Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit is one of the most prominent personalities in college football. Not only is he a former Buckeye, but he’s on the A-team of ESPN college football broadcasts and has a presence in the media that many pay attention to.
Of course, we pay attention a little more to Herbie as OSU fans, but generally speaking, when he talks, people listen. He very rarely dives into a pool of controversy, but when he does speak out, you feel like it’s a little more meaningful. Despite the polarizing view many have among Buckeye Nation, he is still well respected in the college football community.
And now, Herbstreit has spoken out about Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC and what it might mean for college football. And based on his comments, it appears as though Herbie isn’t exactly excited about the landscape of college football changing again. When appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Herbstreit seemed very much disappointed about the chasing of the almighty dollar in college sports.
Kirk Herbstreit on SportsCenter:
“I hate losing the tradition of the sport. I’ve always been, I guess, naive to it. I’ve tried to be the guy who thinks people care about tradition and rivalries. Clearly, the decision-makers don’t. It’s an arms race and it’s about the money."
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 30, 2021
It’s a short quote, but a powerful one. Especially considering the balancing act Herbstreit often has to do with his Ohio State ties, his employment at the media giant ESPN and all the interests it has, and his fandom. It’s not easy to toe the company line, be an interested unbiased observer when covering Ohio State, and still speak the truth into situations.
I know many like to hate on Herbstreit because he refuses to be an OSU fanboy and even sometimes over-corrects when discussing the Buckeyes, but his views are more often than not spot-on.
This is yet another case where he is right.
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