Probably a mix of both, along with a complete restructuring of how the big boys even operate. Right now those schools are hampered by all kinds of expenses and Title IX considerations, but what if they went full-hog and the biggest programs separated themselves from their schools entirely? As in, the biggest Power 5 schools’ football teams become private companies a la an unofficial NFL minor league, operated similarly to how the leagues are run these days? I’m not sure where the line would have to be drawn for legal purposes (like if, say, the team based out of Columbus, Ohio can still call itself the Ohio State Buckeyes and use the same logos and claim the same team history.) But it seems like a logical conclusion, especially with the rulings about names and likenesses of players.
Sports What Ifs.
- Thread starter Dave
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It seems the even today, some of the divisions are well established long legacy divisions, like the NFC North and the AFC West with 60 year legacies, while a few other divisions seem thrown together in spite of past rivalries.As a Packer fan, I cringed at the thought of using founder names, because I immediately realized one of the 4 would have been the Halas Division.Yeah, given the rivalries I don't think they could have used the NHL's later idea of naming divisions after people.
Of course, then again, saying we won the Halas Division might give Packer fans some joy.
Players would have been interesting - the Thorpe Division could have had the Browns, Steelers, etc. (St. Louis being in there would have been nice as a shoutout to the Plains Indians.) Others could have been the Grange... nah, there's a Bear again.
Colors could have been used, too - Yellow (or Gold if they didn't want the coward association), Red, and Blue for the primary colors, and then add Green in.
Okay, we've kind of run out of what-ifs, so let's try something a little different, based on the Javier Baez crazy rundown - how could we get an all-time great in any of the major sports to have such a brain fart that he's remembered as still an all-time great but also as someone along the lines of Fred Merkle of Merkle's Boner or Jim Marshall of the wrong-way run. I'm not talkign just a strategic blunder (like Baby Ruth being caught stealing for the last out of the 1926 World Series) but a "My LIttle Leaguer said that was dumb" blunder. (Although if you can turn one into Bull Buckner for the '86 Red Sox that would also be interesting.)
I would love to rename, say, the AFC South or the NFC West the "leftover" division or "spares".
Well maybe the Lakers don't go to LA and maybe they have the dynasty the Celtics have since Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West is hard to beat especially considering the competition back then.
I think you would see attempts for some of the bigger G5 teams to form a league. The AAC kind of has this but is weighed down by teams like Tulsa and East Carolina. Maybe if you could get over travel issues, have Boise State, SDSU and Fresno State and BYU join the AAC and kick out a weaker team to make it 14. The problem is that the Big 12 would just take the top AAC teams. UCF and USF would be big targets as would Cincinnati and maybe Memphis or Houston? Or they go west and get BYU and Boise State.
Besides expansion, I think you see the big 5 split off from the NCAA in some way shape or form, at least in football. Basketball could too but you’d leave out the Big East and Gonzaga and other notable teams. Granted maybe you see the Big East become a big league in basketball.
If the Lakers end up with the #1 pick instead of the Royals, it all depends on how badly they want to keep him. I think that St. Louis didn't keep him due to the race relations. If it's the same in Minneapolis, he still gets traded to Boston.
However, if they keep him, they probably win the 1957 and 59 titles, at least (and, they still move to LA), but they don't end up with franchise legends in the draft like Jerry West and Elgin Baylor because they are too good to get them. Russell wouldn't have had the supporting cast in LA that he had in Boston as the years went on.
Also, maybe the Celts are the ones who end up getting Wilt Chamberlain at some point, making them more devastating than they are in OTL, and changing his legacy for the greater.
This article mentions a potential Red Sox trade that would have happened in 1984 that could have changed history:
If that trade with the Mets happens, Mookie Wilson is with the Red Sox in the WS (if they still make it), and he isn't hitting a roller down first base that Buckner misses.
Boston teams have avoided some bad trades through the years, thank goodness
COMMENTARY Most clichés are rooted in a fundamental truth, right? That’s how they become clichés in the first place. Want to hear something deep? It’s even become a cliché to […]
www.boston.com
If that trade with the Mets happens, Mookie Wilson is with the Red Sox in the WS (if they still make it), and he isn't hitting a roller down first base that Buckner misses.
Red Sox are still cursed, was Orlando Cabrera who broke it. Still thanks Allah all the trade with red Sox fails, we would have loss degrom and Harvey for Mookie Betts (that wilpons would have traded anyway) and a no name catcher
Crazy consideration that came to me, but WI Ryan Leaf (out of some crazy luck of Gary Stevens becoming the HC or something) started as a gadget player of TE and LB for the Miami Hurricanes before becoming QB? What could be the consequences of not going to Washington State and having to face Donovan McNabb each year?
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Genuinely Dunno he wanted to be QB and Washington State Cougars HC personally called him so no a chance them
This article mentions a potential Red Sox trade that would have happened in 1984 that could have changed history:
Boston teams have avoided some bad trades through the years, thank goodness
COMMENTARY Most clichés are rooted in a fundamental truth, right? That’s how they become clichés in the first place. Want to hear something deep? It’s even become a cliché to […]www.boston.com
If that trade with the Mets happens, Mookie Wilson is with the Red Sox in the WS (if they still make it), and he isn't hitting a roller down first base that Buckner misses.
How does this impacxt Rice's Hall of Fame chances? He had an okay '87 and'88 before going downhill fast in '89, but a good '85 and very good '86.
