race in the entire country.” Democrats are hoping that they can flip Alabama’s Second Congressional District from Republican to Democratic after the federal courts redrew the district to make Congressional District 2 48.7 percent Black. Twenty-one candidates, including Gilberry, have qualified to run for the seat. Second District incumbent Congressman Barry Moore was redistricted to Congressional District 1 where he is challenging incumbent Congressman Jerry Carl in the GOP primary. “I’m running against more than a DOZEN far-left Democrats with an army of mega-donors backing them.,” Gilberry said. “I’ve never run for office. They have. I’ve never even sent an email like this before. But I was raised by a single mom who worked 2 jobs to put food on the table for her 5 kids – being an underdog is nothing new to me or my family. So – with grit and determination in my heart – I’m respectfully asking you to pitch in JUST a few bucks now to fuel my underdog campaign to victory. I promise I’ll make you proud when we win it all. God bless you.” Gilberry is a native of Bay Minette in Baldwin County. He grew up as one of five children and was raised by his single mom and his great-grandmother. Gilberry is one of eight Republicans who have qualified for the March 5 primary ballot. State Senator Greg Albritton, former state Senator Dick Brewbaker, real estate attorney Caroleene Dobson, former Congressional staffer turned Mobile restauranteur Karla M. DuPriest, attorney and real estate broker Hampton S. Harris, Stacey T. Shepperson, and Newton city council member Belinda Thomas are the other seven GOP candidates. Thirteen Democrats have qualified to run as well. The eventual Republican and Democratic nominees will face off in the general election on November 5. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
College football season returns on Saturday
College football season begins anew this weekend. Over two hundred thousand Alabamians will be traveling on the roads this weekend to watch their favorite college teams play and to tailgate with their friends and families before and after the games. Head football coach Nick Saban returns to the University of Alabama for yet another season, and the Tide is once again ranked high in the college football rankings. Bama had a respectable 11 and 2 finish in 2022 but were left out of the college football playoffs. The Tide watched the playoffs on TV last year as the Georgia Bulldogs repeated as national champions. Saban returns, but the Tide has a new offensive and defensive coordinator. Saban is also looking for a quarterback. Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is now the starting quarterback for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Saban has not named a starter at the position, with four quarterbacks competing for playing time. Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Tyler Buchner, and freshman Dylan Lonergan have all flashed at points in camp, but according to Saban, none of them have played so well that they have made him give them the job. Most observers seem to think that last year’s backup – Milroe, will be the starter, but for how long? Buchner has more experience, and he worked with the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame last year, before transferring to Tuscaloosa. Simpson and Lonergan both appear to have a high ceiling with more raw talent but would be riskier choices. The Tide’s season kicks off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night when the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders visit. Hugh Freeze is the new head coach of the Auburn Tigers. Auburn finished a disappointing 5 and 7 last year with Brian Harsin being released as head coach in the middle of just his second season on the plains. Auburn was decimated in the two years after Coach Gus Malzahn was fired, with dozens of players leaving the program through the transfer portal and Harsin’s recruiting classes being less impressive than what the Tigers’ fans were used to. Freeze went heavy into the transfer portal to quickly replenish Auburn’s depth chart with upperclassmen transfers from other programs. Freeze has named Payton Thorne as the starting quarterback, with Thorne having beat out Robby Ashford in fall camp. Auburn’s season kicks off in Auburn on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with the University of Massachusetts coming to visit. Trent Dilfer is the new head coach at the UAB Blazers. Dilfer won his first game with the Blazers on Thursday night with a 35 to 6 win over North Carolina A&T. UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno was nearly perfect, completing 34 of his 37 pass attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. 13 different Blazers caught passes, and 9 Blazers has running carries for 177 yards on the ground. The Blazers defense held NCAT to just 16 yards through the air and 157 yards on the ground. Troy University also starts their season at home on Saturday with Stephen F. Austin at 6:00 p.m. Jon Sumrall returns as the Trojans head coach. With 12 wins last year, Troy had the most wins in its history since moving up in division. Gunnar Watson is the starting quarterback. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kay Ivey extolls economic and legislative success in Tuscaloosa
