Changes to sports

[Bruce]

A game played primarily on the ground definitely suffers in the snow. Almost as if we should call it foot-ball. 

[Henry]

Baseball should play just twice in a week, in some weeks just once. There would be 50 games in MLB regular season.

This is probably your best suggestion ever, but it will never happen due to $$$. As is, there are simply way too many games to make any individual game worth watching.

"Crushing loss last night for the Red Sox, as they fall 4 games back in the wild card race. They've only got 83 more chances to make up for it."

MLB should take some "cooldown" breaks in season when there are few consecutive days without games and the players are in their homes. Also, there should be single-table round-robin minor baseball leagues where teams play in e.g. 12 team league every other team 11 times for a total of 132 games.

Having MLB play only twice a week is an absurd idea. This would make it resemble the NFL.

However, I can get behind the round-robin idea in the minor leagues.

[mgk920]

Football: some lower leagues would play midweek rounds.
Soccer: there would be leagues of 24 teams playing 46 games. These leagues would play in winter and play many midweek rounds. US Open Cup would be played on weekends.

Considering that the current MLS schedule (34 reg season + at least 2 LC + at least 1 USOC) is already taxing enough...are you trying to kill these players? The league already has to play through international breaks to make the schedule work, so a lot of teams would suffer.

And playing through winter is dumb. We've got snowy cities and outdoor stadiums.

Some European federations take a few weeks off during winter.  If the normal 'international' schedule (October through May regular season) is done in North America, I would reasonably expect that more northerly teams will play most of their home games early and late in the season and more southerly teams will play most of their home games during the mid season.

Mike

[Bruce]

Football: some lower leagues would play midweek rounds.
Soccer: there would be leagues of 24 teams playing 46 games. These leagues would play in winter and play many midweek rounds. US Open Cup would be played on weekends.

Considering that the current MLS schedule (34 reg season + at least 2 LC + at least 1 USOC) is already taxing enough...are you trying to kill these players? The league already has to play through international breaks to make the schedule work, so a lot of teams would suffer.

And playing through winter is dumb. We've got snowy cities and outdoor stadiums.

Some European federations take a few weeks off during winter.  If the normal 'international' schedule (October through May regular season) is done in North America, I would reasonably expect that more northerly teams will play most of their home games early and late in the season and more southerly teams will play most of their home games during the mid season.

Mike

Long road trips are terrible for soccer. MLS is very reliant on home-field advantage, so teams that have been on long roadstands (mostly for stadium construction that bleeds over from the offseason) have had horrible starts to the season that they never recover from.

[Poiponen13]

I think that MLS should not play during international breaks because too many palyers would be left off from their teams. MLS should instead play some midweeek rounds to get the schedule work.

[Bruce]

I think that MLS should not play during international breaks because too many palyers would be left off from their teams. MLS should instead play some midweeek rounds to get the schedule work.

Take a look at the schedule. MLS is already playing too many midweek games, plus they have to leave room for potential CCL/CCC and USOC games that also take place in the middle of the week.

[Poiponen13]

The hottest states, Arizona and New Mexico, should definitely play in winter to avoid summer heat. The season would start in late August and end in early May. And if soccer were played through midwinter, always a game can be postponed if pitch is waterlogged or snow-covered. In Englang, many games are postponed due to this every winter.

[Poiponen13]

Could college sports venues be used in minor professional leagues' games when the college sports are in offseason? At least my proposed minor league football teams would play in the spring on college football stadiums.

[hotdogPi]

AFC is too strong and NFC is so weak that anyone could make it.

Eliminate divisions and conferences. Top X (12?) teams make it to the playoffs.

[NWI_Irish96]

AFC is too strong and NFC is so weak that anyone could make it.

Eliminate divisions and conferences. Top X (12?) teams make it to the playoffs.

Wouldn't eliminate divisions but would eliminate conferences.

[texaskdog]

AFC is too strong and NFC is so weak that anyone could make it.

