Does anybody read these?

It's a rare sports post!!!

I don't write much about sports. Most of it doesn't matter to me. I like to watch my Volunteers on Saturdays and my Colts on Sundays. I haven't really gotten back into hockey since the strike. Most of the time I just watch sports because the spirit moves me. Rarely do I really have any type of opinion or allegiance. (Except for the unfailing support that all Detroiters have for the home teams, regardless of performance. Why else would anyone spend a Sunday in Honolulu Blue?)

Pretty much aside from my lament on the dirty deal Pete Rose has gotten and why Cooperstown will always be a mockery of America's past-time until he's inducted in the Hall and my firm belief that Coach K should never leave Duke and go to the NBA -- or anywhere else, really, I don't really care about much off the playing field. I don't watch SportsCenter religiously or read most sports columnists.

But I do have an opinion -- and a strong one at that -- regarding NCAA eligibility. And it's not even uninformed like most of my sports' opinions. (The Pete Rose and Coach K things are like 95% passion and 5% knowledge. I'll admit it.)

And since this whole Reggie Bush thing is hitting the fan, I'll use this as an opportunity to get on my soap box for just a second. Agree with me or not, I've put some thought into this and I'm not just pulling it out of my ass. You see, when I was in Detroit, I religiously read and listened to Mitch Albom every day. I love Mitch Albom. He is the writer that I would like to be in my dreams. He's written fiction, non-fiction, built this awesome career for himself. Mitch rocks.

You might remember that Mitch wrote a book about Chris Webber and the rest of the Fab Five from Michigan. You might also remember that Chris Webber took money and gifts during his high school and college career and caused the University of Michigan to face years -- and thousands of dollars -- worth of sanctions. And when it hit the fan with Chris, Mitch was called in as part of the investigation. And after listening to his radio show every day, I learned more than I ever needed to know about NCAA eligibility.

First of all, I'd like to say that this is most likely a problem at every school. And I want to say that the excesses of abuse that Chris Webber committed or what Reggie Bush is being investigated for are probably not the norm. They aren't the folks that I'm worried about as much. There will always be rule-breakers, regardless of how strict or lenient the rules are. Those who break the rules, especially those who go on to make the zillions of dollars that Chris Webber's made, should be financially obligated to their schools if their actions cause fines or the loss of scholarships.

Schools make money off college athletics. Don't think for a minute they don't. If they didn't, I could go to a Tennessee football game for $10 and get a $1 hot dog while I was there. I can't. And we won't even talk about the money they get from ESPN, ABC, etc. to broadcast their games.

So let's look at this: Schools get ticket sales, concession sales, merchandise sales and licensing fees, television royalties and money from athletic boosters.

And they use this money to run the best sports program they can so they can get more revenue. They use the money for scholarships to get the best players and pay the salaries of the best coaching staffs. They probably use some of the money to buy equipment, but a lot of that is donated by their corporate sponsors, too. I'm sure insurance premiums are high, but that's not too much.

So, they have these players. The players do their sport and they get to go to college and live on-campus for free. Some of them go to classes and get degrees (see my Coach K reference above) and some are just on the rolls and are just majoring in football/basketball/track, etc.

To sum up NCAA eligibility rules, players can make no money while they are in school and a small stipend for something like a summer internship (around a couple grand). Now you have your players like Webber who have some booster floating his bills and then you'll have most of your honest students who are so broke they can't afford pencils and gas for their cars. And no one can give it to them. Many former college athletes say if they could do it over again they wouldn't. Free tuition is nice, but a lot of good it does you if you can't buy aspirin if you get a headache.

I'm sure it's also very tempting for a student who's flat-ass broke to break the rules. You can't even afford Top Ramen and here comes Mr. Booster in his university sweater and his golden checkbook. Why not? Who's it really going to hurt?

The schools are making money off these students. Lots of money. I think the NCAA should make collegiate athletics a work-study program. I know that the $80/week I got on work-study really made a difference in my college career. Thank goodness I gave up on volleyball in middle school, eh? It wouldn't hurt the sanctity of college athletics by letting students receive a small stipend for the service and value they provide to the school. Because most kids would just take their $80, buy pencils, aspirin, gas and Top Ramen and go on their happy way.

Those who live in excess or take advantage of the situation, like it appears that Reggie Bush may have done, should still be punished to the full extent of the law. Especially as long as students have the ability to go to the pros at any time. If you're that good and you need money, then go to the draft and see what happens.

I just feel like all benefit from excellent college athletes. God knows Neyland Stadium wouldn't be filled with 100,000+ people every week if the Vols couldn't field a team. So if we all benefit, part of our money should go back to the students. They don't need million-dollar pro contracts; just give everyone a flat-fee, across the nation, work-study stipend. Hell, the federal government probably even has education grants to pay for it. I'm pretty sure that's where my work-study money came from...

posted by Laura at 9:33 AM