[NU Sports] Define your terms

[Dennis W. Brandt]

It isn't a matter of finding a Chris Webber-like (or Dion Lee-like) incident abusive or not.  "Abuse" implies a repeated and systematic pattern of behavior, which further implies that universities routinely turn a blind eye to such events just to make money.  I don't see the evidence for that.  "Abuse" would be appropriate if Michigan had found out about Webber's behavior (or Northwestern Dion Lee's) and had done nothing about it.  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hakirsch at aol.com 
  To: tbng at comcast.net ; nwu-sports at tssi.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:09 AM
  Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Define your terms


  In a message dated 11/13/2007 2:57:26 AM Pacific Standard Time, tbng at comcast.net writes:


    <Are you kidding me ???  

    No, Harry, I'm quite serious.  I'm an historian.  I need evidence that the problem you allege is unique to, or especially egrigious in, college sports.  Anecdotes, unless accumulated in large quantites, are not definitive evidence.  I also need to see proof that the NCAA or individual institutions are sweeping known scandals under the carpet.

    <How about Chris Webber getting paid $350 K under the table to play at Michigan ?

    Chris Webber paid a penalty for breaking the law, and Michigan did as well.  Obviously their behavior was unacceptable to authorities.  You may recall that Maurice Clarett did not get away with his underhanded doings either, and neither did several Northwestern athletes.

    <How about having atheletes never show up for class and have their exams taken buy someone else ? 

    You mean no English major ever paid another student to take an exam or complete a project for him?  Please tell us the extent of this problem in college sports today.

    <How about altering high school transcripts?

    No chemistry major ever did that?  Are you accusing universities of having a general policy of altering transcripts to get athletes on their teams?  Do you believe that any university official caught doing such a thing would not be immediately fired and prosecuted?

    <How about atheletes who break all kinds of laws and social mores being given a pass because of their athletic abilities?

    Lord, man, you live in a city where breaking social mores and heaping incredible abuse on Judeo-Christian religions and the U.S. military (to name just two) is an every-minute experience.  The passes athletes seem to get for bad behavior frequently extend back to a player's Pop Warner and high school days.  As I recall, Joe Paterno cleaned out Austin Carr's locker the moment he heard the rape allegations and did not wait for the court decision.  If you are saying that mankind sometimes gives in to temptation, you're right.  If people had indomitable wills, rock stars would live sober, celibate lives, and San Francisco would be a conservative town.




  I call these abuses--perhaps you do not--that's your choice.  And I contend that no one would pay Chris Webber $350 K  to attend Michigan if college basketball wasn't so profitable --The fact that he paid some price for it doesn't negate in my mind that is an incredible abuse .  

  No I am not accusing universities of having a general policy of altering transcripts, or passing kids who don't attend classes--But there are myriad of examples of this occurring--Again, I would define these as incredible abuses due to the high payoffs of intercollegiate football and basketball

  When I was  the high school sports editor of the school newspaper, I wrote a  piece that told of one  basketball player transferring from one college to another and 6 months later his former school had him getting 3 C's and a D for the semester that he want even enrolled--obviously no one knew he had left school, yet still he obtained passing grades !  --Perhaps you don't think this is abusive or would have occurred anyways without collegiate basketball being a big time money maker, but I don't

  Harry





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