Richard V. Rupp

February 9, 2022

Good Wednesday morning. I'm author Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES posts.

 

GO RAMS!!! I'm hosting a Super Bowl watch session for my sons Matt and Brian and my grandson Ryan. This Super Bowl Sunday, we will be feasting on beef dip sandwiches and coleslaw. Matt is bringing horseradish, olives, and whatever else he can think of. I've still got leftover nacho cheese from our last get-together to watch the Rams beat the 49ers to qualify for the Super Bowl.

 

Our local weather forecasters indicate that it will be 85 degrees at the start of the game on Sunday. The hottest Super Bowl ever. Hopefully, the game is also a hot one with, of course, my Rams winning.

 

Unfortunately, even though he was fully vaccinated, my son Brian managed to get one of the C-virus and has had a lingering cough. The good news is that he has been testing negative since last Monday and is back to lighting movie sets.

 

Matt and I have gotten caught up in the Olympics mixed doubles curling. Sorry, the U.S. couple didn't make it to the final round but enjoyed watching Italy, Sweden, the U.K., and Norway battle it out, with Italy finally winning the Gold. I am convinced it is a mental game like chess, but you need to be in good physical condition to do the sweeping. It took a while for me to figure out the "power play" and some of the other nuances to the game, like the rocks' presetting and why each player had a stopwatch attached to them. For some reason, I took an interest in the "stones" and found out each "rock" costs between $550 to $850. So, eight of them would be worth somewhere around $5 grand, or for a team, $10 grand. As a fiction writer, who recognizes the importance of characters, I loved getting into the personalities of the various players. Facial expressions, conversations, emotions are all very evident in the T.V. coverage of this game. I think that's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.

 

I'm looking forward to the men's and women's team curling matches which start today.

 

I've also taken an interest in the USA men's and women's (or, as Matt calls them, the chick's with sticks) ice hockey teams. For some reason, I have little interest in watching the other Olympic events. I've noticed several sports articles that indicate I'm not alone in lack of interest in these Winter Olympics. NBC has not helped the situation. They have made it so confusing that it turns you off. Also, the way they set things up, they constantly give you spoilers about what has happened. I hate spoilers. It's hard to figure out the timing and broadcasting of events. The chaos caused by the pandemic has also not helped.

 

I was a researcher for the insurance industry, as many of you know. I spotted this article about pandemic chaos and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). If I were still active in the industry, this problem would fall right into my old wheelhouse.

 

According to BUSINESS INSURANCE, the NCAA received $351 million from insurance companies for loss of revenue (reduced ticket sales) from college sporting events during 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19. This includes a $270 million payoff related to the 2020 NCAA men's basketball tournament cancellation.

 

"The NCAA's loss of revenue insurance expired at the end of the fiscal year 2020-21, and similar coverage is no longer available given changes in the marketplace due to COVID-19," the Indianapolis-based organization said in the statement. They are now exploring alternative methods of protection.

 

In case you were wondering, the NCAA reported $1.16 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2021, up from $519.2 million in the prior fiscal year. Yes, college sporting events are big business. That brings me to wonder if it always will be.

 

Gen Zs are significantly contributing to an already existing decline in college enrollment. The decline in enrollment has accelerated in recent years, particularly after the onset of the pandemic. Since the end of the Great Recession, on average, fewer young people have been enrolling in college.

 

The Gen Zs believe their income stream and work interests are tied to the digital world, where they spend most of their life. They have gained computer literacy and "Computational Thinking." To them, a college education would slow them down in advancing in the world.

 

With the decline in college students' and Gen Zs interest in computer gaming and the advent of the Meta world, the interest in traditional sporting events will continue to decline.

 

You can see what I'm talking about in my upcoming novel SKYWARD.

 

Until next week.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp