Big-time College Sports--a sick culture

Excellent article in the Wall Street Journal about Penn State (excerpts below):

What Penn State Should Tear Down - WSJ.com: "It's not about the statue (of Joe Paterno) . . . Better to bicker over bronze than look into the soul of a scandal—what created a climate on campus in which principles were suspended, leaders declined to lead, and more victims suffered. So much easier to focus tightly on a sculpture than to zoom out and consider the full canvas. Because the full canvas is wider than a coach or a handful of officials or even Penn State. It's an athletic culture gone sick, as college sports has grown into a multibillion-dollar business, distorting standards that bind together healthy societies, and pushing imperfect people atop pedestals. . . . But how did Penn State get to that point?

"Freeh's report found an entire ecosystem built up around the protection of football. It cited Penn State's "excessive focus on athletics" and showed how under Paterno, a football-mad university created its own insular, reality distortion field, one in which to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity," facts were brushed away and concealed. "A culture of reverence for the football program…ingrained at all levels of the campus community," is how the Freeh report described it. . . .  Deep in Freeh's report, there's a road map. "One of the most challenging tasks confronting the University community...is an open, honest, and thorough examination of the culture that underlies the failure of Penn State's most powerful leaders to respond appropriately to Sandusky's crimes." . . . . Let's ask real questions about the human cost of big-time college sports and the submersions of common sense that have to occur to gain entrance to the party. Let's ask if it's all really worth it. That's the hard, uncomfortable work, and it can't just happen at Penn State. . . . "

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College Football: Paying the Players is an Issue that will remain after the remaining Bowl Games are played

Remaining College Bowl Games:
Jan. 3 Sugar Bowl Michigan vs. Virginia Tech 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 Orange Bowl West Virginia vs. Clemson 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 6 Cotton Bowl Kansas State vs. Arkansas 5 p.m.
Jan. 7 BBVA Compass Bowl SMU vs. Pittsburgh 10 a.m.
Jan. 8 GoDaddy.com Arkansas St. vs. Northern Illinois  6 p.m.
Jan. 9 BCS National Championship LSU vs. Alabama  5:30 p.m.

In the meantime, as a follow-up to my post last August It’s not just about the U in which I discussed the University of Miami football program and issues arising from the Nevin Shapiro scandal (which now pales in comparison to the horrendous issues of Penn State), I concluded with the following question: "Why is it that everybody but the players is making big-time money off major college sports today?"

Now in a thoughtful article in the New York Times, Joe Nocera answers that question with a proposal well worth the time to read in full for anyone having an interest in major college football or basketball. Let’s Start Paying College Athletes - NYTimes.com: ". . . The hypocrisy that permeates big-money college sports takes your breath away. College football and men’s basketball have become such huge commercial enterprises that together they generate more than $6 billion in annual revenue, more than the National Basketball Association. A top college coach can make as much or more than a professional coach; Ohio State just agreed to pay Urban Meyer $24 million over six years. Powerful conferences like the S.E.C. and the Pac 12 have signed lucrative TV deals, while the Big 10 and the University of Texas have created their own sports networks. . . . College sports will become more honest once players are paid, and more honorable. Fans will be able to enjoy football and men’s basketball without having to avert their eyes from the scandals and the hypocrisy. . . " 

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