WATCH: ESPN personalities shoot MIAC for bringing St. Thomas out of the league

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The move drew national attention this week with two ESPN broadcasts that tore up the conference. Scott Van Pelt, a network personality, mentioned that St. Thomas is excluded from the "1 Big Thing" segment of the SportsCenter show he is presenting.

"And what we feel is the parents in town who do not like this little Leaguer who hits their kids and hits them in the cornfield there, so they try to ban it," said Van Pelt.

St. Thomas has been a member of MIAC since 1920. The Tommies are eligible to attend the NCAA Division III conference until the spring of 2021. The league announced Wednesday, May 22nd.

"When you meet a bigger and better opponent in the business world or in life, you can not just separate from it, but whatever, have fun being more competitive and everything else," Van Pelt added. .

MIAC's decision was also discussed on "Pardon the Interruption" with longtime sports writers, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.

"Rather than striving to be better themselves, they protect their own mediocrity by demonizing a good school," Kornheiser said. "You have to try to be better, if St. Thomas does not cheat and no one else cheats, then tie them up and try to beat them, do not kick them out so your horror becomes great and everyone gives you a Popsicle, a trophy and a piece of apple. "

Wilbon also criticized the decision to remove St. Thomas from MIAC. The Council of Presidents of MIAC cited "athletic parity in the conference as a major concern" in the statement issued Wednesday.

"Unless they overturn that decision, the people who voted for, should lose their jobs," Wilbon said. "They should lose their job, they should be fired."

Brandon Zylstra, former receiver of Concordia, who is now playing for the Minnesota Vikings, told The Forum that he did not like the decision to remove St. Thomas from the MIAC club.

"I find it hard to believe that we kicked them out just because they were too good," Zylstra said. "There must be more than that, even though it was the main reason, I think it was totally wrong."

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