As an alum and also a fan for many years before that even it's becoming more and more difficult each year to connect to college sports, as a whole, but basketball especially.
Sure there is a lot of skill involved in basketball. IQ/Instincts are important. Coaching Xs and Os. All needed and necessary to overall success.
Having said that. IMHO, at its core, college basketball has always been, more importantly, about pride and tradition. Pride in the name on the front. The traditions and pageantry developed over decades. A game of emotion and intensity. In other words, a world of "Try hards".
The unnecessary and unrequested changes to the landscape of college sports over the last nearly 15 years now have really robbed college sports of its soul.
It's finally all catching up to Kansas basketball. We as fans and alums, etc simply cannot expect these paid professionals to care about all the things we care about to nearly the extent we care. That's just not the reality. It's a hard pill to swallow to say the least.
They're paid to show up and do a job. Nothing more. Nothing less. Attend practice. Put on a jersey. Participate in games. Clock in. Clock out. Our players do that. Here's your paycheck. See ya tomorrow.
I think anything more asked of them would get a response to some degree like "Not in my job description".
So, here we are.
Sure there is a lot of skill involved in basketball. IQ/Instincts are important. Coaching Xs and Os. All needed and necessary to overall success.
Having said that. IMHO, at its core, college basketball has always been, more importantly, about pride and tradition. Pride in the name on the front. The traditions and pageantry developed over decades. A game of emotion and intensity. In other words, a world of "Try hards".
The unnecessary and unrequested changes to the landscape of college sports over the last nearly 15 years now have really robbed college sports of its soul.
It's finally all catching up to Kansas basketball. We as fans and alums, etc simply cannot expect these paid professionals to care about all the things we care about to nearly the extent we care. That's just not the reality. It's a hard pill to swallow to say the least.
They're paid to show up and do a job. Nothing more. Nothing less. Attend practice. Put on a jersey. Participate in games. Clock in. Clock out. Our players do that. Here's your paycheck. See ya tomorrow.
I think anything more asked of them would get a response to some degree like "Not in my job description".
So, here we are.
