Whitlock - College administrators should worry more about the players than a playoff

Hammock Parties · 01-09-2008, 03:54 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/436740.html

It doesn’t really bother me when sportswriters rip the BCS system and call for a playoff format.

We work in the toy department, and we’re paid to offer opinions about games and how they are played.

No, what bothers me is when people who are paid to know better, people who allegedly have a higher calling, enter the discussion under the pretense of injecting integrity into college football.

Take Georgia president Michael F. Adams. Influenced by the disappointment that his two-loss Bulldogs didn’t get a piece of the mythical national championship, Adams is now championing an eight-team playoff and blaming the BCS for undermining all that is right in the world.

“This year’s experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work,” Adams wrote in a news release. “It is undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game.”

Adams’ comments will be celebrated by many members of the toy department. He supports “our” position that the lack of a big-school playoff system is a crime that must be righted. It’s extremely important to national security and the mental health of the country that we know whether the Bulldogs could win a postseason tournament, even though they lost the regular-season SEC tournament.

OK, I have little interest in once again extolling the virtues of the current bowl system and explaining why we don’t need a playoff format. You’ve heard that all before. We can respectfully agree to disagree on that topic.

My beef is that Michael F. Adams, an educator, is motivated to hold a news conference about an insignificant sports issue, and we know damn well he’d never tackle the biggest stain on college sport’s integrity:

The billions of dollars generated by football and men’s basketball and the misuse of those funds.

Poor and poorly educated kids are the lifeblood of college football and basketball. They power the bankrolls that allow NCAA schools to pay coaches seven-figure salaries and administrators handsome six-figure salaries, fund non-revenue sports and prop up women’s college basketball.

I call it welfare for the privileged. You have tennis, wrestling, golf and volleyball teams bouncing across the country competing in tournaments, staying in hotels, all thanks to the revenue-generating ability of football and basketball players, who just happen to be predominantly black and economically disadvantaged.

Does any other industry work this way?

The benefits for participating in college athletics have dramatically increased for every group except football and basketball players.

When do they get a raise?

I’m not for paying athletes a stipend. They’re kids, and they’ll waste the money. I’m for investing in the kids who are driving college athletics before they hit campus. If Adams — or any other college president — is truly interested in restoring integrity, then enhancing the educational experience and opportunities for football and basketball players should be at the top of the list.

And you can only do that by getting involved in the educational process before the players enroll in college.

Rather than support skyrocketing salaries for coaches and administrators and treating club sports like legitimate Division I varsity sports, the money football and basketball players generate should be spent on football and basketball players. I say spend the money on high school football and basketball players.

The NCAA should start its own prep academies for talented athletes. The NCAA can afford to educate, house and train 2,000 or so potential Division I football and basketball players a year. The academies would be for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Kids from financially strapped families — regardless of color — would get first crack at receiving scholarships.

Obviously, there are a lot of details that would have to be worked out. But Adams brought up the subject of integrity in college sports, and the most glaring lack of integrity is within the educational system and process. It’s nearly impossible for universities to properly educate athletes who have not been remotely prepared for a college campus.

Until Adams wants to address that crisis, he should leave the whining about the BCS to sportswriters and others who care little about the welfare of athletes.

01-09-2008, 03:54 PM	Topic Starter
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4720478	Whitlock - College administrators should worry more about the players than a playoff http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/436740.html It doesn’t really bother me when sportswriters rip the BCS system and call for a playoff format. We work in the toy department, and we’re paid to offer opinions about games and how they are played. No, what bothers me is when people who are paid to know better, people who allegedly have a higher calling, enter the discussion under the pretense of injecting integrity into college football. Take Georgia president Michael F. Adams. Influenced by the disappointment that his two-loss Bulldogs didn’t get a piece of the mythical national championship, Adams is now championing an eight-team playoff and blaming the BCS for undermining all that is right in the world. “This year’s experience with the BCS forces me to the conclusion that the current system has lost public confidence and simply does not work,” Adams wrote in a news release. “It is undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game.” Adams’ comments will be celebrated by many members of the toy department. He supports “our” position that the lack of a big-school playoff system is a crime that must be righted. It’s extremely important to national security and the mental health of the country that we know whether the Bulldogs could win a postseason tournament, even though they lost the regular-season SEC tournament. OK, I have little interest in once again extolling the virtues of the current bowl system and explaining why we don’t need a playoff format. You’ve heard that all before. We can respectfully agree to disagree on that topic. My beef is that Michael F. Adams, an educator, is motivated to hold a news conference about an insignificant sports issue, and we know damn well he’d never tackle the biggest stain on college sport’s integrity: The billions of dollars generated by football and men’s basketball and the misuse of those funds. Poor and poorly educated kids are the lifeblood of college football and basketball. They power the bankrolls that allow NCAA schools to pay coaches seven-figure salaries and administrators handsome six-figure salaries, fund non-revenue sports and prop up women’s college basketball. I call it welfare for the privileged. You have tennis, wrestling, golf and volleyball teams bouncing across the country competing in tournaments, staying in hotels, all thanks to the revenue-generating ability of football and basketball players, who just happen to be predominantly black and economically disadvantaged. Does any other industry work this way? The benefits for participating in college athletics have dramatically increased for every group except football and basketball players. When do they get a raise? I’m not for paying athletes a stipend. They’re kids, and they’ll waste the money. I’m for investing in the kids who are driving college athletics before they hit campus. If Adams — or any other college president — is truly interested in restoring integrity, then enhancing the educational experience and opportunities for football and basketball players should be at the top of the list. And you can only do that by getting involved in the educational process before the players enroll in college. Rather than support skyrocketing salaries for coaches and administrators and treating club sports like legitimate Division I varsity sports, the money football and basketball players generate should be spent on football and basketball players. I say spend the money on high school football and basketball players. The NCAA should start its own prep academies for talented athletes. The NCAA can afford to educate, house and train 2,000 or so potential Division I football and basketball players a year. The academies would be for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Kids from financially strapped families — regardless of color — would get first crack at receiving scholarships. Obviously, there are a lot of details that would have to be worked out. But Adams brought up the subject of integrity in college sports, and the most glaring lack of integrity is within the educational system and process. It’s nearly impossible for universities to properly educate athletes who have not been remotely prepared for a college campus. Until Adams wants to address that crisis, he should leave the whining about the BCS to sportswriters and others who care little about the welfare of athletes.
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