A phenomenon observed by the  the more surly types is what they call the “drawbridge effect.” That’s where a group of over class types occupy a formerly beaten down area, setting about to approve it. Once it gets going, they begin to raise the drawbridge to keep the riff-raff out. That usually mean jacking up taxes, layering on regulations and limiting real estate. Cambridge Mass is a good example. Try building a house in that city and you will be met with a massive wall of regulation. That’s why no one builds houses there. Try to convert a building to apartments and the same thing happens. That’s why the population of Cambridge Mass is lower than it was in 1950.

We may be seeing something similar in the world of college sports. This story shows how it works. In this case, the big five conferences have hoovered up all of the good properties. They have left the undesirable properties in what they call the mid-major conferences. All of the conference commissioners have indicated two things. One is they are no longer interested in adding teams. The other thing is they now want special rules for themselves. They are, after all, the elite. In America these days, there is one set of laws for the prols and another set for the over class. They will lock in place the bulk of the revenue. They will setup rules that make it impossible for the prols to compete. But, they will need the prols for home coming games and early season cannon fodder.

The sound you hear is the raising of the drawbridge.

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