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey spoke to the West Chamber of Commerce on Monday in Tuscaloosa. The governor emphasized her economic policies and her plans to improve Alabama’s public education. Ivey thanked Terri and Coach Nick Saban for their patronage of the Saban Center and said she looked forward to returning to Tuscaloosa for the ribbon cutting. Ivey said the Saban Center would have a lasting positive impact on education in Alabama. “I am so grateful to her and Coach Saban for their commitment to education in the state,” Ivey said. Ivey extolled the current economic conditions. Ivey said Alabama workers have “opportunities not seen in many generations.” “Alabama is experiencing record surpluses in both our educational and general funds to address our state’s needs,” Ivey stated Ivey said that the top priorities for this session and her second term are increases and renewal of economic incentives and improvements in education. Ivey said that with her economic incentives, the state “will need to double down over the next four years to make a lasting difference. Our state’s industrial scouts have brought home many recruits.” “$42 billion in economic investments has already netted an additional 78,000 new jobs,” Ivey said. Ivey said her new economic plan is “The game plan.” It involves renewing the state’s primary economic incentives for another five years. “That is key for economic stability,” Ivey stated. Ivey said her game plan legislation “sailed through the Alabama Legislature with bipartisan success.” “Today, over two million people are employed in the state of Alabama,” Ivey said. “That is the most in state history.” Ivey said the state has “a record low of 2.3% unemployment -the lowest unemployment ever.” “The media asks how are you going to find workers to fill those new jobs. The media takes two positives and turn them into a negative,” Ivey said. The governor explained that her road plan four years ago had already resulted in $370 million for 234 projects that are underway or already completed. Ivey said one of these is the West Alabama corridor, which will be an improved land route to the port of Mobile and “make it easier to get to see Alabama on game day.” The governor said that her widening and deepening of the shipping channel in Mobile would be completed in the next two years. “Increasing broadband access throughout all of Alabama has been a huge priority of mine and will continue over the next four years,” Ivey said. The state has committed over $300 million to broadband projects. Ivey said, “Building a top-notch education system in top thirty states in educational advancement is a goal by the end of my term.” Ivey said that first-class Pre-K expansion was necessary so every child who wants it can access it. Ivey said that children who have been through pre-K are more likely to perform well in kindergarten, are less likely to be chronically absent, less likely to be in special education, and less likely to be behavioral problems. Ivey said that she is, focusing on the building blocks of education: Reading and Math. “We will no longer tolerate the existence of failing schools in our state,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am supporting increased funding for more reading and math coaches.” State Rep. Kyle South is the incoming President and CEO of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. “I wish Kyle South all the best in his move from the state house to the West Alabama chamber.” South said that the position allows him to put his business experience and his policy experience together to give back to the community. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Three Alabama players picked high in the NFL draft
University of Alabama head football Coach Nick Saban was at the NFL draft in Kansas City on Thursday, and he didn’t have to wait long for his players to be taken in the first round. The Tide’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young was the first player taken in the NFL draft. There were plenty of reports by media talking heads that NFL scouts were concerned that the 5-foot 10-inch 205-pound junior was too small to play quarterback in the NFL. Actual NFL scouts felt otherwise, and the Carolina Panthers traded up in the draft to get their quarterback of choice, and they selected Young. The consensus best defensive player, and arguably the “safest” pick in the NFL draft, was Tide pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. There were no questions about Anderson’s size at 6-foot 4 inch 243 pounds. There are discussions about whether Anderson will split time at linebacker and edge rusher or just play defensive end exclusively. The Houston Texans traded up to get Anderson. He was the first defensive player taken in the draft and the third player taken. Former Tide standout linebacker DeMeco Ryans is the new head coach at the Texans and is widely considered a defensive genius. The Texans had the number two pick in the draft, and many draft analysts debated whether the Texans would take Anderson or Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud. The answer was actually both, as the Texans took Stroud with the second pick in the draft and traded up to get Anderson with the third pick in the draft. Most analysts thought the Tide’s first-round night was over once Anderson and Young were both drafted, but that was far from the case. The Detroit Lions chose Tide running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. Gibbs, who rushed for over nine hundred yards at Alabama, is also a dual-threat back who was very involved in the passing game. Gibbs was the second running back taken in the NFL draft. The NFL collective bargaining agreement limits the amount of money that rookies can make in their first NFL contracts. However, Young is expected to sign a four-year deal worth $41.2 million, including a $26.9 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac’s projections. Sportstrac estimates that Anderson will receive a $35.2 million deal with a $22.6 million signing bonus. Jaymyr Gibbs should get a $17.8 million deal, including an $8.4 million signing bonus. Former Tide/Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts did not get