What is there to say about South Dakota State running back Nate White's death, just over 24 hours after it was reported on Wednesday?
The tragedy — with details yet public — rightfully hovers a cloud over the program, the FCS, and the regional sports scene, trivializing normal day-to-day events and hot sports topics.
But "Nobody's Listening Anyway" hosts John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer make what they can about a 21-year-old transfer from Wisconsin who was expected to be the starter and gained a boatload of respect and adulation from his new teammates in Brookings.
Before this shocking event, the top current issue regarding Jackrabbit Athletics was the looming decision to "opti in" (or not) to the NCAA-House Setttlement that allows schools to share revenue with athletes and changes the NIL model. As of the recording, athetlic director Justin Sell — who spoke on the topic for 90 minutes on Happy Hour last week — had yet to announce the decision, which comes with a June 30 deadline.
John and Matt discuss why USD went all-in over a week ago and why SDSU is still mulling it over, not to mention why this might not be as big a deal at these mid-major schools as it is in Power Four leagues.
This leads to reaction USD athletic director Jon Schemmel's remarks on Wednesday's Happy Hour about the lingering attendance struggles — with upticks in the past year, Schemmel said — at football and basketball games, and what would bring more fans, which leads to the latest discussion of attendance at for the Canaries, who have won 15 of their last 20 games, are 13-5 at The Birdcage, and sport the third-best record and the highest-scoring, hottest-hitting lineup in their league.