The Off Topic Topic

[crazy canuck]

Does anyone else have this mental block that say 5 years before you were born is the distant unreachable past whilst 20+ years ago is not thaaat long ago?

I still think the Vietnam war was not that long ago.  But as my sons take great joy in pointing out, it is as distant for them as WWII was for me.

[Syt]

Anyone recognize this 1980s Wall Street Broker or reporter at the Daily Planet?

[HVC]

beardless George Lucas?

[celedhring]

beardless George Lucas?

Yup.

[HVC]

don't know if its he expression, but beardless lucas has a punchable face

[celedhring]

don't know if its he expression, but beardless lucas has a punchable face

It's the tie, imho.

[Syt]

He does look pretty dorky without the beard. And seeing him in suit and tie is also weird.

[Josquius]

[Sheilbh]

So been listening to a few podcasts that are political/cultural or both - and almost all of them position themselves as the intersection of left politics and whatever cultural form they're talking about.

But they all mainly seem to primarily be look at various things through theory - and I'm not sure the venn of theory and left politics is nearly as total as they think. I feel like this reflects a wider trend in left politics in general (perhaps because of the wider shift of education and left-wing politics coinciding) - and I'm not sure it's a healthy one to mistake good or interesting theory for politics (plus the wider obsession with "analysis")

[grumbler]

So, the legalized bagman process has begun.  Two Texas A&M football players are being paid $10,000 each by an A&M booster company to appear in an interview under the new NIL rules for the NCAA. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2021/07/17/texas-am-football-players-making-10-k-interviews-nil-deal/8005537002/

In a way, it is nice to see the booster money going to the players rather than to a ludicrous new locker room or an equally ludicrous head coach salary, but I can't help thinking that this is the end of big-money college sports as we know it.  Players aren't going to be playing for the team, they are going to be playing to collect the cash, and if team A won't feature them so that they can command the cash, they will transfer to a team B that promises that it will (but really won't).

[alfred russel]

In a way, it is nice to see the booster money going to the players rather than to a ludicrous new locker room or an equally ludicrous head coach salary, but I can't help thinking that this is the end of big-money college sports as we know it.  Players aren't going to be playing for the team, they are going to be playing to collect the cash, and if team A won't feature them so that they can command the cash, they will transfer to a team B that promises that it will (but really won't).

They don't even need to be featured. A booster can offer $1 million over 4 years to have any five star recruit that is on the roster to sponsor (whatever). Seems like it would help the program a lot more than other donations.

[ulmont]

So, the legalized bagman process has begun.  Two Texas A&M football players are being paid $10,000 each by an A&M booster company to appear in an interview under the new NIL rules for the NCAA. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2021/07/17/texas-am-football-players-making-10-k-interviews-nil-deal/8005537002/

A Miami booster was already offering the whole team $600 a month:
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/2021/07/09/miami-hurricane-players-offered-nil-deal-head-american-top-team/7919591002/

[The Larch]

So been listening to a few podcasts that are political/cultural or both - and almost all of them position themselves as the intersection of left politics and whatever cultural form they're talking about.

But they all mainly seem to primarily be look at various things through theory - and I'm not sure the venn of theory and left politics is nearly as total as they think. I feel like this reflects a wider trend in left politics in general (perhaps because of the wider shift of education and left-wing politics coinciding) - and I'm not sure it's a healthy one to mistake good or interesting theory for politics (plus the wider obsession with "analysis")

Either you give us some practical example of this or it is going to be way too esoteric and obscure for anyone to reply to you.

[Eddie Teach]

I think it's the old complaint that the left would rather be right than win. 

[Sheilbh]

Prince Harry is releasing a memoir - I mention this only because his statement about it includes the line "I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively" and I, for one, am very much hoping for more details about his literal hat wearing