Cyrus Benjamin Merrill

Proud teacher-3 of my 8th graders just won an all expense paid trip to NYC to meet w/ Hamilton cast (when Broadway reopens) after writing a historical rap for a competition...they literally wrote their own music/chord progressions & lyrics & research too! I wish I could share!

What if someone made an Instagram meets EDM fantasy?-would it look like this?. Do people still use this app? I feel so sorry for those that contributed so much of their collective energy to it. Happy Easter world.

@wilnerhotline C’mon Jon you Ott to come back and own your first tweet.

This is a big one for Cal.

@wilnerhotline Don’t forget attorneys arguing over the conference asset scraps?

Source: Biggest winners in realignment are the attorneys for plaintiffs challenging the NCAA economic model. “They’re salivating. How can the schools possibly argue against the NLRB - that the players aren’t employees - after all this?”

@wilnerhotline How much Fox scheming was about keeping Apple out of the CFB business as everyone moves to streaming in the next few years. And since everyone is moving that way can apple still get in? What impact does all of the cost cutting at espn/Disney imply for future revenue?

Hotline mailbag will publish Thursday this week. Questions? Hit me here. And if necessary to get everything covered, we'll publish installments throughout the weekend.

@tjsgyms @wilnerhotline This continues to perplex me as espn lays off staff and streaming being the apparent model in the next five years -Ie before the next media cycle is finished.

@wilnerhotline Why is no one discussing the reality of streaming being the next choice for viewing as big media’s values continue to plummet due to cord cuttting?

Stanford & Cal in the Big Ten made zero sense until now, when it makes the most sense ... if Fox will pay for it. The Bay Area schools seek a new home wp.me/p7ShJJ-GeAf

@saki_milton @espn Try the other ESPN channels. They had different broadcast versions on different channels. But I do agree-those other versions were a little comical.

Hey @espn! Can y’all just put back the regular view (full screen)?? Like…I don’t need to see the coaches on the sideline the entire game. Just a suggestion. #thistoomuch

Grant Wahl loved the game-he joined a small conversation I was in on social media and even offered to talk to my middle school students-while they will not get that chance -the greater loss was to the world at large. He was a fan and even more so an incredible humanitarian.

@PopulismUpdates @mrjeffu A balone-I would never sealieve such a slick fella.

An otter has predicted victory for Japan in their upcoming World Cup match against Germany (via @mrjeffu)

@PopulismUpdates @mrjeffu I would like to sea the otter otter pick becup he might sea otter details.

@PopulismUpdates @mrjeffu How did he pick the otter matches?

@PopulismUpdates @mrjeffu He really otter know better.

Go my wife! What every adult needs for a birthday gift-Ted Lasso Little People figurines. First-a team jacket and now these! AFC Richmond till I die! #TedLasso #AFCrichmond #beagoldfish

@michaleen @IAmJeffMcCulley @wilnerhotline Terry Donahue, Jackie Robinson and Troy Aikman. Jonathan Ogden? Kenny Easley

@IAmJeffMcCulley @wilnerhotline I would be fascinated to hear the responses of people around the country if you asked them who is the first person they associate with UCLA football.

UCLA's brand is stronger across the country than Pac-12 fans on the West Coast realize, even in all the truck stop towns

@wilnerhotline @Aquinas82nd There are a few different articles out about AI approaches isolating the value of viewing vis-a-vis football teams. In the current realignment drama and “eyeballs” being measured differently-how to measure seems almost as dynamic as the conference alignments themselves.

One option for the #Pac12 and #Big12: Join forces, create a network, marginalize the ACC, add SDSU and lock down 10 of the nation's top-30 markets bayareane.ws/3arSRHc Thanks to @Aquinas82nd for the insight

Civics matters. npr.org/2021/01/26/959…

@wilnerhotline And Stanford recruits nationally so it doesn’t really affect the La area as much?

@wilnerhotline If Notre dame were to eventually jump/choose the big10 is Stanford actually in better or worse position than cal and some others the conferences expand to 20 or 24 (doubtful beyond 20imho with payouts being diluted) because they already play Notre dame every year?

The unpopular answer is that the sport needs both conferences to succeed. They are pitted against each other because leadership in college football is a seven-letter word: ESPNFOX

@wilnerhotline Jon-a sense on the final size of the now duopoly of elite conferences? 20 teams? 24? I suspect they would not want to dilute their payouts unless it is a long term grow the whole pie or national market? And is the big10 then also becoming the “national” brand conference?

@VinceintheBay For all the talk of the Big 10 being made up with world class research institutions (and now U$C) you would think they would have learned how to count past 10. At least the Pac-12 R.I.P. changed its name when it went from PAC 8 to 10 to 12 #pac12 #big1G #screwfoxsports

Looking forward to the day when there’s just one ginormous mega college sports conference called The Big 100 Conference or something.

@VinceintheBay This is making me so angry. Money rules, but a modicum of tradition or regional feel was nice and now long gone.