In our minds “YESTERDAY” could be a day ago…week ago, month ago, years ago.  But…changes take place constantly. Let’s take a peek at the sports world changes from YESTERDAY!

…in the YESTERDAY of college athletes…it was assumed that a High School athlete would, enter the college of his/her choice, stay there, play their sport, have tutors if necessary, and graduate in 4 years.

…BILLIKENS GAME FROM YESTERDAY!  In the final regular season home game (often referred to as SENIOR game), the Billikens continued to make a “pitch” for post-season play as they beat Loyola (Chicago) 79-65 in front of another packed “house”. There were some special moments. Inserted into the lineup on this final home game, was Jaden Schertz. While the Billikens have several players with very strong statistics for this season, clearly Schertz received the loudest, longest applause when announced as a starter for this game.

…After the game, SLU held a “Senior Night” with the fans. Coach Josh Schertz spoke after senior managers and players had been introduced as the vast majority of fans remained. He had many kind words for fans, for his roster but again….the loudest cheers were for Jaden Schertz.  Ya know…it has to be tough playing D-1 basketball for your Dad  who has all kinds of pressure to do 1 thing—WIN! Clearly Jaden Schertz wasn’t the star or even a regular starter but apparently he gave it “his all”.  His fellow teammates, fans AND the Coach (his Dad) had to appreciate his wonderful effort. And… the fans did too…again, Jaden Schertz received thunderous clapping when his name was announced. It really was a special moment.

… Today, the vast majority of the HS athletes don’t reach the College level in athletics. For example in football, 7.5% of HS players play collegiate football with only 3% competing @ D-1 level. In Basketball, a move to the next level is similar—only 3.6% of HS basketball players play college ball. That figure sinks to 1% playing @ D-1 level!! It really doesn’t vary as much as you might think in other sports. For example, in soccer, 6.1% of HS players compete at college level with just 1.4% at the D-1 level. In baseball, 8.1% of HS baseball players reach collegiate level with 2.4% playing @ D-1 level.

….you’re maybe thinking…well, girls sports are different..well, think again… take a look…in volleyball, 3.9%  of high school players reach the NCAA sports with 1.2% @ D-1. In softball, it’s 6.3% play of HS players attain collegiate ball level with 2.0% playing D-1 Softball. In Women’s basketball, it’s 4.5% of HS players reach the collegiate level with 1.4% attaining D-1 status. I could list other sports but the numbers correspond in a similar way.

…I’m not even going to open the door about NIL payments or payments for transfers…that’s an article in itself!

… SPORTS THEMSELVES have changed in many ways from YESTERDAY! Take a look at changes in  relatively recent times. In the last 15 years, these changes have taken place in the sports world.

…Let’s start with CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY IN NHL! Almost as always, it starts with money. Since the 2005-06 season, the league has been operating in a salary-cap financial system with a salary Team cap reaching $95.5M+ in 2025–26. This adds equally across the league. Now….it’s true that not all teams spend the maximum but…it’s closer than a system w/o a cap.

….The NHL NEXT MADE CHANGES ELIMINATING TIE GAMES.  Hence if the score was tied at the end of regulation, 3 on 3 in overtime & shootouts came into play. A winner was assured while the loser, who lost in the shootouts, gained a point in the standings.

…CHANGES FOR MLB FROM YESTERDAY…in 2012, MLB baseball expanded its playoff field by adding two wild-card teams by expanding to 10 playoff teams. That change has already had a major impact on the outcome of the postseason. Unless a team is “really loaded” with highly skilled players, some now think that this “off week” becomes a disadvantage!!

…Other CHANGES in the MLB—THE PITCH CLOCK—As of 2023, pitchers had 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. LIMITS TO THROWS TO 1B with RUNNERS ON BASE– Pitchers are now limited to two disengagements (pickoff throws or step-offs) per plate appearance. A third unsuccessful attempt results in a balk, which moves the runner up a base. …MORE MLB CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY…DEFENSIVE SHIFT REGULATIONS–Infield shifts, a strategy used in the infield to overload one side (usually 1b side), had become so prevalent that they prevented players, particularly left-handed hitters, from getting on base. To help ensure a smoother game play and to prevent it from completely stunting hits & batting averages for left-handed hitting players, the MLB now requires 2 infielders to be on each side of second base, and all infielders must have both feet within the infield dirt when the pitch is delivered.

…STILL MORE MLB CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY.. LARGER BASES… a seemingly small thing of increasing bases from 15in square to 18 inches square has strengthened the game more than expected. That additional 3-in on each side of the square reduces the distances between first and second base and between second and third base. Since most plays come down to a split second, and batters are now focused on aggressive baserunning & base stealing—every single inch makes a difference. The increased base size has significantly increased the running game in the MLB—especially stolen bases.

…CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY in the NBA–PACE OF THE GAME has really accelerated! Teams are averaging 99.3 possessions per game, an 8.7% increase from the previous decade. A tremendous Increase in 3-Point Shooting! Teams averaged 48 3-pt attempts/game in the 24-25 season. Remember, there are only 48 minutes in an entire NBA game!! Tie these 2 stats together, 99.3 possessions with almost half of them having a 3-pt shot (48/game). With that type of perimeter shooting, the very brisk pace up & down the court, it’s clear that the NBA days of having a single, dominant post player lead you to a victory on his back is long gone!

…more NBA changes from YESTERDAY…The game has become faster, with players, who all are very athletic & usually, very tall, moving quickly & seemingly, constantly while playing more positions, leading to a more balanced and versatile team composition. “Set” plays are very rare, it’s player movement that creates space for the ballhandler, while moving to spots that could make the off-the-ball players dangerous as scorers if their defender tries to “help” on the ball. Have you seen how far out these professionals shoot from?  It’s incredible!! In St Louis since the Hawks left in 1968 for Atlanta, NBA (No Body’s Attention) “talk”  or NBA references are very rare in local discussions.

 …CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY FOR COLLEGE SPORTS…….COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS college football–finally providing football with a true national championship game. In a few years later, the NCAA modified the system by adding teams to become the College Football Playoffs. Look for this “playoff system” to continue to grow over time. Each round makes the NCAA too much money to pass up extending the post season!

…MORE CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL–  NCAA men’s basketball tournament which began in 1939 with 8 teams competing in the tourney, has grown many times-over. Most recently, the NCAA added 4 teams to the field in 2011, bringing the total to 68. The addition of the “First Four” games had an immediate, positive impact, with Virginia Commonwealth (seeded #11 in their region) advancing all the way to the Final Four (by beating USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State & #1 seed Kansas) to reach the National Semifinal. That quickly dispelled thoughts that the NCAA had “gone too far” in the expansion. Further, that the NCAA had more “balance” across the entire bracket than any other sport.

…One of my suggestions to be considered would be to have the NIT tournament start earlier and have its champion come in as an additional NCAA game in round 2 or 3. It would surely add interest to the NIT tournament, which for a significant amount of time, was viewed as “THE” post-season basketball tourney in the NCAA. Since the NCAA & NIT are no longer competitors (NCAA now owns it), why not? Btw…NCAA bought the NIT in 2005 for $56.5 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit.

…There are ALWAYS more changes but let’s not overdo it😊 Thanks for your read!  Your thoughts/comments are always invited. Bob