Pretendville, KY – In an unprecedented press conference that has left sports analysts and fans puzzled, the head coach of Pretendville State University’s nascent football team candidly admitted on Tuesday that he had fabricated the entire roster. Coach Cliff Marlborough, a man hailed for his unconventional tactics, revealed his ploy as an “innovative strategy” to opt out of expecting a competitive match.
The revelation came unexpectedly during what was supposed to be a routine media day event. Marlborough, visibly proud, explained, “When I was designing our strategy for this season, it struck me: why bother with the hassle of recruitment and training when I could simply not have a team? It relieves the anxiety of performance and provides an unparalleled psychological advantage against any actual team.”
Experts in collegiate sports are divided over this radical approach. Dr. Ina Fumble, head of the Institute of Athletic Deception, called it a revolutionary maneuver. “Coach Marlborough has taken the art of pre-game intimidation to an entirely new level. By merely existing on paper, his ‘team’ has achieved something no fielded squad ever could—perfect, unblemished theoretical performance,” she stated while reviewing the empty lineup.
The implications of this bizarre strategy have sparked unexpected consequences. Numerous universities in the Southern Hemispheric Football Conference have been prompted to reconsider their game-day preparations. One unnamed athletic director has even expressed interest in creating a fictitious rival league consisting entirely of imaginary players in hopes of cornering the market on forfeit-based championships.
Meanwhile, in Pretendville State University’s offices, there are growing concerns about impressions. The Board of Trustees, typically unaware of athletic operations, issued a clarifying statement: “While we appreciate Coach Marlborough’s efforts to redefine collegiate athletics, we kindly remind him that virtual touchdowns do not, in fact, contribute to school revenue or athletics funding.”
As a result of the revelation, bewildered students have been spotted practicing elaborate celebratory dances on the football field, ostensibly as a form of protest against the impersonality of Marlborough’s abstract selection. They insist that a victory, however hypothetical, demands an equally hypothetical cheer squad.
In closing, Coach Marlborough remains undeterred and reportedly excited about his next venture: a study abroad program where students can study foreign cultures from the comfort of their imaginations. As Marlborough put it, “Why travel when you could just picture it?” As things stand, the sports world looks on with a mixture of disbelief and hesitant admiration, unsure whether to applaud or indict the man who would rather avoid the game altogether.
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