Yesterday the Colorado University "Buffaloes" quit the Big XII Conference to join the Pacific 10 Conference. Today the University of Nebraska "Cornhuskers" quit the then Big XI to join the Big Ten Conference, thus producing a de facto Big X and a nominal Big Ten.
These are significant public occurrences in America. First because watching college tackle football brings us Americans joy. Second, because the conferences that are now realigning are groups of colleges of, in American terms, ancient lineage whose members have been playing against one another for a century. Loyalties, passions, and happiness have been "handed off" in football jargon from one generation of men wearing corn ears on their heads to another, and that is good.
Football played at the college level is so popular in America because there are so many Americans who go, and have gone, to college. That is one of the historic strengths of the New Republic, one that separates us from other countries East and West, North and South. Higher education is much more available to Americans than to Japanese, French, or English. That has produced a far larger pool of "human capital" on which capitalism can draw and so American capitalism is much more agile and innovative.
Finally, the realignment of these college conferences is significant because it is driven by money, and money more than all other things makes Americans happy and explains why we do things.
These are significant public occurrences in America. First because watching college tackle football brings us Americans joy. Second, because the conferences that are now realigning are groups of colleges of, in American terms, ancient lineage whose members have been playing against one another for a century. Loyalties, passions, and happiness have been "handed off" in football jargon from one generation of men wearing corn ears on their heads to another, and that is good.
Football played at the college level is so popular in America because there are so many Americans who go, and have gone, to college. That is one of the historic strengths of the New Republic, one that separates us from other countries East and West, North and South. Higher education is much more available to Americans than to Japanese, French, or English. That has produced a far larger pool of "human capital" on which capitalism can draw and so American capitalism is much more agile and innovative.
Finally, the realignment of these college conferences is significant because it is driven by money, and money more than all other things makes Americans happy and explains why we do things.
