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Former Miami Hurricane Adam Bates on the sham of amatuerism

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Double Down, Aug 19, 2011.

  1. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    The NCAA and CBS (or whoever's televising it next) would probably havew someone grab a mic, go out on the floor, and incite the fans to riot because those ingrates won't come out to the floor to earn their worthless scholarships for classes they haven't attended in three weeks because they've been traveling to the West Regional.

    Still, it'd be fun to see.
     
  2. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    The trouble is that the big-time athletes need the other guys to ply their trade. And a free college education is a good deal for 95 percent or more of the players involved. As big as this problem looks, the "unfairness" portion really only comes into play for those guys who are going to be high draft picks and make millions of dollars.
     
  3. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I think it should be pointed out that the place where athletes DO benefit most financially from college are at the high-end colleges which don't even give athletic scholarships -- because the benefit is admission to the school in the first place. Harvard, Princeton, Williams, etc. don't exactly bend their academic standards, but they do give preference to jocks, especially women athletes, over the run of the mill double 800 SAT valedictorians who apply.
    What's a Princeton degree worth? What are Princeton social network connections worth? Quite a bit. And since these schools make zero money from sports, nobody gets ripped off.
     
  4. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    Now you're just being disrespectful to those that bring their "physical education/sports management" degrees from Florida/Oklahoma/OSU into the market.
     
  5. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    I can't even fathom that old white guy shit fit that CBS would throw if kids wouldn't leave the locker room as a part of an organized protest. Jim Nantz would call for them to be dragged to mid-court and stoned to death.
     
  6. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    Yeah, I can just see it now, "think of all the kids who came from thousands of miles away waiting for their heroes to come out" and "the families who drove from Omaha, Neb. all night just to be here." Ignoring the League Presidents who have to trudge back to their suites at the Four Seasons and find some other reason to party.
     
  7. Clerk Typist

    Clerk Typist Guest

    Adam Bates is my Heisman candidate.
     
  8. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

    It would be the greatest moment in sports history.
     
  9. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    "They go on strike, and they're the ones who got struck! The fans have won!
     
  10. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Not really. They burn down the whole building, what replaces it?

    Complete recruiting-by-highest-bidder? Bags of cash at signing ceremonies? Players not required, expected or maybe even permitted to ever attend class at all?
     
  11. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    1. Why not, coaches can do it? 2. See No. 1, 3. Keep the academic requirements in place. Kid wants to spend his time in paid-for strip clubs, fine. His GPA goes down from legitimate classes, then he's sitting.

    Just because the monetary aspect is so fucked up doesn't mean the academic aspect has to be. If anything, if the NCAA focused more on academic fraud and less on whether Little Jimmy Cornerback got a free beer, everyone would be better off.
     
  12. kickoff-time

    kickoff-time Well-Known Member

    Adam Bates has some very good points but the sham of amateurism starts well before kids get to college.

    There is preferential treatment for star athletes - from them being able to choose what high school they want to attend (sometimes by using a bogus address or living with a distant relative) to special select club teams, favored treatment by coaches, etc.

    These kids (the potential five-star athletes, especially) expect favors and special status from the time they are 12 or 13. Not only that but often their parents are more than willing to buy into the 1-50,000 shot that they will go pro and spend like there is no tomorrow on special training, camps, equipment, etc. etc.
     
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