Imperfect NCAA is still valuable
Given the well-known problems of college sports — where money and influence peddling corrupt the world of student-athletes — a referee is needed to set and enforce fair rules.
The NCAA has tried to fulfill that role for decades. The organization has done its job well when it has delivered swift justice, most recently when it came down hard on Penn State University’s football program for the coverup of the Jerry Sandusky pedophile scandal.
And then there’s the Frank Haith matter.
The NCAA for more than 18 months has been investigating Haith, the University of Missouri basketball coach, for his actions when he led the University of Miami program.
The probe has been unconscionably long. And last week the NCAA admitted that the investigation itself had been tainted by how its enforcement division had collected some evidence about the Haith matter.
MU sports fans screamed foul, with good reason. The NCAA’s mistake undercut its credibility.
But pulling the plug on the Haith probe would go too far. If the NCAA has enough evidence gained through legitimate means to raise questions about his actions at Miami, the charges should be made, giving Haith a chance to defend himself.
The NCAA does its job imperfectly — as do too many universities that are supposed to be looking out for the welfare of student-athletes. The NCAA must continue trying to rein in the excesses that plague college sports, but it must do so with higher ethical behavior.
Phil Cardarella
3 months, 3 weeks agoAnd, the NCAA looks out for the welfare of students exactly how?
Obviously not by requiring that actual education or graduation be a priority.
Obviously not by seeing to it that athletes from poor families get a stipend — so they do not have to sell their jerseys for money to take a girl to a movie. For that, the kids and school get screwed over. Rules that made some (but not much) sense when Harvard and Yale were powerhouses are as sensible now as buggywhips.
Want to clean up college sports? Easy: Limit coaches salaries to the average of the other department chairs — History, Biology, etc. Use the savings for those stipends. Then, keep games down to a rational number, ditto with practices — and limit SIZE of players. No healthy college kid weighs in over 250 lbs. Over that, take up sumo.
No post-season play for any team that did not GRADUATE 80% of its last year seniors. And, any time a school is banned, kids get to transfer — without penalty.
Of course, the NCAA is not likely to adopt any of those kid-friendly rules. Because it has never actually been about the kids.