Yesterday I received our traffic report for August.

Egad.

We’re down over 40% from last year. We’re still publishing the same amount of content, and we’re doing more of that than most SBNation sites, but it’s pretty clear everyone misses our beloved Husker football. If we’re getting hit this badly I can’t imagine what it’s like for already stressed organizations like media and hospitality. Egad again.

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There continues to be more noise than ever about the Big Ten presidents voting on resuming football. I know that we all need hope - that we’d love to see our Huskers back on the field.

My take? There is zero pressure on university presidents to bring back football. Until that happens, nothing will change. You might think there’s pressure because of the howling going on in the press, the “media”, but no. There is no pressure because no one has threatened any Big Ten president with job loss because of their decisions (so far). That threat might come from a board of regents, or from a governor (maybe), but a group of legislators sending letters to the Big Ten urging them to restart fall sports is nothing but grandstanding, something politicians do very well.

Gazelka, Daudt join Republican push to reverse Big Ten decision - StarTribune.com

Two Minnesota legislators have joined other lawmakers from states with Big Ten universities, asking the conference to overturn its decision to cancel fall sports.

Michigan legislators, other lawmakers push Big Ten to play football

Leaders of Michigan’s state senate and house of representatives joined fellow Republican lawmakers from five other Midwest states on the growing list of political leaders pushing for fall football.

The Big Ten responded in glorious, bureaucratic fashion:

Statement Regarding Midwest Legislators Letter to Commissioner - Big Ten Conference

We could not agree more with the group of midwest legislators who stated in a letter to Commissioner Kevin Warren that the Big Ten Conference is “home to some of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning, scientific research and medicine.” The Big Ten’s Return to Competition Task Force is tapping into those resources as it prepares for a safe return to competition.

The letter reflects that we all want the same thing, which is for “sports to continue safely.” The conference will continue to work with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), as it has always done, to identify opportunities to resume competition as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Big Ten presidents aren’t going to move on this because of a few legislators. They’re not going to move if they’re sued by a state attorney general. They’re not going to move because the POTUS tweeted some shit about phone calls. They’re not going to move.

In fairness to Big Ten college presidents, they have bigger things to worry about. Example, Ohio State’s loss of $252M on the academic side.

Ohio State making $252 million in budget cuts amid COVID pandemic

Revenue losses have led the university to implement cuts across all colleges, units, and the Wexner Medical Center. About $175 million of those savings will come from university operations, while about $77.2 million will come from the medical center.

Compare that to the estimated $120M-$150M losses on the athletic side for Ohio State and you get an idea why the presidents have the priorities they have. If they screw this up, and Ohio State (I’m using OSU as an example to be more objective) becomes a hot spot and students die, then Ohio State is going to lose a LOT MORE than $252 in the long run.

Then there’s Kevin Warren, still hiding in his bathroom. If you’ve ever wondered how long a shit one guy can take... there’s your answer.

All of this angst directed at that guy is being fired in the wrong direction. It should be directed at university presidents. Chancellors. Emperors, despots, demi-gods, whatever you’d like to title them. Directing it at Warren is worthless. And might be unfair, but he is the one who’s being paid to take this heat.

Big Ten leaders know they’re safe in the long run. They know you have a short attention span. Once football returns, you’ll forget all about them as you’re attracted to the new shiny object that is Big Ten football. Remember when this pandemic started, there were two US senators accused of insider trading as they sold their stocks ahead of hearing about the pandemic? Forgot all about them, didn’t you?

Warren probably won’t be so lucky. Every crisis needs a fall guy. He’s going to be that guy, no matter what happens here. He could come out of his downstairs bathroom and be more aggressive about his image, but he’s either afraid, too arrogant, or knows his credibility is shot to hell and it doesn’t matter if he takes one of the longest poops in college sports history.

Let me ask you this - the next time Kevin Warren speaks on any issue, will you listen? Will you believe him?

I don’t think I need to run a poll on that one.

News (Kind Of)

Dave Yost believes Ohio State can sue Big Ten over football cancellation - News - The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, OH
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is ready to recommend that Ohio State University officials file a lawsuit seeking monetary damages from the Big Ten and member schools that voted against playing football this autumn.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Could Recommend Ohio State University Sue Big Ten Over Canceled Football Season | Eleven Warriors
If the Big Ten does not play football this fall, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is reportedly prepared to take legal action.

Yost told the Columbus Dispatch that he is ready to recommend Ohio State file a lawsuit against the Big Ten and member schools voting against a fall football season and that he believes the school has an “excellent contract claim for several tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue.”

Chris Ash brings rugby-style tackling to Texas - Burnt Orange Nation
Safety Chris Brown believes the focus on tackling details has made a difference.

The Importance and Value of Brand Equity - Navigate
By taking these three factors into account, below are the top 10 brands ranked by Brand Value Index.

Games That Sparked A Special Season: 1982 Penn State vs. Nebraska - Black Shoe Diaries
Like JoePa, Tom Osborne had experienced several near misses and almosts. Unlike Joe, Dr. Tom would have to wait another 12 seasons before getting the elusive MNC (at the expense of Joe Paterno’s new-to-the-B1G 1994 squad (thanks for nothing, B1G voters).

Is a 353-team NCAA Tournament possible? Here is the ACC’s proposal - The Only Colors
After being canceled in 2020, the ACC thinks the 2021 NCAA Tournament should take a big dose of steroids for this season.

EVERYBODY IN! ACC Proposes All-in 2021 NCAA Tournament - Hammer and Rails
There are currently 350 members of Division I, with an additional seven schools in transition from Division II. That is pretty close to the 381 schools that participated in the final one-class tournament here in Indiana in 1997. That makes it even easier as to how you set this up. You go with 64 sectionals based on geography, each with 5-6 teams, and the 64 sectional winners make the more traditional tournament.

Rant: Don’t Ask Your ‘Friend with a Nice Camera’ to Shoot Your Wedding
The day comes and I take a half-day off work. I start to get ordered around by the bride and groom, being told what type of photos to take, they ask me to take some posed studio photos typical of weddings (bouquet shots, vows, veil, etc). And while I’m very happy to join them on their special day, I honestly just wanted to be intimate with the ceremony and enjoying the moment of my two friends coming together.

Join us Tonight!

Greg isn’t around this week for the Five Heart Podcast, so we’re gonna try something different.

We’re gonna do a live Zoom meeting. We’d like your participation. You can join us for questions, discussion. We’re going to have it running on Facebook Live, and for those who don’t have Zoom, I’ll see if we can provide a call-in number for you to participate.

I work at home almost all of the time now. I don’t go to bars. The only “get out” I’ve been doing is going on walks and bike rides. Human interaction would be good.

How Bad Do We Need Sports?

This is the kind of hellscape life has turned into without Husker football. And volleyball.

Where will Lou Holtz rank amongst sports figures awarded the Medal of Freedom? - Banner Society
Please note: math cannot be politics, as they only share one letter.

What vegetables are best for carving into baseballs? - SBNation.com
Dave Bresnahan pulled off a legendary stunt by carving a potato into a pretend baseball. Here we follow in his footsteps.

Lessons Learned

There are two lessons to be learned from this play. First, if you want to advance and continue to play youth soccer at a high level, learn how to use your left foot. Second, NEVER give up on a play.

Then There’s This

I’ll bet you sonabitches would buy this for $39.95, but you wouldn’t buy that damned Adidas sneaker for $180!