drafted until the second round, where the money and the guaranteed money are a lot more limited. He went on to beat Carson Wentz out for the starting job at the Philadelphia Eagles. He took the Eagles to the playoffs in his second season. He won the division and took the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The Eagles rewarded Hurts on Monday with a $255 million contract extension, with $179 million of it guaranteed. The NFL has a hard salary cap where the most that a team can spend on player salaries is $224.8 million in 2023 – that is up $17 million from 2022. Hurts is the second highest-paid player in the NFL behind only Lamar Jackson, who signed a new $2 million a year higher deal on Thursday. College football has also changed. Not long ago, players got a scholarship to go to school, an assigned room in a student dorm, healthcare, textbooks, some shirts and shoes, and three meals a day at a cafeteria. If they made it, the NFL was the first time they could make money. Young was paid over a million dollars in his name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. Notre Dame Quarterback Tyler Buchner was reportedly offered a lucrative NIL deal to leave the Fighting Irish to join the Crimson Tide. The on-the-field money is only part of the payoff for being a high-draft pick. Young has recently negotiated endorsement deals with Jordan Brand, Snickers, Beats by Dre, and sports drinks Body Armor and Celsius. Since 2005, 41 Alabama players have gone in the first round and have made $1.3 billion in combined career earnings – and that does not count Hurts, who was taken in the second round. That is more than any other school during that time period. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Governor Kay Ivey gives State of the State Address
On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey addressed a packed joint meeting of the State Legislature in the Old House Chambers in Alabama’s historic Capitol Building. This was Gov. Ivey’s sixth State of the State address and the first since winning re-election in a landslide last November. Ivey extolled the strength of the Alabama economy and the strength of the state’s budgets. “Alabama is thriving,” Ivey said. “Alabama’s budgets are strong, and that is not by chance.” “We can be very proud of the fact that during my time as governor, we have never used the word proration,” Ivey added. The state has $3 billion in surplus left over from the 2022 fiscal year. Ivey promised to use that for tax rebates. “This is the people’s money,” Ivey said. “It is only fair that we give a share of this money back to the people of Alabama.” Ivey also wants to dole out $200 million in government handouts to Alabama businesses. “I am also proposing we invest even more into our locally owned businesses – the ones engrained into the DNA of our communities – through a $200 million grant program known as our Main Street Program,” Ivey said. “These competitive grants will help revitalize our small cities and towns. When folks think of main streets, they should think of rural Alabama!” In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the state increased and modernized its incentive program to lure new jobs and industry. Even though state unemployment has dropped to well below three percent and there is a worker shortage across the state, Ivey wants the legislature to renew these incentives. “I am proud of the successful track record we have had in recruiting business and industry to both the rural parts of Alabama and the larger cities,” Ivey said. “Since I’ve been governor, more than $42 billion have been invested in our state, which has created some 78,000 new jobs. For most of those, we can thank the Alabama Jobs Act. And any good coach knows when you have a play that’s working; the team needs to keep running it. Today, we have to look ahead and create an economic development strategy for the 2030s. I assured you we would have a winning game plan here at home, and tonight, I am calling on you to get behind our playbook for economic success, what I am calling The Game Plan. We will ensure stability and growth by renewing and improving the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama Act.” In addition, the state has over a billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars it needs to appropriate. “We are, once again, tasked with allocating our taxpayers’ dollars that are part of the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act from Congress,” Ivey said. “This is not “free money,” and we must invest these one-time funds wisely. Last year, thanks to you, members of the Alabama Legislature, we put these dollars to work, meeting some of Alabama’s biggest challenges. I commit to the people of Alabama we will once again take a smart approach and put it towards major and needed endeavors like expanding broadband access, improving our water and sewer infrastructure, and investing in our health care – including telemedicine.” Ivey has called a special session beginning on Wednesday for the Legislature to focus on appropriating that $billion in ARPA funds. “This evening, I am calling a Special Session of the Alabama Legislature to begin tomorrow so that we can urgently address these endeavors,” Ivey said. Tuesday was the first day of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session, but since Ivey has called a special session, day 2 of the regular session will not begin until Tuesday, March 21. The Alabama Constitution limits the Legislature to just thirty legislative days in a regular session. “I predict that we will have a busy and production session,” Ivey said. Ivey emphasized education in her speech. “Everything we do today is for a better tomorrow for these children and all who call Alabama home,” Gov. Ivey