Major Sports at Major Colleges

There's a lawsuit agains the NCAA, an athlete trying to get paid for playing a college sport.  This NY Times blogger posted this: 

For instance, the N.C.A.A.’s legal arguments in the O’Bannon case are almost laughably weak. It argues that if the players were paid, then college sports would lose its appeal. Says who? It claims that college athletes must continue to be amateurs because, well, that’s the way it’s always been. It even argues that if O’Bannon wins, schools like Michigan, with its 110,000-seat football stadium, would downgrade its athletic status to that of, say, Amherst. I’m told that there were times on Thursday when people were openly chortling at some of the N.C.A.A.’s oral arguments.    

I will disregard the poor writing.  But this is offensive not to mention sloppy thinking.  Pay athletes, like this blogger obviously wants--but don't do it through the colleges.  Develop some sort of "farm system," a semi-pro league, etc.  Don't make a mockery of the term "student-athlete."  I know credibility and principles are out of vogue--perhaps never to return--but why hide behind the college athletic programs?

In many instances, esp at the big schools, but not exclusively, and in the big-time sports, athletes are anything but students.  They don't pay tuition or room and board.  They get tutors not available to most students. They have facilities, such as weight rooms, not available to most students.  They eat food not available to most students.  You get the picture.  Oh, many of these so-called "student-athletes" don't go to class, yet still, miraculously, pass all of them.  With all of this, barely half of them graduate.  I'd be curious to see how many of them who do get degrees actually did the work!

What is most offensive to me, of course, is this piece of arrogance, "downgrade it's athletic status to that of, say, Amherst."  "Downgrade," eh?  Yeah, let's perpetuate a system that mocks education, cheats, fosters corruption, and worse.  Can you say "Penn State?"  Hey, I actually had to go to class, do the work (and lots and lots of it!), and more.  Oh, we, back then at least, also played Div I schools (Boston College, Holy Cross, Purdue, Northwestern--the Big Ten!--Rutgers, UMass, Western Michigan, Navy, etc.) and, as often as not, beat them!

I know, I know...even the alumni at these big schools don't want to make "student-athletes" students.  They apparently don't care that their own degrees are diminished by this mockery.  Oh, they might even argue their degrees aren't diminished.  I guess I would disagree....  There's something to be said with the adage, "You're known by the company you keep."