Canzano: Mailbag deals with Oregon-Georgia II, TV ratings, regrets, targeting

Your questions... my answers.

Oregon lost to Georgia 49-3 in Week 1. (Photo: Serena Morones)

Do you remember pencil fights?

I sure do.

But try bringing it up around someone under the age of 35 and watch their puzzled reaction. They grew up with hand-held video games and iPhones. Children of the 1970s had time and a No. 2 pencil in their hands.

I’ll get to this week’s mailbag questions. I’ll dive into Pac-12 expansion, media rights, regrets, big surprises, dead horses, UCLA’s possible flip flop and why the national media is asking the wrong question on a potential Oregon vs. Georgia rematch. But first — pencil fights.

If you haven’t seen a pencil fight or participated in one, it’s essentially two players trying to break each other’s pencil. Player 1 holds his/her pencil. Player 2 uses his/her pencil as weapon to strike Player 1’s pencil. Then, the players switch. First pencil to break, loses.

At the beginning of every elementary school year we were given two pencils by the teacher. They were supposed to last the entire year. I can’t help but wonder if educators in the late 1970s and early 1980s fostered the birth of the sport by placing so much value on a couple of yellow Ticonderogas.

You’d think pencil fights died because of a shortage of pencils. Not true. It died because kids discovered screens and lost interest. I just found out there’s a “World Extreme Pencil Fighting League”. But its Facebook page mostly consists of canceled events in the Seattle area. Also, there’s a game called “Pencil Fight” in the Apple App Store, but that sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

I’m having a blast with this new writing endeavor. I’m focused on giving you sourced, in-depth reporting and commentary. Stuff you can’t get anywhere else — like pencil fighting. Also, I love sharing inspiring and uplifting stories and columns.

Thank you for reading me. I appreciate those who have already subscribed or given friends and family members a gift subscription. Also, a big thanks to those who have donated subscriptions for strangers. Your support makes this project possible.

Your questions and my answers…

Q: How is the pressure escalating to keep UCLA in the Pac-12? Any similar efforts to keep USC? — @Duckscribe