said. “We must make sure that Alabama provides a quality education for each of these children no matter where they live.” The governor wants to mandate kindergarten, so that compulsory education begins at kindergarten rather than the first grade. “It’s also past time we require our students to complete kindergarten,” Ivey said. “I call on you to adopt legislation to ensure our students are ready for the first grade. Our first-grade teachers should be preparing those students for the second grade, not simply catching them up to be on a first-grade level.” The mandatory kindergarten bill, HB43, has been introduced by State Rep. Pebblin Warren. Ivey also announced plans to build a healthcare magnet school, the Alabama School for Healthcare Science, so that future high school graduates are ready for a career in the healthcare sector. That magnet school will be sited in Demopolis in Marengo County. “Improving our children’s educational outcome will be my top priority and will continue to be over the next four years,” Ivey said. The governor expressed confidence that her previous efforts of plowing money into pre-K classrooms, math coaches, reading coaches, and other programs will eventually yield fruit, and she wants to throw even more money at these efforts. Ivey also promised state support for the Saban Center – a STEM school in Tuscaloosa that is a partnership between Tuscaloosa and Nick and Terry Saban. Ivey also said that her goal was to have the highest starting pay for teachers in the Southeast before this term ended. Ivey voiced support for school choice but stopped short of giving every parent the freedom to decide where and how to educate their children. “I am proposing we provide startup funds for Charter Schools and make needed reforms to the governance of the Charter School Commission in order to create better accountability,” Ivey said. Ivey promised to help businesses by cutting government red tape. “Tomorrow, I will issue an executive order to cut red tape so that our businesses can thrive,” Ivey
Tommy Tuberville and Joe Manchin ask sports collectives for feedback of Drive NIL Legislation
U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Joe Manchin asked athletic collectives across the country to provide input to the Senators’ ongoing work to write a bipartisan name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation that would be guided by stakeholder input and significant engagement with affected groups. The Senators have previously solicited feedback from a broad range of stakeholders, including university athletic directors, administrators, associations, and student-athlete groups. The new NIL collectives, though legally independent from the institutions they support, are entities designed to pool funds from private donors to maximize NIL’s impact on the recruitment and retention of college athletes for that institution of higher learning. Manchin and Tuberville are attempting to guide discussions on a legislative path forward addressing the NIL situation across the country. The Senators promise to combine the feedback received from collectives with the information already submitted by dozens of other leaders and groups. “Last month, our Senate offices solicited input and feedback from a broad range of interested stakeholders on priorities for potential federal NIL legislation,” the Senators wrote. “The response to our solicitation was robust, and we appreciate the respondents’ thoughtful submissions. Notably, more than seventy percent of the commenters recommended that any future legislation address the issue of whether and how to regulate, control, or ban collectives,” “In our August letter, we set forth our priorities for a legislative solution: to protect student-athletes, ensure fair competition and compensation, and preserve the time-honored traditions of college sports,” the Senators continued. “We welcome your input as to how your organization advances these goals and how any potential legislation could provide a regulatory structure for your organization.” For over a hundred years, it was illegal for coaches or boosters to give inducements to student-athletes to get them to go to a school or stay at a school and play sports for them. That all changed in 2021 when the NCAA passed a new rule allowing athletes to be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness. Now there are concerns by some that this has gone too far and that there needs to be some regulatory structure in place. “I don’t think NIL in its original form or what people wanted it to be is really an issue at all,” University of Alabama head football Coach Nick Saban said over the summer. “I think collectives are the issue, and I think one of the solutions would be if you have people that are representatives of your school that give money to a collective, then the collectives turns around and gives it to players on the team. Money.” “I’m not saying opportunities to represent. I’m saying money,” Saban said. “Then that collective should become a representative of the institution, right? And they should not be able to give money to a player just like an alumnus can’t give money to a player.” Both the University of Alabama and Auburn University have formed their own collectives. Hight Tide Traditions allows fans to donate to a fund that will make sure that Alabama players are compensated for their talents. According to their mission statement, “High Tide Traditions was established to harness the power of Name, Image, and Likeness with student-athletes to make and propel positive business relationships across the city, state, region, and nation. Through strategic partnerships utilizing data analytics, it is important to High Tide Traditions that student-athletes will be engaged in amplifying the exposure for our business partners through relatable and authentic content, appearances, and other mutually beneficial services.” On to Victory is the Auburn NIL collective. According to their website, “ON TO VICTORY exists solely to benefit Auburn student-athletes. Its directors will never receive compensation or profit from the collective. ON TO VICTORY is committed to efficient fiscal operations and rigorous compliance with all NIL regulations.” UAB has also started an NIL collective for its men’s basketball and football programs. Individual athletes, shoe companies, restaurants, car dealers, other businesses, etc. are legally allowed to pursue NIL deals within or outside of the collectives. Sen. Tuberville is a former Auburn University head football coach. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Dan Sutter: The economics of the coaching carousel
