(Quick aside before I get going: I have to address CSzem’s comment from yesterday’s article. I never once blasted the Jays for trying to win games. Of course they should try to win their remaining contests or it would be to disservice to their fans. However, I do have a problem with making a .500 record a goal to attain. Since when should we celebrate mediocrity? Finishing a game or two over .500 is “meaningful”? Where I come from, it’s not impressive to strive to be average. That’s setting yourself up for failure and a lifetime of weakness (a synonym for mediocrity).
Truthfully, what attitude can I really expect from a guy who retires in the third set of a tennis match because it’s too hot and he’s got a trickle of sweat running down his forehead. Against Gretzpo no less. To each his own.)
For the first time in the history of the award, the Heisman committee decided to rescind the trophy given to one of it winners. Reggie Bush, he of the miraculous and gravity-defying college football season while attending USC and playing for the Trojans, was stripped of his trophy because family members took money from some shady people so they could live in a nice, big house.
Now, I don’t want to get into a huge discussion on the unfairness of NCAA football; an institution where schools, broadcasters and everyone else gets ungodly rich except for the players killing themselves on the field. The NCAA model is broke and it needs to be fixed. They can’t fault these guys looking for a little something something on the side where there is zero compensation.
I can almost guarantee that this isn’t the first time that a Heisman Trophy has accepted money other than his scholarship from school. It’s just naïve to think so.
What I can’t understand is why the powers that be are trying to make an example of Reggie Bush. Is it because he nailed Kim Kardashian? At this point, is there anyone in the NFL who hasn’t tapped that massive ass?
The only crime Bush is guilty of is accepting gifts, deemed illegal by the NCAA, on behalf of family members. I could reconcile Bush being stripped of the trophy if his improprieties affected his on field success. For example, if Reggie was implicated for using steroids, which ultimately catalyzed his tremendous performances on the field, then by all means take away the trophy (although I cannot believe that some defences he faced that year weren’t juiced up).
Let’s summarize: Reggie Bush had his Heisman taken away for accepting money. Who gives a shit? I would have done the same thing. Ricky Williams was arrested multiple times for marijuana use. He still has his trophy. OJ Simpson was accused of murdering two people and is currently serving time for armed robbery. He still has his trophy.
Does anyone else see something wrong with that paragraph?
The NCAA: making stupid decisions since 1906.
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4 comments:
Everything is relative, with regards to goal setting. Was it the Jays' goal at the start of the year to finish over .500? Hell no. But when you're 76-75, it's something to play for, and it IS meaningful, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
Now moving onto the stupid things you've said today....
1) The NCAA did not, nor do they have the power to, rescind Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy (the award is sanctioned by a separate entity, the "Heisman Trust")
2) Neither or these organizations "stripped" Bush of the award. He gave it back. Obviously, the reason that he did this was the scrutiny he has been under (and the potential that the award may have eventually been stripped), such that he could move on with his life. But it is still a relevant fact to the discussion.
3) Finally, your discussion on the potential compensation of student-athletes is misguided at best, and just plain stupid at worst. While it is true that these athletes result in huge business for all of the other parties involved, what is the possible remedy?
These are STUDENT-athletes, or they are (at the very least) supposed to be students. They are amateur athletes, representing their institution. The benefits to being a star athlete in either of the NCAA's two big meal-tickets (Basketball and Football) are tremendous, even without compensation. Full scholarships, expenses, etc. (not to mention the amount of ass one gets on campus). The fact that these athletes ultimately make money for the school enables these institutions to fund other programs (both athletic and academic).
Is it fair for USC to pay their football players, and require their lacrosse team (I'm assuming they have one) to pay for their own uniforms and travel expenses?
Would it be fair for Duke's basketball team to be compensated for the huge revenue they no doubt generate for the school, at the expense of a research department on the campus?
In a perfect world, these kids would not be exploited to the degree that they are, but they are choosing to participate in an amateur athletic venture, just like you or I would. Their schools have every right to leverage the success of these programs to enhance the overall school profile and the school's other departments.
Everything is relative, with regards to goal setting. Was it the Jays' goal at the start of the year to finish over .500? Hell no. But when you're 76-75, it's something to play for, and it IS meaningful, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
Now moving onto the stupid things you've said today....
1) The NCAA did not, nor do they have the power to, rescind Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy (the award is sanctioned by a separate entity, the "Heisman Trust")
2) Neither or these organizations "stripped" Bush of the award. He gave it back. Obviously, the reason that he did this was the scrutiny he has been under (and the potential that the award may have eventually been stripped), such that he could move on with his life. But it is still a relevant fact to the discussion.
3) Finally, your discussion on the potential compensation of student-athletes is misguided at best, and just plain stupid at worst. While it is true that these athletes result in huge business for all of the other parties involved, what is the possible remedy?
These are STUDENT-athletes, or they are (at the very least) supposed to be students. They are amateur athletes, representing their institution. The benefits to being a star athlete in either of the NCAA's two big meal-tickets (Basketball and Football) are tremendous, even without compensation. Full scholarships, expenses, etc. (not to mention the amount of ass one gets on campus). The fact that these athletes ultimately make money for the school enables these institutions to fund other programs (both athletic and academic).
Is it fair for USC to pay their football players, and require their lacrosse team (I'm assuming they have one) to pay for their own uniforms and travel expenses?
Would it be fair for Duke's basketball team to be compensated for the huge revenue they no doubt generate for the school, at the expense of a research department on the campus?
In a perfect world, these kids would not be exploited to the degree that they are, but they are choosing to participate in an amateur athletic venture, just like you or I would. Their schools have every right to leverage the success of these programs to enhance the overall school profile and the school's other departments.
cszem you're a dink for thinking that being a student takes priority over the team in the ncaa. the graduation rate among student-athletes at a school like, say, the university of texas, sits right around 50%. that successful half earns their degrees in typically meaningless areas like communications and gets substantial help (ie. free passes from profs) along the way.
second, you're also wrong about the blue jays' quest for .500. cito's lineup decisions have tormented me since his return to the jays, and this september is no different. these essentially meaningless late-september games are good for one thing and one thing only - player development. lyle overbay is not the future at 1st, so sit his ass down and let adam lind play out every last inning. john buck is not the future behind the dish, so every pitch he calls is one taken away from jp arencibia. same with travis snider - let him know that the team is committed to his development. in this game against king felix and the mariners, cito is only 2/3 - overbay is (rationale unknown) still at 1st.
as tewks said, finishing at .500 is not a laudable accomplishment. this season has had its ups (j-bau, starting rotation) and downs (aaron hill and adam lind), but it has been ultimately meaningless for the past couple of months. the games that matter lie in the 2011 and 2012 calendars. any organization so heavily loaded with young talent whose development it fails to maximize deserves one big facepush.
in these crazy days, the facepush is greatly underused.
"Where I come from, it's not impressive to strive for average."
Dude ... we grow up in Oshawa ...
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