30 for 30: Requiem for the Big East

[Erik4Cy]

Anybody else catch it?

I felt tired of the commercials and ESPN mentioning it nonstop, but wow...There are some better 30 for 30's out there but that one was powerful and even though we aren't a Big East team it helps to understand the start of a conference and the ripple effects of capitalism, money, greed, football, etc. across college basketball and conference realignment.

As a team that is secure in the Big 12 (for now) we have sympathize to a degree how some of those schools, players, coaches, AD's feel and felt. As a fan who loves rivalries and history it is sad to see how money just trumps everything sometimes.

 

[BenEClone]

I didn't see what you're referring to - tell me. I'm a Creighton fan (second to a Cyclone fan of course) - CU has enough problems when Doug graduates. What else?

 

[stateofmind]

The one thing I found extremely ironic is the people who were greedy in the growth of the conference are now mad that greed broke up the conference. On top of that where did the money come from? ESPN. Not only did ESPN create this mess but creating a great TV show exploiting that same greed. I guess you can blame Nike as well.

 

[tjh1984]

Loved it! Makes me miss the old big 12. Still don't like having TCU and WV in our league. I loved hating Nebraska and Mizzou and getting up for those games.

 

[Erik4Cy]

I didn't see what you're referring to - tell me. I'm a Creighton fan (second to a Cyclone fan of course) - CU has enough problems when Doug graduates. What else?

uh, wut?

 

[stateofmind]

Another thing that bothered me about the beginning of the show was how they mentioned the four big conferences and never mentioned the big 8 at all. The big 8 had some pretty good talent in the mid to late 70s didn't they? KU, OU, MU?

 

[Win5002]

Another thing that bothered me about the beginning of the show was how they mentioned the four big conferences and never mentioned the big 8 at all. The big 8 had some pretty good talent in the mid to late 70s didn't they? KU, OU, MU?

 

[Win5002]

The Big East signed their death warrant when they voted to not take Penn St. I don't know if that would have allowed them to make it for sure but it sure would have helped having a flagship football school like that.

 

[ISUChippewa]

Another thing that bothered me about the beginning of the show was how they mentioned the four big conferences and never mentioned the big 8 at all. The big 8 had some pretty good talent in the mid to late 70s didn't they? KU, OU, MU?

I started a separate thread in the General College Sports forum about the same exact show before seeing this thread, my apologies.

Anyway, I noticed the omission of the Big 8 as well, but I think up until Kansas played Oklahoma for the national title in 1988(?), the Big 8 was known almost exclusively as a football conference with juggernauts like Oklahoma and Nebraska. It didn't surprise me that they didn't mention the Big 8, and maybe they shouldn't have.

 

[MNCyGuy]

The Big East signed their death warrant when they voted to not take Penn St. I don't know if that would have allowed them to make it for sure but it sure would have helped having a flagship football school like that.

That's what stuck out to me as well. You have to think it kills the notion of Big Ten expansion, or at least sets it back a few more years. Would more schools have remained football independents? Does the ACC ever expand without a bunch of Big East football schools to poach? There's a lot of realignment threads that can be traced back to that decision.

 

[hoopitup]

I thought it was very informative as well. I remember watching those schools on CBS on Sundays after church. That '85 Final 4 was still one of the most memorable to me.

Even though Dave Gavitt was the coach at Providence, it was amazing the passion he had for getting the Big East off the ground and the lengths he went to in order for it to happen. I bet he turned over in his grave when the all the realignments took place.

 

[ISUME]

I can't believe how many fist fights they had. Luckily for everyone involved they were terrible at throwing punches.

 

[ISUChippewa]

I got a kick out of seeing the sweater story when John Thompson showed up to a game against St. John's wearing the same sweater that Lou Carnasecca had on. It was amazing to see just how freakin' huge John Thompson is; besides guys like Ewing he dwarfed most of the players back then.

I thought one of the local writers they had on made a great point when he talked about most of the old Big East coaches, guys like Carnesecca, Rollie Massimino, etc., being great characters, aka poets as he called them, as opposed to the corporate suits you see today. I miss having those characters in the college game, and that's one of the things I really liked about LE during his time here; LE is a great character who had some great quotes.

 

[Rabbuk]

What do people think are the best 30 for 30s? I liked the Len Bias one and the Ricky Williams one, oh and the MJ one.

 

[3TrueFans]

What do people think are the best 30 for 30s? I liked the Len Bias one and the Ricky Williams one, oh and the MJ one.

I liked the Guru of Go one about Loyola and Hank Gathers. Silly Little Game about rotisserie baseball was kind of fun. I've heard The Two Escobars was good but I haven't watched it yet. Pony Express about SMU football. Unguarded about Chris Herren. Those are some of my favorites.

 

[ISUChippewa]

What do people think are the best 30 for 30s? I liked the Len Bias one and the Ricky Williams one, oh and the MJ one.

I've only seen a few, but the ones that stick out for me are this one, the Fab Five, one of the first ones about the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, and the SMU death penalty scandal.

 

[Rabbuk]

Two escobars was good I forgot about that one.

 

[3TrueFans]

The U was good too. And The Marinovich Project.

 

[Rabbuk]

The U was good too. And The Marinovich Project.

Man I've seen more of these than I thought. Those were good too.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

I've only seen:

Small Potatoes
Into the Wind
Pony Express
Requiem for the Big East

And I loved all of them