As the college football regular season winds down, the coaching carousel heats up. So far in 2021, 28 of 130 FBS programs have had coaching changes. Coaching decisions illustrate some elements of economic and business decisions generally. Perhaps unexpectedly, imagination plays an outsized role. I will focus on coaching vacancies from firing, not retirements or successful coaches leaving for another job. And I will consider terminations related to team performance, not personal misconduct. ADs fire coaches because they decide the program would do better with new leadership. To reach this conclusion, an AD must envision the program’s performance with another coach; we will never see what Florida, LSU, or Troy might have achieved in 2021 with a different coach. Economists similarly compare economic performance to alternatives we never observe. Imagination is crucial in all such comparisons. Two rationales are often offered for firing: the team has not won enough, or the coach is unlikely to deliver in the future. Economists label these retrospective and prospective evaluations, respectively. All job performances can be evaluated retrospectively or prospectively. In my line of work, we might hear when a professor goes up for tenure, “Smith’s record merits tenure,” (retrospective) or “Smith will contribute to the University for years to come” (prospective). Imagining a perfect world – one where our team goes undefeated every year – is easy. Yet unrealistic expectations can doom a football program, as even Nick Saban cannot achieve such perfection. Economists call this the Nirvana Fallacy. Our imagination must be realistic. Economists build models – and argue extensively among ourselves about their details – to discipline our imaginations. Entrepreneurs start new businesses and are fonts of imagination. They must imagine a new product or service and how people will use it. The preparation of business plans for startups is the disciplining of entrepreneurs’ imagination. In business, profit gives entrepreneurs, managers, and investors the incentive to engage in and act upon disciplined imagination. Profits are a residual: they are the dollars left over (if any) from sales after paying all bills. Here is a difference between college football and business; football-playing universities are all non-profits. Furthermore, athletics departments are part of a university. Football revenues increase when the team wins, but the AD will not keep this extra revenue. Economists recognize the lack of a profit motive – or a residual claimant – as dramatically affecting an organization’s performance. The lack of a profit motive, however, does not keep football coaches from being axed. In college football and sports generally, winning is a motive. And it is powerful: coaches work late nights, and players spend more hours practicing and working out than college students do studying. Failing to hire a coach who wins can get an AD fired. Winning substitutes adequately for profit. Economists differentiate between the “hard” budget constraints of private businesses and the soft budget constraints of government-owned enterprises, like the U.S. Postal Service. Businesses must pay for labor, materials, and tools out of sales revenue. Government enterprises can always turn to taxes. Soft budget constraints contribute to the inefficiency of government enterprises. Yet as the coaching carousel hints, constraints are never as hard as some economists believe. A coach who goes 1-11 can get another year (or two). Businesses can continue to operate even if they lose money. Suppose partners put up $500,000 to open a restaurant. If the restaurant has burned through the $500,000 and is still struggling, the partners can always invest more. Consequently, a firing or business closure is always a result of a decision. And the decision can always be criticized as excessively harsh. We should respect the exercise of such responsibility. And remember, disciplined imagination might sometimes council retaining a coach. Many thought Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh would be fired after a 2-4 season in 2020 and not winning the Big Ten East in six seasons. Coach Harbaugh was retained, and Michigan made the College Football Playoff this year. Sometimes our best moves are ones we never make. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Alabama turns to college football to boost vaccinations
