Column: The loss of Kobe King may hurt, but the Badgers are far from being "over"
By Nathan Denzin | Jan. 31, 2020It has been quite the week for Badger basketball.
It has been quite the week for Badger basketball.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: an NCAA decision is hurting a student athlete.
It was 23 degrees in Madison at tip-off, with the wind-chill pushing that number well into the teens. It’s part of a nation-wide arctic blast, plummeting temperatures around the country. Somehow, Wisconsin’s (2-1) offense started even colder Wednesday night in its 83-63 win over the McNeese State Cowboys (1-3).
Believe it or not, college football still happened despite the fact that the Badgers didn’t play. So while most of my colleagues had lives and did other things, I was on my couch all day watching college football. Let’s recap an odd afternoon!
Editor’s note: College football is nothing without its fans, and its fans are nothing without their passion. In an attempt to capture that unique intensity and Overreactability, we’ve asked washed-up sports editor and Southerner Bremen Keasey to give us a weekly breakdown of college football happenings around the country like only a true fan could.
Editor’s note: College football is nothing without its fans, and its fans are nothing without their passion.
With a weekend of close, heart-pounding night games and some huge blowouts in the afternoon, you might have missed the full, beautiful tapestry of college football. Don’t worry, I’m here to fill you in on all the stuff that “mattered” from week four.
Wisconsin’s season took a wrong turn last week. It wasn’t when Rafael Gaglianone sealed the loss by missing a 42-yard field goal with under a minute to play. The Badgers’ season veered off course with 12:20 remaining in the fourth quarter when Cougars’ running back Squally Canada ripped up the home team for a 46-yard run up the middle.
Left, right, left, right, left, right, thud, whistle, “Carry by Taiwan Deal for two yards to the 50.
When Wisconsin suspended wideout Quintez Cephus indefinitely on August 20, it rid the team of one of its brightest talents. However, the school also sent a message of solidarity to survivors of sexual assault, and acted swiftly against any potential misconduct that may have occurred.
The Wisconsin football program has thrived on an underdog mentality for years. Each season, the first Associated Press poll is released, and Badgers fans are crestfallen, finding their team far lower than anticipated.
Editor’s note: College football is nothing without its fans, and its fans are nothing without their passion.
Six months ago, I started a self-imposed hiatus from writing as I began my semester in Italy. Having consumed all the carbohydrates I can reasonably eat and said “alora” more times than you can count, however, I’m back.
Last month, the Cleveland Indians voted to remove their Chief Wahoo imagery from their uniforms effective next year. Cleveland’s Chief Wahoo and other Native American mascots have been the source of years of controversy due to their inaccurate depiction of indigenous peoples.
With the fallout of the Larry Nassar scandal affecting Michigan State, schools in the Big Ten Conference and NCAA in general, schools all over the country are now being held under increased scrutiny in terms of how they choose to respond to misconduct scandals involving their coaches. Nassar’s conviction resulted in MSU’s president and director of athletics both stepping down amidst pressure from the school community, mainly because they allowed Nassar’s abuse to go on for so long, allowing him to harm many more victims.
Why care about sports? It’s a question I get asked a lot, as somebody who habitually cares far too much.
The recent history of Wisconsin sports can be easily summed up in a few numbers. Simply uttering the phrases “408” or “38-1” is enough to elicit visceral responses from Badgers fans anywhere.
My middle school soccer team was good. Like, really good. The Blue Hawks (yes, our mascot was a fictional variation on a real animal, a fact I didn’t fully grasp until I had graduated) ran the D.C.
As far as I’m aware, there are no T-shirts with Paul Chryst’s face on them. While I personally think they’d be a hit, they sadly don’t seem to exist.
This year ESPN released a list called “Ranking the happiness of every college football fan base.” The survey took into account program power, rivalry dominance, coaching stability, recruiting trend, revenue growth and Twitter buzz.