If even a small group of players took a stand and refused to participate — imagine if they boycotted or delayed the start of Monday night's championship game — administrators would have to back down.
It was a reflection of the lacrosse team's station at Duke that, when the school decided, in 2005, that Tailgate needed to be reined in (many revellers never bothered to leave the party to attend the football game), administrators asked the lacrosse coach, Mike Pressler, for help.
Speaking ahead of the game, joint administrator Paul Clark said new information about the takeover and running of the club had become available and they expected to prepare a proper statement on the finances of the club next week.
Lingering claims of match-fixing – imagined, ancient, unproven or perhaps even legitimate – have sent mild panic through the locker room, not to mention the executive boardrooms of TV stations, high-end sponsors and the game's administrators.
"I have big faith [in the game's administrators].
Still, bad feeling over that affair and the actions of the game's administrators has never really disappeared.
It is a sad indictment of Scotland's leading clubs, never mind the game's administrators, that this situation remains unresolved.
Among the game's administrators black professionals are almost non-existent; and things are barely any better at the managerial and coaching level.
While 2004 marked centenary and jubilee celebrations for FIFA and UEFA respectively, the next few years will see a further transfer of power from the game's administrators to the mega-clubs.
Touchdown celebrations – tightly choreographed and planned with near-military precision – have become an integral part of modern football, but the game's administrators have long waged a war to curtail them.
