Daily Archives: February 21, 2013

Fig Leafs- NCAA, Penn State, and Hypocrisy

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I wanted to just add my own two cents to the overall mix of posts.

In the summer of 2012, the NCAA released a statement about its decision to fine PSU $60 million dollars subsequent to the University’s acceptance of the findings of the “Freeh Report,” an investigation into how the Sandusky case happened and perpetuated for so long.  I can’t abide going into the sordid details here.  You can see for yourself.

I recall a news conference where the sanctimonious NCAA executives inveighed in somber tones that the “sports is king” mentality at PSU was a root cause and that they believed this super-duper big fine would serve to not only punish PSU, but also to send a signal to all collegiate athletics.

Here is an example of the language used (I can’t find the telecast, but this is similar.)

 These events should serve as a call to every single school and athletics department to take an honest look at its campus environment and eradicate the ‘sports are king’ mindset that can so dramatically cloud the judgment of educators.

Fig leaf.  A pathetic covering not adequate to correct the problem (nudity for Adam&Eve).  If the NCAA was really so concerned about sports-are-king, they would directly address that problem on the hundreds of campuses where said monarch rules.  PSU was already underway to make big changes.  Acting as if their decision was some sort of bold change instead of band-wagoning so as to maintain the illusion of profound change is what the NCAA was doing.

Let any and all athletes who could be professional become so without the sham of  “amateur athletics” would be one start.  Requiring more revenue sharing from athletics to academics is a second.  Forcing conferences to have common schedules so as to minimize class-sports time conflicts is a third.  These would be examples of actually acting to take the crown off of sports.   Instead, they stabbed an already dead and rotting corpse.

 

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