59-year-old’s story is typical media

I wish Mike Flynt well, and hope he succeeds and enjoys his comeback with Sul Ross State. This blog post shouldn’t be considered a knock on him or the football team in any sense.

It’s a knock on the national media.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of Division III story we’ve come to expect the national media to glom onto.

A 59-year-old comes out to play his final year of eligibility and it grabs headlines. A basketball team scores 200 points. A 34-year-old plays quarterback. A basketball player refuses to face the flag for the national anthem.

These are all interesting stories, don’t get me wrong. But they have a way of becoming the face of Division III sports. And that just isn’t accurate.

Division III fans already know this. This is for those stumbling across the site who don’t know what D-III is all about.

Division III football players are legitimate players. It’s not a glorified club team. It’s not an extension of high school. They deserve better attention from the national media.

Thankfully, there are other stories that can be paid attention to. USA Today joined other media outlets with a story on St. Vincent reviving football. The Washington Post’s Sunday magazine recently published an extensive story on reviving intercollegiate football at Gallaudet. And there are many other stories, some of which we hope to write about this season, and others which we don’t even know about yet.

Those are the things Division III is really about.

21 thoughts on “59-year-old’s story is typical media

  1. I’ve always been inspired when a guy comes back from the service and gets the shot he passed up or when somebody licks his personal demons and straightens out his life and tries to finish college. Hell, I graduated from Mount Union at 54 after a life time of trying, but I only joked with Larry Kehres about coming as a punter and using that last semester of eligibilty. While I’m sure he would have let do it and would have found me a place on the sidelines, I would never think of belittling college football by doing it.

    It’s sad that this is the kind of “press” we get at this level. There are great stories in D3. Sorry this clown got the ink.

  2. I wouldn’t even call this guy a clown. He’s entitled to play. But the sideshow stories seem to be the ones that get traction.

  3. Pat, I’m 59 and in very good shape, but my son’s pee we team could kick my butt. I’ll stick with my use of the word clown since I don’t feel anybody at this age seriously thinks they can play football. It’s just a stunt and I guess it worked. I hate to think he might take someone’s roster spot.

  4. Pat, I understand your point of view on this. You feel stories like this lack legitimacy and somehow become the only point of reference for non d3 fans. Perhaps I know more about the d3 world and can’t put myself in the shoes of non d3 readers. I view the story as a human interest story. I don’t see anything wrong with the story or with the 59 year old guy. I think if the guy was at a D1 school, the same story would have been written. Most of us have some regrets in life that we sould like to correct (or just address). This guy is doing it. I don’t think “clown” is appropriate. If I could suit up at 45 and not suffer financially…I’d do it. Also, I doubt very seriously he is taking up a roster spot as the other poster mentions….most teams do not have a finite number of roster positions. I could be wrong since I don’t know how SRU does things……oh well…just another point of view. It’s interesting to me to read how others view the world.

  5. Ahh, now get it, I don’t have a problem with the story either. The problem is when stories like this are the only ones some media outlets publish.

  6. I don’t think the guy’s a clown – I say this partly because, even at an out-of-shape 32, I’m convinced I’ll someday be in the NBA and I hope the AP writes a story about it – but I can also understand the frustration. Having written my share of man bites dog stories, it is going to often be the unusual that gets attention, especially in sports or divisions that don’t get as much press. It’s like when a girl would make the wrestling team and a feature would be written about her. Parents would call the next day wondering why there was never anything about their 125-pounder, even though he made it to the section finals. I don’t have a problem with a story being written about him, you just hope, as Pat wrote, that papers, magazines and web sites dig for the other D3 stories. Because they’ll often be just as fascinating, if not as unusual.

  7. I think it’s funny to see an old man belittle another old man’s dream. Are we supposed to think all 59 year-old men are frail and weak? What ever happened to “old men’s strength”?

