Quiz: Are you allowed to be mad at college football players who skip their team’s bowl game?

by Clay Beyersdorfer

“You’ve got an obligation to the place that helped build and develop you and finish it out in the bowl. That’s part of it. You owe it to your team, you owe it to your fans, you owe it to your coaches and it’s the most bizarre thing in the world to me.” - Mike Leach, head football coach, Mississippi State UniversityGive yourself 1 point for every question you answer “Yes” to.Do you play sports?If so, are you currently playing, or have you ever played, the game of football?Have you played said football above the high school level?If so, are you part of the high percentage of college athletes that were or are currently living below the poverty line?Have you ever devoted roughly 43.3 hours per week to something that wasn’t your job?Did those 43.3 hours per week include two-a-day practice sessions that posed a serious risk to your health while playing arguably the highest-contact sport in the world?Excluding this past year, have you ever been told that you were not allowed to have an outside income or make money off of your image or likeness?Have you ever been part of an organization that generated over $165 million dollars in television revenue, including games that featured you and your teammates, yet didn’t see a dollar of it?Did any of those games have little to absolutely nothing to do with who will be crowned the eventual National Champion? (ex. Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl)Are you, at this very moment, an individual in a position to make millions of dollars that could save you or your family from potential bankruptcy, eviction, or poverty and want to ensure you’re doing nothing to possibly ruin that dream forever?

Score:1-9 points: You may be a fan, or even played a little college football, but alas, are not allowed to be mad at college football players for skipping their bowl games.10 points: You are a soon-to-be NFL player about to change your entire life and are most likely doing the smart thing by skipping your meaningless bowl game.