Alabama is trying to harness the state’s love of college football to boost COVID-19 vaccinations with a new initiative that will offer shots at college gamedays and give away $75 gift cards for university bookstores to the newly vaccinated. On Thursday, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced the KICK COVID campaign that will include vaccination and testing sites at select games, player appearances in promotions, and the gift card giveaway to promote the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “We all know about our love of football here in the state of Alabama,” said Gene Hallman, president, and co-owner of the Bruno Event Team, a sports event management company partnering on the program. “We view the central aspect of this program as being college football and the players themselves — speaking in their own authentic, sincere voices — asking their fans and fellow students to please go and get that vaccine.” State Health Officer Scott Harris said he is hopeful it can boost vaccination uptake in a state where college football games are a major event in people’s weekends. Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, ranking at the bottom among states for the percentage of people fully vaccinated and in the bottom ten for the percentage of people who are partially vaccinated. “I think this is something that probably might not work in every state in the union, but in the South, particularly in Alabama where college football is such an important part of everyone’s life… I think we have a really good opportunity to make this a very successful program.” Hallman said the $75 gift card to campus bookstores is a way of saying “thank you” to the newly vaccinated. The program is the state’s first monetary reward for vaccinations, although local areas and universities have already offered such freebies. The KICK COVID vaccination sites and giveaways will be held during select college gamedays during September and October. The program will be at both the University of Alabama and Auburn University games on Sept. 25. People can get the $75 gift card to the campus bookstore by getting vaccinated at the KICK COVID vaccination site at their team’s selected gameday or by getting the first dose two weeks ahead of the game and uploading their vaccine card to the KICK COVID site. Only vaccinations started within 14 days of the select gameday are eligible. Harris said the Alabama Department of Public Health is using revenue streams from several sources to fund the program. This is not the first time football has been harnessed as a tool to urge vaccinations. Alabama football coach Nick Saban and other sports figures taped a public service announcement earlier this year encouraging Alabamians to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “College football fans and players both want full stadiums this fall. Let’s make sure we can safely make this happen by getting vaccinated. Please get your COVID-19 vaccine,” Saban says in the spot. “We want Bryant-Denny Stadium loud again this coming season and Roll Tide!” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey urges Alabama football fans to get vaccinated
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is urging college football fans to get vaccinated before heading to stadiums this season. College football kicks off in a few weeks, raising concerns that crowded stadiums could help spread the coronavirus. Asked about those concerns this week, the Republican governor said the remedy is for more people to get vaccinated. “If everybody would just get the vaccine, we wouldn’t have a problem. Simply get the shot, then go enjoy your football game,” Ivey told reporters after participating in an event with college mascots on the steps of the Alabama Capitol. Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer, said the state Department of Public has issued guidance on sporting events, including recommending spacing and emphasizing the importance of vaccinations. “Outdoor events are safer in general than indoor events, but having hundreds of thousands of people getting together during a pandemic is going to result in some disease transmission,” Harris said. “We hope people are vaccinated enough that that can be minimized.” Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., with 34.6% of the population fully vaccinated. The state has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths that medical officials have attributed to the highly contagious delta variant and the state’s low vaccination rate. Alabama coach Nick Saban has also been an outspoken advocate for getting vaccinated and participated in a public service announcement over the summer encouraging Alabamians to please “get your COVID-19 vaccine.” Saban, earlier this month, again urged people to get vaccinated. “We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to have full capacity in the stadium,” he said. “I’m hopeful that more and more people will get vaccinated so they’ll have the opportunity to do that. But that’s everybody’s personal choice.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Nick Saban: Alabama will be “very cautious” in COVID-19 protocols
Alabama coach Nick Saban isn’t taking any chances with COVID-19 with the season approaching. Saban says the team will use the 2020 safety protocols for “the next six weeks or so” even though the vast majority of his players are fully vaccinated. “We’re still going to be very cautious indoors and in meetings and so forth on trying not to have an issue with the COVID,” Saban said Thursday ahead of the defending national champions’ first preseason practice. “We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to have full capacity in the stadium. I’m hopeful that more and more people will get vaccinated so they’ll have the opportunity to do that. But that’s everybody’s personal choice.” Saban spoke to reporters at a ceremony where the city renamed a street after his charity, Nick’s Kids. Alabama opens the season on Septempber 4 against Miami in Atlanta. Saban said at Southeastern Conference media days last month that some 90% of his players are fully vaccinated. Alabama, meanwhile, remains the least vaccinated state in the nation with some 35% of Alabamians fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
