Mail: Big 12 anger, denial, theories

Hey, look, I’ve got mail. Dear Geoff, I don’t believe Memphis has been eliminated from the Big 12. Otherwise, the university would make a statement like other schools that have been eliminated.

John Dear John, You can believe what you like — a stunning number of people are simply refusing to believe the news — but Memphis has been eliminated. As for the decision of Memphis officials not to say anything, I think that’s a mistake. They evidently believe they are bound by the nondisclosure agreement they signed with the Big 12, even now that the quest has ended. But how can the university effectively move past the disappointment if it can’t even acknowledge the disappointment? Instead, fans and supporters are left to their own emotional devices, which (for some) includes denial. Dear Geoff, Let’s organize a boycott of anything to do with the Big 12 and have FedEx lead the way. Use your column to encourage FedEx to be as petty as it can possibly be.

Jody Dear Jody, I do not encourage pettiness unless John Calipari is involved. Dear Geoff, You can publish my view on the Big 12, which is the Liberty Bowl game affiliation should be shifted to the AAC or AAC and frankly there should be a public petition and local boycott of that game considering the Big 12’s perceptions of this city and its institutions and corporate sponsors.

Danny Dear Danny, I understand the sentiment, I really do. The Big 12 didn’t just eliminate Memphis, it embarrassed Memphis, publicly and unnecessarily. Having said that, the Liberty Bowl is in the midst of a six-year deal with the Big 12 that began in 2014. It can’t just “shift” to the AAC or the ACC. And while a boycott might be emotionally satisfying, it would only hurt the Liberty Bowl itself, a local institution that has always done well by this town.