[Farm93]

The Stanford reference was more flattering than implied so far.

On CNN he stated his belief is that Harvard or Yale will need to drop football to really make programs question their support of the sport.  Then he noted that the real key domino would be Stanford.  Stanford is successful at football AND has donations that are clearly not tied to football success.  The logic would be that our biggest donors could ethically object to donating if Stanford continued with football and the donations could be meaningful enough to stop football.  And then if mighty Stanford made that ethical call, then others likely would make the call too.

Most FBS schools do not get enough non-football donations to be first movers, so it was a compliment to be identified as THE likely key domino for his vision of the end of football.

Once upon a time boxing was an NCAA sport.  It really could happen to football too.  Gladwell's perspective on the end of football was probably the more gentle version.  An alternate reality could come about if former college athletes that never played in the NFL start to sue the NCAA and the schools.  I have no idea what kind of liability coverage Stanford and the Pac-12 have, but I can imagine the daytime litigation ads now.

[Farm93]

The Stanford reference was more flattering than implied so far.

On CNN he stated his belief is that Harvard or Yale will need to drop football to really make programs question their support of the sport.  Then he noted that the real key domino would be Stanford.  Stanford is successful at football AND has donations that are clearly not tied to football success.  The logic would be that our biggest donors could ethically object to donating if Stanford continued with football and the donations could be meaningful enough to stop football.  And then if mighty Stanford made that ethical call, then others likely would make the call too.

Most FBS schools do not get enough non-football donations to be first movers, so it was a compliment to be identified as THE likely key domino for his vision of the end of football.

Once upon a time boxing was an NCAA sport.  It really could happen to football too.  Gladwell's perspective on the end of football was probably the more gentle version.  An alternate reality could come about if former college athletes that never played in the NFL start to sue the NCAA and the schools.  I have no idea what kind of liability coverage Stanford and the Pac-12 have, but I can imagine the daytime litigation ads now.