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Who Killed College Football? — Football
Who Killed College Football?

College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes. Hosted by Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni.

Copyright: © Ryan Nanni

Latest Episodes:

The Unaccused Suspects: Schools, Players, and the Media Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

If you got to the end of this series and thought, “wait, the six suspects they listed failed to include [INSERT ENTITY HERE],” well, maybe this bonus episode will cover that exclusion! Steven and Ryan sit down to talk about how schools, players, and the media do (or don’t) fit into this mystery, and if you stick around to the end, you’ll hear a little teaser info about what they have planned next.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Bonus Episode: Government Q&A Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

The epilogue may be out, but Steven and Ryan are not done reviewing questions submitted by the wise and learned paid subscribers to Who Killed College Football.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Epilogue: The Case File That Won't Stay Closed Dec 06, 2024

Show notes

We’ve looked at six different parties who have shaped the direction of college football over the last fifty years (or longer): television, conferences, the NCAA, the NFL, coaches & agents, and the government. So now it’s time to ask a few tough questions. Are any of those six directly and solely responsible? Is college football actually dead or dying? And why won’t Nick Saban sit down to chat with Steven Godfrey?Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Suspect Number 6: The Government Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

From Richard Nixon to the United States Senate to the Virginia Governor’s Office to the California Board of Regents to the Supreme Court of the United States, college football has been subject to grandstanding, criticism, and scrutiny at all levels of government. But can our nation’s elected institutions (or its courts) actually solve the sport’s problems, and do they even have the ability to do so?

Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Bonus Episode: Coaches Q&A Nov 23, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ryan tackle questions from paid subscribers to the Who Killed College Football community about Suspect Number Five: Coaches and Agents.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Suspect Number 5: Coaches & Agents Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

From its earliest days, college football has had a tense relationship with players and money. But it wasn’t until the market for coaches started exploding that the gulf between what coaches earn and what players cannot really started to look outlandish. Agents, of course, helped usher the age of absurdity in, by winning contract terms that gave their clients more and more, even if they weren’t successful. As their pay skyrocketed, coaches were mostly silent about structural issues popping up in the sport, and for good reason: the status quo was entirely too good to overturn.

Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Bonus Episode: NFL Q&A Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ryan sit down once again to review questions from the paid subscriber community, this time about Suspect Number Four: The National Football League.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Suspect Number 4: The NFL Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

Once upon a time, the NFL shaped its Draft policies (and date) around not angering college football. The power and popularity of The Shield have increased dramatically over the last four or five decades, but the league spent many of those years keeping underclassmen out as a default, and it took years of pressure from players like Barry Sanders, Cris Carter, and Herschel Walker to eventually open up a pro pathway for juniors. Why has the NFL shied away from taking on college football, and what has it meant to the college game to keep players trapped in one system for most of the sport’s history?Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Bonus Episode: NCAA Q&A Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

As we do after every suspect is revealed and investigated, we turned it over to the paid members of the Who Killed College Football community to interrogate us about the NCAA episode. Topics include why the Association and its members failed to plan for the future, the death penalty vs. just kicking a school out of the NCAA altogether, and what it would take for college football to have one meaningful group overseeing the sport as a whole.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

Suspect Number 3: The NCAA Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

The NCAA spent the better part of 70 years stamping out threats to amateurism wherever they could find them. From big scandals to seemingly minor violations, the Association was there to defend the idea that college football shouldn’t be about money, at least for the players. For a while, the courts, media, and public opinion all backed them up. But as the riches in the sport grew, the NCAA became something of a comic villain, and when the time came for college football’s relationship with labor to evolve, the NCAA never seemed ready to lead the charge.Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com

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