  8. Most people calling this guy a clown have never played competitive sports at a level higher than High School. I myself often wished I could return but place barriers in the way as an excuse I guess. I left Sam Houston State University back in 1991, feeling patriotic to join the U.S. Navy. Yes, I was on a full ride and recruited by other schools such as Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin, etc, etc, and couldnt watch college football on T.V. for my first two year in the military. Not until I saw Chris Weinke play for Florida State did I realize I could actually return and play. I am now 36 and in better shape than alot of “kids” half my age. Competing at that level stays in your system, thats why you see so many athletes return from retirement. He’d be a clown if he had the opportunity and didn’t try, because you only live once. Michael Jordan failed at playing baseball but at least he tried regardless of what other people thought and he helped the team in other ways. Even if this guy doesn’t play a down, he has leadership ability and can be positive in the locker room, like a player coach. Its true that D III football produces great athletes but it will never get the press of “major” programs, so any positive press is good press, especially if the head coach thinks this guy would be an asset to the team.

  9. I think Flynt’s story is a great one and the AP (of all people) did a really nice job with it.

    We had a shot at being first on this story a week or so ago, and we decided we would wait to see if Flynt was for real, if he made the team.

    Turned out he did and we never heard back, or didn’t pursue it quickly enough (then again, we did have something else rather important on our plate).

    I see where Pat’s coming from. It’s along the lines of whenever a female comes out for football, someone runs to write the story about her even if she’s backup kicker or the team has some warrior at middle linebacker that’s fought through 5 surgeries to come back and play. It can be a bit of an insult to the rest of the team that a newcomer who hasn’t done anything gets the spotlight. That was part of our thinking in waiting to see if Flynt became a real member of the team and not some guy who tried out and found he couldn’t hack it.

    On the flip side, most of us know there is no story if there is no hook, no reason for people to want to read it.

    In Flynt’s story, the hook is that he’s 59, but the meat of it, what’s really interesting, is that he held the regrets all these years and after the team reunion, he felt like he had let his team down.

    That’s really what made it go for me.

    But, you know, everyone’s not interested in reading about Division III football the way we are. Some people, casual fans or fans of sport in general, just aren’t going to get into our stories without the easy hooks. And while that may be a shame, it doesn’t really lead me to resent the mainstream media for how we’re treated. It’s what they do. It’s why they’re mainstream.

    I’m fine with knowing what kind of athletes (or student-athletes) Division III kids are, and while it would be nice for everyone to know about it too, I feel like there’s a significant group who cares and who follows along on the site already, and they follow for all the right reasons same as we played for all the right reasons. I’d hate for it to become a thing like … you ever get into some music or a movie that only you and a few other people know about and appreciate, and then it blows up, and the popularity factor sort of cheapens it?

  10. From my vantage point, this is a story that epitomizes the challenge in trying to reconcile intent and perception. Inherent in Pat’s remarks is that such a story would not have garnered attention were Mike Flynt trying out to make the squad of a DI team. Pat knows the sports writers’ fraternity better than me, and his opinion may be accurate. Personally, I didn’t perceive the intent of the writer to minimize in any way the quality of DIII athletics.

  11. I think we have a journalism textbook case of a “man biting a dog.” It doesn’t happen everyday so it becomes “news” of human interest. In attempting to keep off burdensome weight at age 51, I enjoy playing basketball. In Alfred, I have plenty of opportunities to play ball….with college students. On one such occasion at the gym, following the football team’s spring speed and strength tests, I walked up to AU’s fastest player and told him “I’ll race you to the bleachers, on your mark, get set, go!” and took off for the bleachers. Dumbfounded, he watched as I ran to the bleachers and back and declared victory. I then told him, “You’re a slow starter and Alfred football is in big trouble if the bass drum player in the pep band is faster than the fastest Saxon.”
    I have often reminded Coach Murray of my eligibility for football but he apparently believes I’m of much more value to the team in the stands with the band.

  12. What I’ve been trying to figure out is how on earth he is eligible, after competing for 3 years, earning an undergrad degree elsewhere, and then taking about 37 years off, give or take. Doesn’t that violate the 10 semester or 15 quarter limit (after time of first enrollment) for use of eligibility?!

