[NU Sports] Very provocative commentary

[Dennis W. Brandt]

Very lopsided commentary.  The New York Times says college football is all about racism?  I'm stunned.  Note to Michael:  Every athletic scholarship to a poor black kid grants him an opportunity that millions of other kids of all races cursed with skinny arms would love to have come their way.  Given the tutors made available to college football players and the opportunity to stretch their academic year beyond two semesters/three quarters without cost, universities are providing academic assistance that no one ever offered me.  Strange how Lewis never mentioned what a college education can mean to an individual's lifetime income or compared football graduation rates to overall rates.

There are lots of loose accusations in Lewis's article.  "Why do we never hear of a great high school football player choosing a college for the quality of its professors?"  I guess because you're not listening, Michael.  Note 2 to Michael:  If you can't get a good education at the Ohio State football factory, you don't want a good education.  "The N.C.A.A. confines its anti-market strictures to the players - and God help the interior lineman who is caught breaking them."  That interior lineman knew the rules when he signed up, and I am reasonably certain that he is reminded of those rules from time to time.  "The lie at the bottom of the fantasy [is that] these marvelous athletes who take the field on Saturdays and generate millions for their colleges are students first, and football players second."  If that is true, it lies in the players' individual attitudes because student-athlete is the ideal and the aim of NCAA regulations.  "Why are these enterprises that have nothing to do with education and everything to do with profits exempt from paying taxes?"  Examine what happens to the revenues generated.  If they are going into individuals' pockets, let's talk.

There is truth in Lewis's article, but it drowns in demagoguery.  Apparently the fans don't agree with him because they keep putting their butts in the seats and buying college products.  And the kids keep applying for a life-changing opportunity.