‘The distractions become bigger’: How will Ohio State, Notre Dame avoid losing focus amid CFP pregame hype?

Ohio State’s Ryan Day faces the media prior to the College Football Playoff championship game. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

ATLANTA — Maybe it’s the Dr Pepper “Playoffuary” Fan Experience, where cardboard standup of Sheriff Bosworth welcome you to a winding (and social media-friendly) college football wonderland. Maybe it’s the Chick-Fil-A inflatable helmet the size of a modest family home. Maybe it’s the scent of Eckrich, the Official Smoked Sausage And Deli Meat Sponsor of the College Football Playoff, or the 50-yard golden USA Football field that covers a huge chunk of the Georgia World Congress Center. Maybe it’s all these brand activations and more, a massive traveling sponsor circus that now accompanies the College Football Playoff. Whatever, the effect is inescapable. We’re a long, long way now from tailgates, Saturday afternoons and fight songs.

Welcome to the new world of the College Football Playoff. Branding and experiences are the rule, and the game is merely a pretext for it all. As Ohio State and Notre Dame prepare to battle for the national championship on Monday night in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the sponsor-driven pomp and circumstance have hit overwhelming levels. College football is now the NFL with younger players, better music and wilder storylines. Whether you think that’s a positive change or not doesn’t really matter; it’s here, and it’s not scaling back for the foreseeable future.

The level of spectacle will come as no shock to anyone who’s followed the sport through its explosive growth over the last few years, but it’s still a bit of an ironic disconnect. This sport that spent most of its existence hiding behind the fig leaf of “amateurism” has now wholly and completely dived into Super Bowl-level excess.

It’s a good thing players are getting paid for…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-18 18:37:00

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