It has been a while!

Justin here - Wow, it has been a long time since Scooter and I have gotten together for a show. Perhaps we could do a special episode sometime when our busy schedules allow (remember when Scooter fell asleep during our World Cup discussion in 2010?).

For those who did not know, I moved to Dayton at the start of 2013 to live with my wife and to go back to school. I have been attending Wright State University and I plan on graduating in April.

To help keep the electric on, I took a job at the on-campus newspaper at Wright State serving as the paper's sports editor.

One of the big issues I have been covering for the last year and a topic I am sure Scooter and I would have hammered if the show still existed was this issue on paying college athletes. Normally, I am a person who takes a strong opinion on something. In this issue, I am highly torn.

One thing is clear, most athletes are not going to benefit from whatever is decided at the O'Bannon vs NCAA trial in Federal Court. The world has zoned in on football and men's basketball players at the nation's biggest schools that all others are lost in the shuffle.

There is no denying that college athletics have become a behemoth in the business world and there are quite a few coaches and administrators who have become highly paid on the backs of 18-22 year olds who are only given a college scholarship.

But colleges are supposed to prepare all students, athletes or not, for what they call the 'real world.' A great lesson these athletes can learn is life is not always fair. Of course, Ohio State's football team provides enough revenue by itself to sustain dozens of smaller sports at OSU. Is it fair that the football team has to provide all of this revenue in order for other opportunities to exist? I really do not have an answer on that one.

In general, most athletes have a good deal. Since I am intimately following WSU's athletics, let's use them as an example.

Wright State allocates roughly $10 million annually for athletics. Keep in mind, WSU is a basketball school and plays in a non-football conference. Of that $10 million, 75 percent is subsidized by the university.

If you break the cost down per student, it is around $440 a year to subsidize athletics at the university. Is that fair? Again, no real answer. It is hard telling how many students come to WSU because they see the men's basketball team play on ESPN on occasion or the fact that athletics offer free entertainment on a regular basis for students.

But few recognize WSU's existence despite playing in a conference that regularly develops NBA talent and playing in a rather completive basketball conference. Other teams at Wright State often go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the NCAA. The baseball team even had a win against the No. 1 team in the nation.

But more people will pay attention to what is happening 60 miles away at Ohio State where the budget is 14 times larger than Wright State's. According to USA Today figures, OSU actually brought in over $20 million to the university. Is it fair OSU is able to draw so much money into its Athletics Department when other state universities need to have its revenue subsidized by students and donors?

In the big picture, there is nothing fair about college athletics. Despite what people like Jim Delaney say, altering the college landscape is not going to destroy amateurism as we know it. Amateurism has been dead. It is incredibly naive to think that an 18-year-old basketball player would choose Wright State over Ohio State if offered a full ride at both.

OSU with its name brand alone, is going to attract top professional scouts and any starter who would be bringing revenue into the university is going to get world class training for a possible multi-million dollar career in pro football or basketball.

So what would I offer as a solution?

For the most part, athletes have a pretty good deal now. Coaches and administrators have a good deal now. Why make changes? Leave what college athletics do in tact and do not make it a job. In the long run, this benefits students as they do not have to pay taxes nor can athletes be fired for lack of performance. Start paying athletes and turn it into college employment, the athletes have subjected themselves to termination because of a bad game. Who really wants that?

O'Bannon and Co. should beware what they ask for.

While many athletes complain they are not able to work while in school (very legitimate point), most students do not have the time to work full-time without it sacrificing their academics. While some athletes are saving $20,000 or more a year in tuition and housing, few students are earning that at part time jobs. Athletes, like any other student, can apply for student loans to help pay for the extras that an athletic scholarship does not cover (travel, video games, etc.).

What to do about those complaining? Allow them to be able to make money off their likeness. Does anyone see it as a crime if Braxton Miller starts doing used car commercials in Columbus? I can totally picture him on television with a guitar saying, "We're Dealing."

In this case, you allow the truly profitable athletes to make money while preserving some idea of the collegiate model for college athletics.

But the NCAA types are not going to be happy with this because it takes away power from the administrators and coaches.

Yes, this eliminates amateurism for good, but in all honesty, I think we're already there.

Not a happy birthday in Columbus

Column by J. Justin Boggs:

Over the last couple years, all anyone heard about the Columbus Blue Jackets’ woes were they needed a top-line center and puck a moving defender to make them a winning squad.


Over the summer, the Blue Jackets went out and did both. James Wisniewski and Jeff Carter were both added to the roster to give the Blue Jackets the spark they have been looking for over the last 11 years.

The Blue Jackets had their biggest offseason in team history.

In addition to the roster acquisitions, the Blue Jackets made arrangements with Nationwide Insurance, the city of Columbus, and Franklin County to fix Nationwide Arena’s lease agreement with the Blue Jackets. The fix is allowing Columbus and Nationwide Arena to host the 2013 NHL All-Star Game and practically guarantees the Blue Jackets’ existence in Columbus through 2039.

The Blue Jackets are on pace for their worst season in franchise history.

As the two biggest needs were met on the ice, the returning members of last year’s team have faltered and gotten us to this point. With less than two weeks before the NHL trade deadline, GM Scott Howson seems to have his finger on the eject button. It appears on the 200th birthday of the city of Columbus, the city is mere days away from losing the biggest pro athlete in Columbus’ 200 years of existence. Not the way that anyone on West Nationwide Boulevard wanted to spend the city’s bicentennial.

