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sports
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS |MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017
Josh Jackson selected No.4 overall by Phoenix Suns
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Dzwierzynski: Don't blame KU for Border War hiatus
Associated Press Kansas coach Bill Self holds the ball while directing his team during the first half of a game against Texas Tech in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 7. Self responded to criticism from a University of Missouri chancellor last week over the topic of the dormant Kansas-Missouri rivalry.
BRENDAN DZWIERZYNSKI @BrendanDzw
The Border War is dead. All of the tradition dating back to Bleeding Kansas, a heated football series dating back to 1891, and a basketball series that never failed to excite fans on either side, all of it is gone in the wake of Missouri leaving for the SEC in 2012.
With all that in mind, it's OK that Kansas has rebuffed any attempts to revive the rivalry.
Earlier this month, Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk said he'd like to restart the rivalry. That was followed by statements earlier this week from Missouri's former chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, blaming Kansas basketball coach Bill Self's ego for the Border War not resuming.
Add in a report from the Alabama website that there was a "lucrative" offer to start the rivalry back up, and it's clear that Mizzou is trying desperately to bring the showdown with Kansas back.
From Kansas' perspective, there's no practical reason to do so.
A&M)
First of all, it's Missouri that left the rivalry behind. They chased the money and the exposure that comes with the SEC, and that's understandable (also, who actually wants to be in a conference with Texas? Just ask Texas
It's understandable why you would lead your program in that direction, but don't forget that there are consequences for your actions.
While it makes sense why you would chase greener pastures, it's ludicrous to believe your relationship with past programs would just remain perfectly fine.
It's you, Missouri, who walked out on the rivalry, so you have to deal with the repercussions.
Secondly, it doesn't make sense for Kansas to schedule Missouri in either basketball or football. On the basketball front, Missouri's ineptitude in recent years would have negatively affected Kansas' strength of schedule, and one year
of high-profile recruits doesn't guarantee future success in Columbia.
For football, it's just not practical to add Missouri to the schedule. The Jayhawks are improving under their current format of scheduling, one that doesn't need to be changed.
With only three nonconference games to schedule (what a
concept, SEC, playing nine conference games), it becomes tougher for Kansas to maximize the number of home games they play in any given year.
Also, splitting gate revenue from a game at Arrowhead Stadium or losing a home game and getting no gate revenue every other year by playing a home-and-home
series just doesn't make sense given the current state of Kansas football.
Obviously, the biggest drawback in all of this comes from the fans' perspective. The Border War is one of college sports' most revered rivalries. It was a unique one, too, considering its historic roots predating the modern age of college athletics. It's harsh that fans of both programs don't get to witness the fierce games between the Jayhawks and Tigers anymore.
As unfortunate as that is, make sure you direct your anger toward the University of Missouri.
Self, who snapped back with comments of his own in response to Loftin's, shouldn't concern himself with the opinion of a man who was disliked by faculty and students alike at Missouri before he resigned.
The criticism from Loftin isn't deserved, especially since Self is taking the most appropriate stance given Kansas' situation.
The Border War is dead, at least for the near future, and maybe forever. Before pointing fingers, maybe Missouri should remember that it's the one that bolted from over a century of tradition to chase cash, not Kansas.
ternoons have been spent cheering for the Jayhawks through thick and, unfortunately, a lot of thin moments. But, it's impossible to argue that the stadium doesn't need improvements.
This is a great move for all interested parties. For the fans, it's going to enhance the game-day experience for the die hards who trek down the hill to see the Jayhawks play. For the players, specifically future recruits, it becomes a more inviting and
It's the seventh-oldest stadium still used by an FBS team. It shows signs of wear across its exterior. It's severely outdated by contemporary standards.
amranda Anaya/KANSAN or proactice facility and
It's undoubtedly time for an upgrade.
thing else at the University.
Kansas Athletics announced that a $300 million renovation will be coming to Memorial Stadium, which will include an indoor practice facility and infrastructure upgrades.
Discussing college athletics finances is a great way to find out that someone has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Kansas football isn't going to use $300 million that otherwise would have gone to improving the School of Education or updating equipment in the School of Journalism or whichever department you feel is underfunded.
Things like the Williams Fund and private donors are main sources of income for supporting Kansas Athletics projects. It's understandable that seeing a huge sum of money being spent on football facilities could cause a stir, considering the financial straits the University might be facing in some areas. The reality, though, is that this money will be completely disconnected from the rest of the University.
Football is a massive tool for recruiting (both athletically and for general students), alumni relations and income, and if you don't see that then you simply aren't paying attention.
Alabama is a perfect case study for this. A gold standard for college football, the Crimson Tide's on-field success has generated an unconscionable amount of money
and publicity for that school. It's unrealistic for Kansas, or really any program, to think it can reach Alabama's level of success, but it's clear that improving football will improve the University in other areas.
Again, you need to spend money in order to make it. Putting money into the program now, or at least in the near future, will show dedication to the program and is going to help bring in more high-level recruits over time. The football team needs to get better, and this move will
help in that pursuit.
And if your argument is based around asking why you would spend $300 million to help a football team that won two games in the last two seasons combined, take a moment and think critically.
Most of the arguments against the spending come up baseless and sound unintelligent. The money isn't being stolen from other University programs. Memorial Stadium is nearly 100 years old — it needs to be repaired and updated.
Why wouldn't you spend money to try to improve the program? What else would you do, just ignore the disaster and let the team fall into irreparable ruin? That notion is ridiculous and poorly thought out at best.
The cost of this project is a small price to pay for improving the team, and subsequently the University, over time. Don't get caught up in the price tag or the view from your ivory tower. Trying to better the football team is better for all of us who support the University.
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