College coaches, administrators urging players to vaccinate
Over the summer, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban urged his fellow Alabama residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in a public service announcement. The thinking was that one of the most popular people in Alabama might help since the state has one of the lowest percentages of vaccinated people in the nation. The video shows cheerleaders, the Big Al mascot, and scenes from Bryant-Denny Stadium with the unmistakable message: Protection against COVID-19 can help everyone get back to normal. It is also a point of emphasis for the defending national champion Crimson Tide and every other team hoping to minimize the risk of impacts from COVID-19 this season after last year’s disrupted effort that saw dozens of games postponed or canceled. It’s a priority and, in some cases, a challenge. Universities are struggling with whether they can legally require students to be vaccinated before returning to campuses, though Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Washington, and others have taken that step. Many others, certainly across the South, have not, leaving coaches like Saban to emphasize that vaccination decisions are a personal choice but one that can impact the team. In the Southeastern Conference, Commissioner Greg Sankey said this week that six of the 14 football teams have at least 80% of their roster vaccinated — a number that ”needs to grow and grow rapidly.” The six teams include Alabama since Saban indicated “pretty close to 90%” of his players, are fully vaccinated, nearly triple the rate for the state’s overall population. Not every coach or program divulged their numbers at their respective leagues’ media days. The ones that did varied fairly widely. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said his team was about 55% vaccinated as of six weeks ago. “I don’t know where we’re at now,” Gundy said last week. “But as an individual, they have to make a decision if that’s something they want to do. We all know the pros and cons of it.” The cons, besides personal health, include missing at least 10 days of practice and games in quarantine. And the chore of regular testing. Players who don’t get vaccinated likely face multiple COVID-19 tests weekly, just like last season. “I think that conflict of sticking something up your nose three times a week, all the headaches of wearing a mask, I think it wears people out,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I don’t want anything to do with it.” Coaches like Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and Saban can point to other sports to emphasize the potential impact of not getting vaccinated. Saban, who missed the game against rival Auburn last year after a positive COVID-19 test, points to the New York Yankees having six players recently sidelined by the coronavirus and North Carolina State having to drop out of the College World Series. “So every player has a personal decision to make to evaluate the risk of COVID relative to vaccine, and then they have a competitive decision to make on how it impacts their ability to play in games because with the vaccine you probably have a better chance,” Saban said. “Without it, you have a bigger chance that something could happen that may keep you from being on the field, which doesn’t enhance your personal development. Then how does it affect the team if you bring it to the team?” Riley said his team saw “a big uptick” in vaccinations after PGA Tour star Jon Rahm had to withdraw from The Memorial with a six-shot lead because of a positive COVID-19 test. “One day, a guy’s about to make a million and a half (dollars) and cruise to a six-shot victory,” Riley said. “And then all of a sudden, he’s out of there, and he’s vaccinated the next week.” He said, “a significant amount” of his team is vaccinated. “But, you know, the reality of the matter is we’re football coaches, and we’re football players,” Riley said. “And if you don’t get vaccinated, you’re going to be held to … a different standard, and you’re going to have the opportunity to lose games and not be available.” Georgia coach Kirby Smart had each of his vaccinated assistants talk to the team about their reasons for getting the shots. Smart said his team is “over 85%” vaccinated. “What it’s really about is being able to save our season, being able to keep our players safe,” he said. “We want to keep our coaches and staff safe. We want to keep our family members safe, and that comes through vaccinations.” Miami coach Manny Diaz didn’t mince words on the importance of players getting vaccinated. He said the Hurricanes, who open Sept. 4 against Alabama, will be above 85% vaccinated once some players get their second shot. “Whatever opinions we have are fine and dandy, but if you want to have a football team with as least disruption as possible, here’s a way to do it,” Diaz said. Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips said the league’s athletic directors discussed potential scenarios when a team might not be able to play a game. Sankey was clear that forfeits — not postponements, like last year — were on the table in the SEC this season: “That means your team needs to be healthy to compete, and if not, that game won’t be rescheduled.” Miami safety Bubba Bolden doesn’t like vaccines or taking medicine but made an exception this time. Bolden did say he understands why some teammates “are very against it.” “I was kind of against it,” he said. “And then I see some of my family members get it. And then, obviously, I didn’t want to miss a game due to COVID. I didn’t want to get any of my teammates sick. … So I got unselfish and decided to get it.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