He hit very well for his career in Yankee Stadium, though he'd have adjust a bit on his swing. He might try for average more and now power (which seems, according to baseball-refere.com splits, like what he did.)
Fulton County was The Launching Pasd he might have anotgher 30-homer year in '85 and the same average with 25 in '86, which might help his legacy. Plus he'd get all those games on TBS and be known more natinally. He'd be on bad teams but it might help his chances a bit; New York, he'd have more press, '85 would be interesting to see how he does in that great pennant race with the Blue Jays.
The Mets... George Foster had a very poor first couple months and the Mets would have to ship him, too. Would Rice be enough to put the Mets over the top in '85? While his power would go down a bit, he might just give them a couple extra wins...can you imagine "1978 redux" in the National League, with the Cardinals and Mets each having 100 wins and having a playoff? Rice might *really* have his chances boosted. Even if they lose to the Royals in the Series (quite possible, Gooden was great but would be wearing down, Davey Johnson said back then that he was glad in a way they didn't make the postseason becasue Gooden had thrown so much as a 20-year-old). Or, even the division - you'd have arguments whether Carter or Rice was the key to getting the young team over the top.
Mike Greenwell gets called up earlier for Boston, he had a very good '86 in a part-time role. Maybe the Mets include Foster in the deal and the Red Sox let him DH. Was Myers good enough in '86 to be Boston's closer? Because they didn't have a real bullpen in '86 as it was.
Well, he chose Washington State because of a phone call by the HC Mike Price during the Rose Bowl. Not to mention that Hurricanes HC Dennis Erickson would bolt for the Seahawks that year and one of the coaching options for the Hurricanes was former OC Gary Stevens for the 1995 season. Plus, the other two options at QB wouldn't go any further than NFL Europe.
Safe to say that, while Leaf was a QB prospect and likely would remain, going to Washington State wasn't entirely fated
What if West Germany beaten East Germany during 1974 World Cup? It was embarassing defeat for West German team, but it was also speculated, that West Germany lost it intentionaly to avoid Netherlands in second round. Would West Germany win, they'll play against Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina in second round, East Germany meanwhile would face Poland, Sweden and Yugoslavia in their group (with Poland being obvious candidate to win that group and advance to final). How would West Germany fare against Dutch team in such situation? They faced each other in final, which was won by West Germany, but if they have to face each other earlier, wouldn't chances for Dutch victory be bigger without pool party affair? Cruyff's performance thus should be better than during OTL final. And if Netherlands eventually face Poland in final, who'd should win?
I'm amazed this thread is 14 years old and not even half way to 500.
And now for a what-if.
What if Manny Pacquiao defeated Bradley in June 2012? In OTL, Bradley was marked as the unanimous winner despite Pacquiao landing more punches. Because of this, viewers felt scammed by the outcome.
Then there's another Pacquiao defeat in the hands of Marquez in December 2012. He was able to dodge one punch but he did not see the counterpunch from Marquez which hit him on the neck, causing him to be knocked out. I wonder how the match would have looked like if he was able to dodge it. One thing I do remember was that Marquez was really determined to win after he felt robbed from a previous fight with Pacman exactly a year prior.
And now for a what-if.
What if Manny Pacquiao defeated Bradley in June 2012? In OTL, Bradley was marked as the unanimous winner despite Pacquiao landing more punches. Because of this, viewers felt scammed by the outcome.
Then there's another Pacquiao defeat in the hands of Marquez in December 2012. He was able to dodge one punch but he did not see the counterpunch from Marquez which hit him on the neck, causing him to be knocked out. I wonder how the match would have looked like if he was able to dodge it. One thing I do remember was that Marquez was really determined to win after he felt robbed from a previous fight with Pacman exactly a year prior.
Might be a good scenario to run on OOTP or Baseball Mogul.
Although they can be unrealistic. I downloaded the trial version of Mogul and ran the 1992 season twice and both times the entire NL East struggled to stay above .500 (once with the IRL roster and once where Bonds and Drabek got traded for All Star caliber with longer contracts.
Definitely. Also, the Sox would have a closer in Bedrock that had 29 saves in 86 and 40 saves in 87 for the Phillies.
It's very possible (though, as a Cardinal fan at the time, that would have sucked). And, if Rice played well in the World Series, he may have gotten in the HOF much earlier than 2009.
I just found out something very interesting: https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...-for-brett-favre-during-the-bill-parcells-era
During Parcells' tenure as HC of the Cowboys (I am going to guess that this was in March of 05 before they acquired Bledsoe), they tried to trade for Brett Favre, but the Packers wanted Tony Romo.
During Parcells' tenure as HC of the Cowboys (I am going to guess that this was in March of 05 before they acquired Bledsoe), they tried to trade for Brett Favre, but the Packers wanted Tony Romo.
Yeah, I heard something similar. When Romo is not Rodgers he would be an amazing QB back north and Favre might have do something with those 2005-2007 Dallas Defense.
Rodgers...IIRC Gruden wanted to trade up for him before the packers took him, maybe he lands there, or in the redskins or someone else trades up for him(Falcons? Cardinals? Miami too)
I don't know if this has been mentioned before. Jim Thorpe played professional baseball and football. Afterwards he played basketball for awhile, and may have considered playing hockey as well. Imagine him playing pro or semi-pro hockey, and having his basketball days be more well-known.