Eliminate divisions and conferences. Top X (12?) teams make it to the playoffs.

Wouldn't eliminate divisions but would eliminate conferences.

Super bowls would be much better that way.  two best teams!  I'd love a Chiefs vs Bills Super Bowl

Quote repaired.  --J N Winkler

[Poiponen13]

Is basketball the most popular sport in China? And baseball in South Korea?

[thspfc]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I saw the Sun Belt tournament bracket today and was reminded of this post.

https://sunbeltsports.org/documents/2024/10/25/2025_Men_s_Basketball_Championship_Bracket.pdf

This is stupid. This is not a real tournament. If we are willing to go to this extent to favor the top-seeded teams in the conference tournament, why do we have conference tournaments at all? Because if we want to be fair to the best regular season teams by giving them a more direct path to the tournament, I have an idea: regular season champs go straight to the tournament, so the regular season actually matters!

Obviously the NCAA tournament itself is not known for being the best way to crown the best team as champion, but that's a flaw that I accept because of how entertaining it is. For most conferences, the conference tournament is a crazy and twisted way of determining who gets to play in the NCAA tournament, which is also a twisted way of determining a champion, but at least a champion is indeed crowned at the end.

[NWI_Irish96]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I saw the Sun Belt tournament bracket today and was reminded of this post.

https://sunbeltsports.org/documents/2024/10/25/2025_Men_s_Basketball_Championship_Bracket.pdf

This is stupid. This is not a real tournament. If we are willing to go to this extent to favor the top-seeded teams in the conference tournament, why do we have conference tournaments at all? Because if we want to be fair to the best regular season teams by giving them a more direct path to the tournament, I have an idea: regular season champs go straight to the tournament, so the regular season actually matters!

Obviously the NCAA tournament itself is not known for being the best way to crown the best team as champion, but that's a flaw that I accept because of how entertaining it is. For most conferences, the conference tournament is a crazy and twisted way of determining who gets to play in the NCAA tournament, which is also a twisted way of determining a champion, but at least a champion is indeed crowned at the end.

Conference tournaments would make a tiny fraction of the money they make now if an autobid wasn't on the line. I'm good with brackets that favor the best teams, but that has gone way too far.

[SEWIGuy]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I saw the Sun Belt tournament bracket today and was reminded of this post.

https://sunbeltsports.org/documents/2024/10/25/2025_Men_s_Basketball_Championship_Bracket.pdf

This is stupid. This is not a real tournament. If we are willing to go to this extent to favor the top-seeded teams in the conference tournament, why do we have conference tournaments at all? Because if we want to be fair to the best regular season teams by giving them a more direct path to the tournament, I have an idea: regular season champs go straight to the tournament, so the regular season actually matters!

Obviously the NCAA tournament itself is not known for being the best way to crown the best team as champion, but that's a flaw that I accept because of how entertaining it is. For most conferences, the conference tournament is a crazy and twisted way of determining who gets to play in the NCAA tournament, which is also a twisted way of determining a champion, but at least a champion is indeed crowned at the end.

Conference tournaments would make a tiny fraction of the money they make now if an autobid wasn't on the line. I'm good with brackets that favor the best teams, but that has gone way too far.

Correct. Networks love the one-game takes all of the minor conferences. They pay more money for that than they will get for their entire regular season.  The odd brackets are a way for those conferences to at least reward teams for regular season success.

[thspfc]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

[JayhawkCO]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I saw the Sun Belt tournament bracket today and was reminded of this post.

https://sunbeltsports.org/documents/2024/10/25/2025_Men_s_Basketball_Championship_Bracket.pdf

This is stupid. This is not a real tournament. If we are willing to go to this extent to favor the top-seeded teams in the conference tournament, why do we have conference tournaments at all? Because if we want to be fair to the best regular season teams by giving them a more direct path to the tournament, I have an idea: regular season champs go straight to the tournament, so the regular season actually matters!