    I presume Sul Ross looked into this before approving his enrollment and participation, and everything was kosher somehow. Is there some exception of which I am not aware? Perhaps Flynt was, ahem, “grandfathered” in by participating prior to initiation of such rules? Sorry, bad pun, I know.

  13. Aha, simple enough… my silly misunderstanding of the rule’s application was the problem. Thanks, Pat.

  14. God Bless the guy for trying. I certainly understand why the papers picked up on it.

    I am realtivley new to d3 and am always checking the local papers and sports magazines for any write up about d3 football. Obviously, there isn’t much coverage and we all know why. It really is a shame because until you get into d3 you have no idea of the history, rivalries and quality of play that exists.

    I agree with Pat in that it would be really nice if the media would give more coverage to the heart and sould of d3 football, that is, the game itself. Maybe that will change if more players get drafted into the NFL.

    If more media people read KICKOFF they would have a better understanding of d3 and we might get more positive coverage.

  15. Just discussed on PTI.

    Kornheiser kept saying “Deeeee-Three” like there was something wrong with it, but overall the spot wasn’t too terrible. Wilbon = pretty rational opinion, as usual.

    As far as more mainstream media picking up on our stories, or reading Kickoff or more of us getting drafted into the NFL … that’s not something I’m personally after.

    We are who we are and what we are.

    Unless people care to acknowledge that (that we’re students who can also play some pretty good football, even if a lot of us are a step low or a couple inches short of ideal), it’s not really something that I need to see a big change on.

    In other words, it would be nice to get more coverage that truly gets after the heart of what we’re about. But it’s also not something I crave, in the sense that the extra recognition would change how I feel about the game at this level.

    I suspect a lot of readers can relate.

    As I said once elsewhere (the NAIA thread on Post Patterns, I think), I’m not much interested in hearing what people who don’t have a clue about Division III football think about it. I’m just not.

  16. I think this is what D3 football is about. I played D3 football from 99-03 and I am happy to see D3 football on ESPN (Mike & Mike Morning Show), Yahoo Sports and ESPN. I glad to see D3 finally get some recognition in the college football world. D3 has lots of good players and no one ever really here’s about D3 football. Getting a little recognition is a great thing.

    I have a old friend who coaches at Sul Ross and the 59 year old beanches 410 and ran a 5.0 fourty. Not meany 22 year old linebacks can do that.

    Good luck to the man.

  17. I think the whole issue has been overdone…This isn’t the first time this situation has occured….If you remember, in the mid 90’s, a gentlemen of relatively the same age tried out and made the football team at Oberlin in Ohio. He’s not a pioneer or the first person outside of the normal age range to play a collegiate sport, so why this has grabbed the headlines so, so much I do not understand. I agree with the idea that atleast D-3 is getting national publicity, we’re getting face time on ESPN and the other media outlets, and its a positive story….A positive story and national media attention is a great combination….Atleast they aren’t mentioning steroids, gambling, or dog fighting in the same breath as d-3 athletics!

  18. I was O.K. with the story as well….the only negative scenario I could come up with was that some folks will look at it and say…see anyone can play D3 ball and somehow that would detract from the true quality of play within the division.

  19. http://www.powerbasefitness.com/sports-and-education.htm

    The above is the video clip for the training device that Mike Flynt has invented. You can see Mike as he is teaching how to use the device.

    You look at Mike’s physical condition and do not realize that he is 59 years old.

    The problem with the media, sports media at the least, is that they overlook the big story in this, which is the relationships. The student-athletes at SRSU are not that unique not to benefit from the one-on-one relationship with a man such as Mike. That is a relationship which many young men in America have not experienced. Moreover, Mike Flynt, the player, is the guy running windsprints with his teammates and doing conditioning drills. Thus, Mike has a different access to student-athletes to influence behavior.

    I think that excitement for us D3 fans will be to see the development of the fellow student-athletes who have contact with Mike. It does not make for a flashy story, but it conveys the deeper values that we seek in D3 athletics.

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