ESPN doesn't do subtle very well. But hey, at least it means more Eric Dickerson (who we should all be more familiar with after I interviewed him...right?), and that iz gud.
And just a personal note, the death penalty levied on SMU was the crown jewel in the death of the last golden era for my hometown. The Pony Express and the Cowboys put Dallas football at the top of the national football pyramid. We had really weird skyscrapers going up and a floating disco ball too. We had a t.v. show that made Patrick Duffy a semi-respectable actor and not a punchline. That's hard to do. But one by one, they all fell apart.
The story of SMU's demise and the final film in ESPN's 30 for 30 series, Pony Excess, airs immediately following this year's Heisman Trophy ceremony. Cam Newton's likely Heisman win doesn't exactly "recognize the outstanding player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity" (props to the site for keeping up Sam Bradford's 2008 photo up to sell the mission), but it's nothing compared to the ridiculous extent of SMU's cheating in the mid-80's. And Eric Dickerson.
Pony Excess airs at 9 p.m. ET, Dec. 11. Yay. (and extra points for reminding me that Dale Hansen hasn't always been old). Holler.