Obviously the NCAA tournament itself is not known for being the best way to crown the best team as champion, but that's a flaw that I accept because of how entertaining it is. For most conferences, the conference tournament is a crazy and twisted way of determining who gets to play in the NCAA tournament, which is also a twisted way of determining a champion, but at least a champion is indeed crowned at the end.

The conference earns a LOT of money if one of their members advances in the tournament, therefore it behooves the conference to make sure its best team is the one that makes the tournament in the first place.

[SEWIGuy]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

[thspfc]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

Fair point. May I revise my opinion to be "I understand why we have conference tournaments, but I believe that they hurt the integrity of the sport"?

[SEWIGuy]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

Fair point. May I revise my opinion to be "I understand why we have conference tournaments, but I believe that they hurt the integrity of the sport"?

Conference tournaments have been going on for five plus decades. I don't think it has any impact on the integrity of the sport.

[thspfc]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

Fair point. May I revise my opinion to be "I understand why we have conference tournaments, but I believe that they hurt the integrity of the sport"?

Conference tournaments have been going on for five plus decades. I don't think it has any impact on the integrity of the sport.

Referee mistakes have been going on in every sport for five plus decades. Do you believe referee mistakes impact the integrity of a sport?

[SEWIGuy]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

Fair point. May I revise my opinion to be "I understand why we have conference tournaments, but I believe that they hurt the integrity of the sport"?

Conference tournaments have been going on for five plus decades. I don't think it has any impact on the integrity of the sport.

Referee mistakes have been going on in every sport for five plus decades. Do you believe referee mistakes impact the integrity of a sport?

No. It's human error, which has been part of sport for time eternal.

[SP Cook]

Conference tournaments.   The NCAA can roughly be divided into two groups.  The "one bid" conferences, where the tournament is the be all and end all of the season; and the "major" conferences, where loser after loser after loser are given yet one more chance to not be a loser year again, despite a 7th or 8th or 9th place finish. 

The networks, both ESPN, which shows most of the conference tournaments, and CBS/WBD, which shows the NCAA tournament, like the mythos that somehow Abilene Christian and Kentucky are on the same level, and this "one more night" and "one shining moment" stuff.  When, in fact, most players at the true top level have as much loyalty to their SEC/ACC/B10 teams as a minor league baseball player has to the Columbus Clippers or Dayton Dragons where they did a year on the way up. 

As such, the SBC tournament is just fine.  ALL that matters in a league like that is winning the tournament and getting a 14 to 16 seed in the NCAA (in fact, the NCAA is considering going to 72 or 84 teams, which just means more losers from the "major" conferences, they will always take the 14th team from the SEC over the second place team in the SBC).  The SBC tournament advantages the regular season good teams, and thus makes these games matter. 

 

[thspfc]

I know it's great for the networks. Doesn't change my opinion.

Then why did you ask the question "why do we have conference tournaments at all?"

Fair point. May I revise my opinion to be "I understand why we have conference tournaments, but I believe that they hurt the integrity of the sport"?

Conference tournaments have been going on for five plus decades. I don't think it has any impact on the integrity of the sport.

Referee mistakes have been going on in every sport for five plus decades. Do you believe referee mistakes impact the integrity of a sport?

No. It's human error, which has been part of sport for time eternal.

I guess we're agreeing to disagree then.

[1995hoo]

Somewhat perversely, there's a sense in which the conference tournaments have more legitimacy now than they did in the old days, and the reason is that all the realignment has resulted in the death of balanced schedules. That is, as much as it pains me to agree with Dean Smith and Gary Williams, when everyone in the league plays a double round-robin and one team finishes in first place, there isn't really a need (apart from TV dollars, of course, and I certainly recognize the importance of that factor) for a tournament that overturns a full season of play in a period of three or four days. Now that many conferences have gotten too big for the double round-robin, such that members don't play the same in-conference schedules as each other, a playoff is actually a more legitimate way of deciding the champion.