Requiem For the PAC 12

 Students from Cal, Stanford and UCLA met at the Newport Rib Company to hold a wake during Happy Hour to mourn the death of the Conference of Champions. All funerals, Celebrations of Life and wakes merit a poem for the occasion. Hope you enjoy it. 

Requiem For the PAC 12 Conference

Unlike Antony I come to bury the PAC 12 and to praise it
Rightfully called the “Conference of Champions” for most championships
Not in the apex sport of football but in the list of all sports of the NCAA
Many of which are the domain of only the student athlete with no pro team on which to later play
The PAC 12 has folded save for OSU and WSU and the other 10 have headed to the Midwest and East
To give their players to on larger portions on the NIL platter to feast
This could be the beginning of the Age of the Haves and Have Nots
Where schools with the largest viewing audiences will attract the cream of the athletes lot
If schools cannot attract the players and losing records become the norm
Even a school of athletic renown like Stanford may not weather the decreasing fans storm
Stanford has prided itself on premier education in the class rooms and performance in athletic events
With losing records in football its AD will be hard pressed to fund the non-apex sports with less money to be spent
Maybe time to tap into a small portion of the endowment
And offer star players some carried interests with chances to millionaire status be sent
In the age of the growing war on climate change carbon emissions need to decrease
The longest flight for Stanford in PAC-12 was 964 miles to Boulder and in the ACC 2712 miles to Boston for big emission increase
In the PAC 12 Stanford’s shortest flight was a mere 337.5 miles to L.A.
In the ACC Stanford’s shortest flight is 1464 miles to Dallas a much longer way
No wonder Stanford and Cal could be known as the ACC's Jet Lag teams
Home games will be key to success with a Stanford Stadium with fans bursting at the seams
If ACC away games are at 11-1 EST our viewing parties’ attendance will suck
While there jet lagged Stanford will likely be wallowing in the muck
For the non-apex teams to survive with a near empty stadium alums to the Buck and Cardinal Fund need to donate
And Troy must in recruiting star athletes dominate
We offer the degree most students would die for
With long term earning and satisfaction that will trump a Saturday football score
Go Stanford, Fear the Tree
Attend home games or watch all games on a viewing party TV

© 7/18/2024 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet