'16 CA DE Oluwole Betiku (USC Verbal)

[GoldenDome]

Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers disagree.

 

[JTLA]

Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers disagree.

Ummm.... how was the weather where they went to school?

As an ex-Chicagoan living in LA, I don't fault anyone for recognizing the value of nice weather.

 

[irish4ever]

I know other posters have mentioned this previously, but it annoys me when people make a post like this.

When players get drafted they don't have a choice what City they are going to. when they hit free agency they may have a handful of choices.

But going to college these 17 year old kids actually get to choose which school they will attend. So if the kid wants to spend 3 to 4 years in nice weather in SoCal on the beach, knowing in 3 to 4 years they could be drafted to a cold City, why not control your own destiny as it pertains to beautiful weather.

You only live once and you only experience college once.

So what you are saying is he should enjoy college in a warm(er) area of the country and IF he gets drafted by a cold weather NFL team he should sign a one year contract and then have the luxury to hold out as a FA to play for a warm weather NFL team. Hmmm, interesting concept (I suppose).

 

[NDinL.A.]

So what you are saying is he should enjoy college in a warm(er) area of the country and IF he gets drafted by a cold weather NFL team he should sign a one year contract and then have the luxury to hold out as a FA to play for a warm weather NFL team. Hmmm, interesting concept (I suppose).

No, the point is, why should he spend 3-5 years in cold weather when he doesn't have to? If he gets drafted by a pro team in a cold weather city, that still doesn't mean he should have gone to a cold weather school. If you have spent most of your life in a warm weather climate and don't like cold weather, and you can go to a very good school (USC sells great academics even if their football players take easy courses) right down the street from your house, why would you go to a cold weather school?

There's a reason why so many people move to CA, TX, AZ and FL et al. Not sure why so many people think he's a pussy for admitting to hating the cold, especially when this very site has a thread dedicated for bitching about the cold lol. To each his own. Seems like a good kid too...

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

No, the point is, why should he spend 3-5 years in cold weather when he doesn't have to? If he gets drafted by a pro team in a cold weather city, that still doesn't mean he should have gone to a cold weather school. If you have spent most of your life in a warm weather climate and don't like cold weather, and you can go to a very good school (USC sells great academics even if their football players take easy courses) right down the street from your house, why would you go to a cold weather school?

There's a reason why so many people move to CA, TX, AZ and FL et al. Not sure why so many people think he's a pussy for admitting to hating the cold, especially when this very site has a thread dedicated for bitching about the cold lol. To each his own. Seems like a good kid too...

Always shocked me Hawaii doesn't get more high 3 star low 4 stars guys because of this.
If your not going to a p5 conference why not spend 4 years in Hawaii?

 

[Irish#1]

Ummm.... how was the weather where they went to school?

As an ex-Chicagoan living in LA, I don't fault anyone for recognizing the value of nice weather.

I hear ya. Chicago winters can be brutal.

 

[Domina Nostra]

No, the point is, why should he spend 3-5 years in cold weather when he doesn't have to? If he gets drafted by a pro team in a cold weather city, that still doesn't mean he should have gone to a cold weather school. If you have spent most of your life in a warm weather climate and don't like cold weather, and you can go to a very good school (USC sells great academics even if their football players take easy courses) right down the street from your house, why would you go to a cold weather school?

There's a reason why so many people move to CA, TX, AZ and FL et al. Not sure why so many people think he's a pussy for admitting to hating the cold, especially when this very site has a thread dedicated for bitching about the cold lol. To each his own. Seems like a good kid too...

You go to the school that gives you the best overall opportunity. Making the best choice despite nipply weather 4 months a year, at the very least, makes you tougher.

So many people were moving to California because of jobs, and culture, AND nice weather. But now they are moving from Califormia to other places with much less pleasant weather (Texas and Arizona and Colorado) for better overall lives.

And historically, lots and lots of people have moved to New York and Chicago from warm weather places because of jobs and culture.

It's one thing if you are old and can't take harsh winters. Or if you want to break a tie to stay close to family. But don't go to a warm school just to have a nice spring semester. That's just soft.

 

[NDinL.A.]

You go to the school that gives you the best overall opportunity. Making the best choice despite nipply weather 4 months a year, at the very least, makes you tougher.

So many people were moving to California because of jobs, and culture, AND nice weather. But now they are moving from Califormia to other places with much less pleasant weather (Texas and Arizona and Colorado) for better overall lives.

And historically, lots and lots of people have moved to New York and Chicago from warm weather places because of jobs and culture.

It's one thing if you are old and can't take harsh winters. Or if you want to break a tie to stay close to family. But don't go to a warm school just to have a nice spring semester. That's just soft.

Yeah, but you're acting like he chose Azusa Pacific for football and college. He simply told himself he was going to go to a warm-weather school. That left LOTS of good schools for him to choose from. And look, I HATE USC, but they offer a ton of other things besides the weather. A lot of successful football players have come from that school.

Bill Simmons often says that if he could give advice to High School Bill Simmons, his number one thing would be to go to a warm-weather college. Obviously just one example, but I'm just saying, here are lots of people out there who feel that way. Doesn't make anyone a pussy...just different strokes for different folks. I moved OUT of SoCal to a cold-weather state, but I wouldn't have done that when I was 18. Wasn't mature enough. I don't blame anyone for doing what suits them best.

 

[PANDFAN]

Always shocked me Hawaii doesn't get more high 3 star low 4 stars guys because of this.
If your not going to a p5 conference why not spend 4 years in Hawaii?

money to travel home during breaks...they aint cheap flights, complete lack of exposure

 

[GoldenDome]

Ummm.... how was the weather where they went to school?

As an ex-Chicagoan living in LA, I don't fault anyone for recognizing the value of nice weather.

Bro

 

[MNIrishman]

Sure, weather can be a side factor, but if you're turning down opportunities exclusively because it gets a little chilly sometimes, you're a loser. Now, if the cold thing is ancillary to 'I would rather spend my time playing in a half empty stadium and clubbing instead of schoolwork,' that makes sense. ND just doesn't offer those things.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Yeah, but you're acting like he chose Azusa Pacific for football and college. He simply told himself he was going to go to a warm-weather school. That left LOTS of good schools for him to choose from. And look, I HATE USC, but they offer a ton of other things besides the weather. A lot of successful football players have come from that school.

Bill Simmons often says that if he could give advice to High School Bill Simmons, his number one thing would be to go to a warm-weather college. Obviously just one example, but I'm just saying, here are lots of people out there who feel that way. Doesn't make anyone a pussy...just different strokes for different folks. I moved OUT of SoCal to a cold-weather state, but I wouldn't have done that when I was 18. Wasn't mature enough. I don't blame anyone for doing what suits them best.

LOL. Bill Simmons is the poster child for the weak, whiny, amoral, spectating Ameican male. He's funny and a clever writer, but NO ONE should be taking any life advice from him. He may be sentimental, but he's a nihilistic hedonist at heart.

The implicit thinking seems to be everyone makes immature decisions as an 18 yo, therefore immaturity is normal, therefore an immature decision to avoid uncomfortable temperatures doesn't make someone a p---y. But I'm suggesting that it does. You--like many of us--may, in fact, have been a p---y as an 18 yo.

While wanting to enjoy 4 years of nice weather is understandable for soft teenagers like us who aspire to desk jobs, its a bad menatlity for a football player to have. The arguemnt that you might get drafted to play in Green Bay is relevant IMO. It's like an aspiring Navy Seal picking a school to avoid early morning classes so he can sleep in. This weakness does get exploited from time to time when warm weather schools are forced to play in cold weather.

Turning down an incredible 4 year opportunity when you are 18 because the weather is cold (and we are not talking Siberia or even N. Dakota or Alaska), is weaksauce. Now going to USC or Stanford because you think they are the best school for you is different. That is not at all what I am talking about. The nice weather should be a pleasant bonus, just like proximity to Chicago is a bonus for ND. It might even be a tie-breaker (choosing Duke over Penn). But its not a worthy criterion for a future NFL player.

This what camp Kelly is all about.

 

[gkIrish]

Yeah, but you're acting like he chose Azusa Pacific for football and college. He simply told himself he was going to go to a warm-weather school. That left LOTS of good schools for him to choose from. And look, I HATE USC, but they offer a ton of other things besides the weather. A lot of successful football players have come from that school.

Bill Simmons often says that if he could give advice to High School Bill Simmons, his number one thing would be to go to a warm-weather college. Obviously just one example, but I'm just saying, here are lots of people out there who feel that way. Doesn't make anyone a pussy...just different strokes for different folks. I moved OUT of SoCal to a cold-weather state, but I wouldn't have done that when I was 18. Wasn't mature enough. I don't blame anyone for doing what suits them best.

Yeah it's not like USC is a bad school. They actually offer an excellent education. People act like they would choose to live in Siberia over California if it meant they would make an extra $20,000 per year. What good is extra money if you are sacrificing happiness to get it?

 

[gkIrish]

LOL. Bill Simmons is the poster child for the weak, whiny, amoral, spectating Ameican male. He's funny and a clever writer, but NO ONE should be taking any life advice from him. He may be sentimental, but he's a nihilistic hedonist at heart.

I would take life advice from a multimillionaire who came from a middle class background and basically has a dream job. Seems like he could actually give me a lot of good advice.

 

[MNIrishman]

Yeah it's not like USC is a bad school. They actually offer an excellent education. People act like they would choose to live in Siberia over California if it meant they would make an extra $20,000 per year. What good is extra money if you are sacrificing happiness to get it?

There is no correlation between temperature and average happiness. Business insider reports that three of the happiest states are Montana, Alaska, and Maine. It's easy to dismiss those places if you've never lived there, but on average, people who move there and stay love their home in a big way. So I'd buy the weather=happiness argument a lot more from someone who had experienced it both ways (like Mark Ingram) rather than someone who's making choices based on Californian stereotypes of the Midwest.

 

[gkIrish]

There is no correlation between temperature and average happiness. Business insider reports that three of the happiest states are Montana, Alaska, and Maine. It's easy to dismiss those places if you've never lived there, but on average, people who move there and stay love their home in a big way. So I'd buy the weather=happiness argument a lot more from someone who had experienced it both ways (like Mark Ingram).

People who live in Montana, Alaska, and Maine are there because they are not like most other people (that's not a criticism btw).

Show me a poll that says the average American would rather live in a cold weather state than a warm weather state.

Regardless, it doesn't even matter what the general public thinks. If this kid would be happier in warmer weather then that is his absolute right to go to a school in CA and I don't judge him for it considering he isn't going to some B.S. school.

 

[MNIrishman]

People who live in Montana, Alaska, and Maine are there because they are not like most other people (that's not a criticism btw).

Show me a poll that says the average American would rather live in a cold weather state than a warm weather state.

Regardless, it doesn't even matter what the general public thinks. If this kid would be happier in warmer weather then that is his absolute right to go to a school in CA and I don't judge him for it considering he isn't going to some B.S. school.

That study is a response to the implication that cold weather is a metric for unhappiness. In response to the player's specific decision, I said it was stupid to make a call based on Californian stereotypes of a place he has never lived. Indiana just isn't that cold, and while you're in college, you don't have to clean off cars or shovel driveways. Besides, college is an opportunity to go somewhere new for a few years. It's foolish not to avail yourself of that opportunity.

 

[gkIrish]

How does going to a school with colder weather somehow make him a better man?

Should people marry someone who makes them happy or someone who might make life a bit easier for them from a financial perspective? The choice here really isn't that different...

 

[Whiskeyjack]

How does going to a school with colder weather somehow make him a better man?

Should people marry someone who makes them happy or someone who might make life a bit easier for them from a financial perspective? The choice here really isn't that different...

You should marry someone who makes you a better person; not someone who makes you "happy" or improves your material circumstances.

 

[gkIrish]

You should marry someone who makes you a better person; not someone who makes you "happy" or improves your material circumstances.

Ok...so do you think every single player in the country should want to go to Notre Dame because Notre Dame generally makes you a better person?

 

[MNIrishman]

How does going to a school with colder weather somehow make him a better man?

Should people marry someone who makes them happy or someone who might make life a bit easier for them from a financial perspective? The choice here really isn't that different...

That's so asinine it defies comprehension. I'm talking about the value of using college to expand your worldview by experiencing something new and possibly uncomfortable for just a few years, and you're blithering on about marriage?

 

[NDWorld247]

That study is a response to the implication that cold weather is a metric for unhappiness. In response to the player's specific decision, I said it was stupid to make a call based on Californian stereotypes of a place he has never lived. Indiana just isn't that cold, and while you're in college, you don't have to clean off cars or shovel driveways. Besides, college is an opportunity to go somewhere new for a few years. It's foolish not to avail yourself of that opportunity.

Lol. The kid is from a village in Nigeria (where it's hot as fuck btw). He has the courage to chase a better life in the U.S. and in less than three years has already lived on both the east and west coast. But, you're right, he's foolish for not choosing to spend his college years someplace "new". This kid really should stop vegetating in that little corner of the earth we call LA and see the world.

 

[MNIrishman]

Ok...so do you think every single player in the country should want to go to Notre Dame because Notre Dame generally makes you a better person?

I think students should go to school where they will benefit the most, not where they think will be the easiest road.

 

[MNIrishman]

Lol. The kid is from a village in Nigeria (where it's hot as fuck btw). He has the courage to chase a better life in the U.S. and in less than three years has already lived on both the east and west coast. But, you're right, he's foolish for not choosing to spend his college years someplace "new". This kid really should stop vegetating in that little corner of the earth we call LA and see the world.

OK fair enough, I just saw the CA tag. This sentiment comes up often, and 99% of the time it represents an irritating level of short-sightedness. In general though, I stand by what I said.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Five or six years ago I was calling Ego Ferguson a pussy for picking LSU over ND because of the weather. Now he plays for the Bears (making millions). He got to spend his college career in warm weather at a powerhouse school and now he gets paid to live/play in cold weather. More power to him. I'm older now, and with each year, comes more complaining about the winter months. If I'm these kids, I may not pick a school solely on weather, but it might be a factor when narrowing things down. I don't see the problem with Betiku's comments at all.

Edit: I second what NDWorld said.

 

[Irish#1]

You should marry someone who makes you a better person; not someone who makes you "happy" or improves your material circumstances.

Think you missed the boat or misstated what you wanted to say? It's not like deciding on an elective (calculus vs. basket weaving) in school. There would be a lot more lousy marriages if we didn't marry someone who made us happy. My wife make me a better person, but she also makes me happy.

 

[MNIrishman]

Five or six years ago I was calling Ego Ferguson a pussy for picking LSU over ND because of the weather. Now he plays for the Bears (making millions). He got to spend his college career in warm weather at a powerhouse school and now he gets paid to live/play in cold weather. More power to him. I'm older now, and with each year, comes more complaining about the winter months. If I'm these kids, I may not pick a school solely on weather, but it might be a factor when narrowing things down. I don't see the problem with Betiku's comments at all.

Edit: I second what NDWorld said.

Something like 60% of NFL players eventually go bankrupt. I'd really like to see that figure broken down by school (especially ones like LSU where everyone takes general studies).

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Ok...so do you think every single player in the country should want to go to Notre Dame because Notre Dame generally makes you a better person?

Honestly? Yes. I think it's an objectively poor decision for almost any recruit with a Notre Dame offer to go elsewhere. No other program offers what we do.

But I'm not weighing in on if Betiku is a "pussy" for dismissing ND due to the weather. I simply took issue with your marriage analogy.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Think you missed the boat or misstated what you wanted to say? It's not like deciding on an elective (calculus vs. basket weaving) in school. There would be a lot more lousy marriages if we didn't marry someone who made us happy. My wife make me a better person, but she also makes me happy.

"Happiness" is a loaded word these days. Lots of people take it to mean "complacent" or "sufficient to my needs". Marriage is a life-long vocation that requires a lot of sacrifice. If you have the right perspective on it, that sacrifice will make you a much better man than you were as a bachelor, as well as offering you a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment. But if you get married looking for "happiness", things probably aren't going to end well.

 

[Irish#1]

"Happiness" is a loaded word these days. Lots of people take it to mean "complacent" or "sufficient to my needs". Marriage is a life-long vocation that requires a lot of sacrifice. If you have the right perspective on it, that sacrifice will make you a much better man than you were as a bachelor, as well as offering you a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment. But if you get married looking for "happiness", things probably aren't going to end well.

Agree, it's like women who marry for money. It's really not going to make you happy.