Champions

At this time of year the conversations regarding American football are focused on which National Football League teams will make the playoffs (go Vikings!!) and the pairings for the college football post-season bowl games which are used to determine the national champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A which is the highest level in college football. However this past weekend included college football games for the lower divisions (read - smaller schools) -- divisions that use actual playoff systems, not "bowl game match ups", to determine true, legitimate national champions for their respective divisions.

So here is a recap of the championship games played this past weekend in their respective divisions:

NCAA Division II -- Valdosta State defeated Northwest Missouri State
NCAA Division III -- Wisconsin/White Water defeated Mt. Union
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Associations) -- Carroll College (Montana) defeated University of Sioux Falls (South Dakota)

The weather conditions during these games were poor overall and the stands were not filled but the fans were excited to be in the stadiums while the players hit the gridiron with everything they had in them. I enjoyed watching the games especially to see the great sportsmanship that was on display. For the vast majority of these players this was their last opportunity at football glory since their chances of playing professional football in the USA or Canada are nearly zero so clearly they played for the love of the game.

We need more of this love of competition in our public school labor unions,

Todd