The Shame of College Football

[Whiskeyjack]

Taylor Branch of The Atlantic has produced a brilliant indictment of the NCAA in his article The Shame of College Sports.

It is long, but it's a must-read for any fan of college sports.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Damn. Beat me to it. I've been reading this all week on the subway and just finished it this morning. Excellent, excellent read. I don't agree with the author's ultimate conclusion about what to do about the problem in college sports, but he does a fantastic job presenting what the problem is and just how dispicable the NCAA is as an organization.

 

[BGIF]

Taylor Branch of The Atlantic has produced a brilliant indictment of the NCAA in his article The Shame of College Football.

It is long, but it's a must-read for any fan of college sports.

The name of the article is "The Same of College Sports"

The Shame of College Sports - Magazine - The Atlantic

 

[Veer option]

Very good read.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis wrote a compelling rebuttal to Branch's article.

 

[Guyjin37]

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis wrote a compelling rebuttal to Branch's article.

This guy is right on. This is one of those issues that comes along cyclicly with every new generation and catches all the headlines until it's debunked all over again. Just like "is Notre Dame football relevant anymore?"

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Taylor Brand responds to Seth Davis.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The NY Times' David Brooks wrote an OpEd on why amateuism is worth preserving.

 

[DillonHall]

I haven't read any of the articles, but I don't understand the controversy. Nobody forces these kids to play football in college, so why are they complaining about the system? They don't have to be a part of it if they don't want to.

 

[Rhode Irish]

1. David Brooks is my favorite conservative (although I'm typing this before reading his piece). I admire his reasonableness. I'm sure that is why most "arch-"conservatives don't care much for him.

2. I definitely find myself on Seth Davis's side here. I really liked Branch's piece, and I thought he did an excellent job of highlighting the worst parts of the NCAA (which I despise, by the way). But like I said above, I disagreed with his ultimate conclusion, and I really thought his response to Davis left much to be desired. He did not adequately address Davis's excellent points on the matter, in my opinion.

3. I would buy tickets to the debate between Davis and Branch that Branch proposed. Would be fascinating.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

3. I would buy tickets to the debate between Davis and Branch that Branch proposed. Would be fascinating.

SethDavisHoopes via Twitter:

Here is Taylor Branch's rebuttal to my rebuttal of his article. Hope to take our debate to the airwaves next week.

 

[IrishLax]

The premise people need to focus on is: are these kids workers/employees or are they students voluntarily participating in school sports?

Until you determine one way or another whether these kids are minor league professional athletes or not, it is very difficult to have a meaningful debate on the topic.

 

[DuffHouse12]

i know one thing - if some kid in my class was getting paid on top of tuition just can he can swing a bat or catch a football i'd be PISSED. i paid for my own schooling and earned my scholarships in the classroom just like these athletes have on the field. but there's no reason they should be getting more money. that's ridiculous.

 

[DillonHall]

i know one thing - if some kid in my class was getting paid on top of tuition just can he can swing a bat or catch a football i'd be PISSED. i paid for my own schooling and earned my scholarships in the classroom just like these athletes have on the field. but there's no reason they should be getting more money. that's ridiculous.

Well, that's not a great point because there are students who get paid stipends on top of their scholarships...

 

[PJWhitfield]

Money isn't the question. The question is: Are these truly students? Notre Dame (football player graduation rate 96) doesn't have a problem. Look at Dame's opponents' football grad rates: South Florida, 46; Michigan, 69; Michigan State, 55; Pittsburgh, 69; Purdue, 60; Air Force, 86; USC, 61; Navy, 92; Wake Forest, 81; Maryland, 64; Boston College, 90; Stanford, 86. The NCAA could announce tomorrow that no team with a grad rate below say 75 can play in a bowl game, and that would be a good first step. Sure, corrupt colleges could respond by graduating people for tying their shoes or filling the bench with physics majors who never see action, but this would be a good first step. If the NCAA won't act, Notre Dame should embarrass the NCAA by announcing that they will not put a team on their schedule if they don't start improving grad rates. Dame would be slammed for acting holier than thou, but hey, Dame's program is cleaner than thou. That's the reality.