Before I say anything positive, let me start off with some uncharacteristic negativity, just to make myself feel better.

I am NOT a fan of the University of South Carolina. Never have been, probably never will be. I graduated from THE South Carolina State University (the black second cousin of USC) and am loyal son to my alma mater. I hate the Gamecocks wack Under Armour designed jerseys (especially their “military appreciation” joints), I mean what’s up with all the extra panels and piping? I really hate the fact that they wear white cleats and socks, even with their Maroon kits. Yuck.

Oh, and have you ever had the pleasure of meeting a Gamecock fan? Dude, you’d think they were winning SEC championships with the amount of mouth they have. Nothing that happens on the field seems to have any affect on the lofty views of a typical USC fan (although MY school’s fellow alum could stand to take a lesson from the Gamecock’s book in that regard). Hey, Gamecock fan, do me a favor, look at the scoreboard sometimes before you start poppin’ off. Five Points would be a much better place to party for it.

Now that the HATE is out of my system, let’s continue on with our regularly scheduled insight shall we?

Football and the South.

Before you can understand the “hugeness” of what I’m going to write, you must understand something about me, and the South, in general.

I have played organized football from elementary school through college. I am season ticket holder to SCSU home games and my love for streetwear is only rivaled for my love of the pigskin.

In fact, one thing I’d always wondered about concerning our beloved sub-genre of fashion is:

“Why the heck are skatboarding and BMX the only sports glorified in streetwear”?

Truth is, it’s probably because most of the guys that “run” stuff in streetwear were too small to engage in said activities and a such had to relegate their athletic skills (and no matter what some meathead jock tells you, skateboarders ARE athletes) to half pipes and such. I mean, how many football players have YOU seen rocking skinny jeans? Exactly. It takes a certain body frame to bang in the trenches over the years (unless you’re a wide receiver).

So while people like me were throwing up at two-a-day practices in sweltering Summers across the South, there were just as many dudes getting in on their bicycles and skateboards. I understand this, although I also understand that the rest of the football loving South probably doesn’t.

Down here, FOOTBALL IS RELIGION. Period. Point blank. No commas. So while us Hypebeast are getting geeked about chain stitching and the release of Foamposites, the rest of the South has their eyes glued to the television and their favorite sports blogs. Especially on days like today. You know what happened today, right?

Today is Valentine’s Day the day Jadeveon picked a school.

Jadeveon Tebow?

According to ESPN Jadeveon, a native of South Carolina might I add, is the #1 football recruit in the nation. They say that he is a program defining player–the kind of player that takes a school from pretty good to unstoppable.

Think Tim Tebow before he got to Florida.

Yeah, the Gators already had a deep football traditional and were actually pretty good before they signed him. But once they gotta Touchdown Jesus on their team they were damn near immovable. From 2007 to 2009 the University of Florida was the shit. No doubt about it. And the amount of money he brought to that school is unfathomable. In fact, here is a prime example of the power of Tim Tebow (via Wikipedia):

In 2010, a new rule for the next NCAA football season, dubbed “The Tebow Rule” by media because it would have affected him, banned messages on eye paint. During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore biblical verses on his eye black. In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore John 3:16 on his eye paint, and as a result, 92 million people searched “John 3:16″ on Google during or shortly after the game. Additionally, later, when Tebow switched to another verse, there were 3.43 million searches of “Tim Tebow” and “Proverbs 3:5-6″ together.

How many skateboarders you know doing those kind of numbers? And supposedly, Jadeveon is THAT kind of player. So imagine the internet explosion that Carolina is receiving right now. Not to mention the interview request they are fielding, the advertising revenue they are about to cash in on, and the unholy amount of merchandise they are about to move (ugly jersey’s aside).

Getting Jadeveon makes it easier to get other Jadeveon-type of players. Which in turn makes it that much easier to make that Tebow money.

Tim Tebow-nomics.

Clowney staying home is a good thing for college football in the state of South Carolina in general.

With SC’s signing of Clowney this year and LAST years big signing of Marcus Lattimore, it seems like the trend for our state’s best players is to STAY HOME. No longer do the AJ Green‘s of the Palmetto State have to leave in order to get some TV time and play for conference and National championships. These players can play ball on Saturdays in front of sold out crowds and be home for Sunday dinner. For instance the drive from Columbia to Clowney’s hometown of Rock Hill is less than an hour and thirty minutes. I’d take that drive to get some home cooking.

Plus, the economic impact of these top athletes deciding to stay home will be huge! Look at how many (and how well) people were able to eat of Timmy while he was a Gator (via ESPN):

HEAD COACH: Urban Meyer
Accomplishments during Tebow’s tenure: Won two national titles and SEC titles, beat rivals Florida State and Tennessee all four years, led the SEC in total offense three of four years.
Salary: $4 million (6 years/$24 million; contract is not signed, thus school has not released specific terms)

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Jeremy Foley
Salary: Estimated $1.2 million
Public relations: $200,000
Investment contribution: $175,000
Longevity bonus: $225,000
Additional longevity bonus: $150,000 paid Jan. 31 in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017
Retention bonus: $500,000 on Jan. 31, 2012; $600,000 on Jan. 31, 2018
Retirement and fringe benefits: $12,000
Expense account: $15,000
Program performance: Top 15 in Sears Cup standings, $25,000; Top 10 in Sears Cup, $50,000
Tickets: 12 per home football game; can purchase additional 40
Car: 1

COLLEGE PRESIDENT: J. Bernard “Bernie” Machen
Salary: $375,000 base salary; $75,000 annual bonus based on evaluation, $210,000 bonus based on agreeable goals, $400,000 retention bonus after 9 years … $705,000 (estimated, including all bonuses/annual retention share)
Contract perks: Car allowance or university-owned car (replaced every 3 years); university-owned house; sabbatical pay equal to base salary of $375,000 spread over 4 equal payments (1/1/09, 1/1/10, 1/1/11, 1/1/12)

UNIVERSITY
Conference TV contracts (share): ESPN, 15 years, $2.25 billion through 2023-24; CBS, 15 years, $825 million through 2023-24.
Conference distribution:$11.2 million last year
Football revenue during Tebow’s tenure: $264 million
Football expenses during Tebow’s tenure: $76 million
Tickets sold during Tebow’s tenure: 2,401,532 (27 games/88,548 capacity)
Sellouts during Tebow’s tenure: 27 (every game)
Local economic impact per game during Tebow’s tenure: $162 million ($6 million per game/27 home games)**

* Source: Todd McShay, ESPN draft analyst
** Source: Angelou Economics via SID office

Now that’s what the fcuk I call a chain reaction. You see why the Gamecocks are dancing in the streets of Columbia? Big time high school football players that can translate their skill into wins on the college level tend to make (or in some cases KEEP) a lot of people in the “HAVES” portion of the HAVES & HAVE NOT conversation. Football is a big deal anyway but when stuff like this is on the line, it’s even more serious.

I commend the Gamecocks for being able to land such a highly coveted recruit but the true test for this equation is time. If he comes and they win then all hell will deservedly break loose. If not, the Ol’ Ball Coach might be looking for work elsewhere.

Either way it’s going to be an interesting ride.

#HappyValentinesDay