Reports circulated throughout the day Tuesday that Nash has given Howson a list of teams he would be willing to waive his no-movement clause in contract for. Some rumors by the self-proclaimed hockey insiders say that Nash might be headed to Los Angeles or New York.

The Blue Jackets are in a huge slump and are on pace to have the worst record in the NHL since the shootout was instituted in 2005.

With an arena deal in place, the emphasis is back on winning and winning now. The Blue Jackets owe not just their fans but now the city of Columbus wins given that every one of us are part-owners of Nationwide Arena.

For the first time in nearly a decade in Columbus, there is pressure on Nash to perform. Nash largely did not share in the blame of previous coaching regimes’ failures. When legendary coach Ken Hitchcock was relieved of his duties in 2010, Nash simply said, “That is the way sports work.”

With the most recent coaching dismissal in January, the realization might have finally hit the Jackets’ and Howson that the problem is not coaching.

The only two connections that remain from the Dave King era are losing hockey and Nash.

Besides Nash, the Blue Jackets need to take a look at goaltending. No team has had worse goaltending over the last three years than the Blue Jackets. Over the offseason, the Blue Jackets paid dearly for not going for a No. 1 goalie and relying on Steve Mason. Mason’s lack of success after his amazing rookie season has set the Blue Jackets back.

But the question remains, if the Blue Jackets simply fix their goaltending, will this be a winning team? Columbus has won 28 percent of its games. Seems like a lot more has to be done than fixing goaltending. This is why Nash’s time in Columbus might be coming to a close.



For Blue Jackets news, visit ColumbusWired.Net

Episode 105: The Final Chapter

CLICK HERE TO HEAR EPISODE 105!!!!!!!!!!

Well folks, this is it.  Scooterb and JJ On Sports has run its course. This will be the last regular episode you will hear on this feed.  BUT PLEASE, stay subscribed to the feed, and keep coming back to the blog, because we will effort to keep the blog updated with new content, and occasionally we will fire up the recorder and do special episodes.

For this week's show, we do talk at great length about the exciting news that Columbus, Ohio is getting the 2013 NHL All-Star Game.  We also discuss whether we thing Columbus will have a winning team to go along with the game next year.

We talk Tiger.  He had a great week in Abu Dhabi, and we go into whether we finally think Tiger is back to his winning ways.

We then, get this, talk TENNIS!  More specifically, the amazing Rafa Nadal / Novak Djokovic final to wrap up the Australian Open this past weekend..

Our last major topic of the show is the Super Bowl, and all the festivities in Indianapolis, and how we thing Indy may become a regular rotation city for the Super Bowl after this week.

We round out the show with a good solid minute of OSU Basketball talk.

105 Episodes, 8000+ downloads...it's been a fun ride.  Thanks for taking it with us.

- Scooterb

Episode 104: A Fun, Frozen Show

Listen to Episode 104 HERE!

Welcome back everybody, we have another fun filled show for you this week.

First of all, I don't think we ever mention in the episode, but it is our 2 year anniversary!

We start off the show by breaking down Justin's experience at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff in Cleveland over the weekend.

We then talk a little Indiana and Ohio State basketball.

We wrap up the show with a quick look at the NFL playoffs.

Thanks everybody for listening, Justin and Casey will be with you next week.

Episode 103: Time for a Change, Finally

Click here to listen to Episode 103

This episode starts off with the breaking news that the Bluejackets have fired head coach Scott Arniel, we look at where the team may be headed in the future (and how we would push them to make even more changes).

We then take a look at the most boring game in the history of college football.  No, that's not fair.  The first time LSU and Alabama met was the most boring.

We discuss the weekend of NFL playoffs...sort of, we really just talk more Tim Tebow.

We round out the show by talking about the Baseball Hall of Fame's newest inductee: Barry Larkin, and all of the other issues surrounding the hall at this time.

Thanks for listening

-Scooterb

Episode 102: At least the weather was nice

Listen to Episode 102 here!

Welcome back everyone!

This week's episode finds Justin in Jacksonville, Florida... covering the Gator Bowl!  We get a first hand report from the game, as we tie a bow on this year's Ohio State season.

We then talk about the bad day the Big Ten had overall in today's bowl games.

We continue the show with Bengals and Broncos playoff (playoff?) talk.

We end the show by piling on some more on poor Scott Arniel.  We also come up with an idea that might save the Bluejackets season.  What is it?  Listen, and find out.

- Scott

Episode 101: The Pop-A-Shot Championship

Click here to listen to Episode 101

This week, we celebrate last week's 100th Episode with a live segment at Dave and Busters.  We talk briefly with Tobin Shepherd about the Ohio State sanctions, and then...the highlight of the episode.

The official Scooterb and JJ Pop-A-Shot Championship.  You don't want to miss Tobin's commentary.

After that, we retreat back to the studio and talk about a lot of topics.

We start with more on the Ohio State rulings.  We move on to a weird story about NCAA greed and the bands of LSU and Alabama.  We then break down the Gator Bowl just a bit, before segueing (sort of) into ranting more about the Bluejackets.

We round up the show with some Tebow Time, the Bengals and Big Ten Basketball talk...

BUT THERE'S EVEN MORE!  We have BREAKING NFL NEWS during the episode.  You don't want to miss this.

Thanks for listening.