Expansion is Dead – Self-Help Tips for the recovering Expansion Junkie.

When the ACC announced it’s 15 new members had signed a Grant of Rights it sent shockwaves through college athletics. Just like that expansion died… ok maybe not, who can predict the future? Let’s just say for the time being it’s been severely stunted to the point we have a real problem on our hands.

How do deal with the recovering Expansion junkie?

For the last 3 years the expansion junkies have lived and breathed expansion rumors. The expansion junkies come on many different levels. I’m going to offer some tips how the expansion junkie can survive the better part of the next dozen or so years.

The Expansion Dealer 

The Expansion Dealer provided non-stop rumors about expansion to a ready and willing audience that peaked around the Summer of 2012 and still had sizable market through yesterday.

Tip – Find new sources. You know whose sources are good? @DavidGlennShow – They broke the ACC GOR of story. Your sources stink. You missed on pretty much everything, and exaggerated what might be true based on your “proclaimed” sources. You aren’t going to find many new buyers without some new product. That is if your credibility isn’t totally shot.

The Hopeless Expansion Junkie

The  Hopeless junkie just won’t stop believing that realignment has basically ended even after Monday’s news. At this moment they are still inventing stories that will lead to demise of any number of conferences, while their conference prospers to untold riches.

Tip – Sadly there’s nothing I can recommend for these poor souls. They may want to start something akin to the Flat Earth Society . As the saying goes – ” I want to believe”

The Accept it but need the Expansion Fix Junkie

These folks I can help. You know the power conference moves are over, but you need an expansion fix.

Tip – Channel your energies to a discussion how the 5 power conference may break away from the NCAA. That’s the biggest thing going right now. Also you can look into the movements happening at the Sun Belt and Atlantic 10 level. I’m sure something is going on there.

The Fantasyland Expansion Junkie

Most junkies stayed in real world. Reasonable arguments could be made for most any scenario, but there were some complete fantasy scenarios that a few folks couldn’t get enough of. During expansionpalooza of the 2012 summer, they discussed such stories being rumored as the Pac 12 inviting teams from the East and the Big East absorbing the ACC.

Tip –  A Fantasyland Expansion junkie hasn’t been spotted for sometime. They morphed into the Hopeless Expansion Junkie.

The my team wants out of said conference Expansion Junkie

The junkies were driven by one thing -> Get my team out this &$@*)$ conference. Some reasons were legitimate, many were laughable, but these folks they wanted out and hung on expansion news daily.

Tip 1 – Let it go…

Tip 2 – Beat the other teams in said conference athletically at everything.

Tip 3 – If you are a Connecticut or Cincinnati fan, you are allowed to keep reading and hoping. Find your nearest Big 12 friend and beg them for an invite. If you know someone at Notre Dame plead with them to join the ACC one day, so one more spot opens up. Seriously these two schools deserve better.

The Closet Expansion Junkie 

This might have been have been a neighbor, maybe a parent or a relative. Seemingly they showed no outward signs of expansion addiction. They read they followed and they had alot of opinions about it, but they mostly kept quiet.

Tip – I put myself in this category unfortunately. I refrained from blogging or tweeting much on expansion, but I kept up with most of the stories. We’re not addicted. We have it under control. Oh crap I’m in the denial phase… If you can make it until the first college football previews come out you’ll be fine. I’ll try to write some preview posts its therapeutic for me.

The mathematically impaired Expansion Junkie.

These people spewed projected dollar figures non stop that at best were suspect and at worst completely wrong.

Tip – I recommend a remedial math course. I remember once reading that some conferences were going to earn in excess of $60 Million in television rights in a couple of years. Seriously some people were pushing this…

The I’m sick of it Expansion Junkie

You’d read the stories just hoping the nonsense would come to an end. You didn’t care how.

Tip – Your day has arrived.