The reason, of course, is that the NFL has decided to pursue with nose tackle-like force anyone who utters or writes the words “S**** B***®” without paying a licensing fee.

In the past, rabid NFL lawyers (or more specifically, four law firms it has unleashed) have gone after anyone – even churches who announced plans for an afternoon of fellowship while watching the S**** B*** game. In 2007, the NFL went so far as trying to usurp the words “big game” in a trademark claim – but fortunately that heavy-handed legal maneuver failed. (One other warning, from the over-lawyered league: if you are watching the S**** B*** on a screen that is larger than 55”, you may be in violation of the copyright claimed by the NFL.)

One irony is that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is married to a television news broadcaster. I wonder – when they’re conversing over dinner, whether he refers to it as the big game, the NFL championship, or the S**** B***?

The first story was about cutbacks at the University of Sioux Falls. The article said eleven to 16 staff members would be dismissed immediately; four to eight faculty members will leave at the end of the term. Those who keep their jobs will see an immediate nine percent pay cut.

The other story was picked up off the AP wire, headlined “Ferentz gets seven-year extension to coach Iowa.” Curious about why any college coach in today’s economy would be given a seven year contract for anything, I read on. The story said Kirk Ferentz would receive the same salary and bonus structures as his previous contract, which this year rewarded him with a salary of $2.84 million.

I am a big sports fan, but I also believe in a quality education. Students at the University of Sioux Falls, a good school with a solid reputation, will lose professors to save $2.2 million. At the University of Iowa, slightly more than that will be spent to keep a football coach.

Why does this happen? The University of Sioux Falls is a private college, with a president who needs to make cuts to meet a budget. The athletic director at Iowa, Gary Barta, gets to play with other peoples’ money. Specifically, the taxpayers of Iowa ultimately guarantee costs of the football program at the public university. The Hawkeyes must figure Iowans have money to burn – if it means a decent football team.

I realize that Iowa’s unemployment rate is only 3.6%. But I doubt that the 60,900 jobless people in Iowa will be sending Ferentz congratulations on his new deal. Barta said Ferentz has “proven himself to be a winner.” At Iowa, a winner is defined as 70-53 in ten seasons.