[NU Sports] I think the thing everyone on the sportslistkeepsforgetting:

[Jeff Beamsley]

Dennis,

I understand that there is comfort describing the world in black and white.
It allows you to stay on message with every response.  In the case of this
argument, you suggest that you either make winning football games a priority
or you are a loser.

If you look outside, though, it is a rainbow.

Every school that has a football program makes some compromise between
athletics and academics.  As much as we criticize schools like OSU, there are
kids that they would like to admit that they can't.  Those are the ones that
go to the JUCO football factories.  

I happen to have an ethical problem with promising a kid a scholarship and
not delivering an education.  Instead the high powered programs promise a
ticket to the NFL, but very few of those promises get delivered on either.
That's why I support those programs, like NU, where all the kids graduate
with real degrees.  

Otherwise, it is logically just a race to the bottom.  Myles Brand and the
NCAA are trying to stop or at least slow that race.  They recognize the
damage that would be done to the college game and those that play it, if it
ever become just about winning football games.  

If you are able to think outside the box, just for minute.  Imagine if
scholarships were tied to some formula of graduation rates and post graduate
employment (indicating that you actually learned something valuable).
Suddenly NU would jump to the front of the race by being able to offer more
scholarships than its BT competitors.  Winning football games would be
aligned with the institutional goals of graduating players with marketable
skills.  How would you feel at NU then?

Jeff




-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of Dennis W. Brandt
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 2:03 PM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] I think the thing everyone on the
sportslistkeepsforgetting:

Alan Abrahamson wrote...
> given the talent and depth-chart issues that will always surround our 
> program, in part because of our commitment to the concept of the 
> student-athlete -- that we must play sound football each and every 
> week to win. No turnovers. No or few penalties.

That is every team's goal but an unreasonable expectation.  As long as we
don't have the talent to makeup for mistakes, we're .500 on a good year with
an occasional dip into moderately greater success.  Worse, always looming
overhead, is the omnipresent possibility of returning to doormatville as
continued mediocrity sends prize recruits elsewhere.  Maureen's suggestions
are like practicing pacifism.  They are lovely thoughts, laudable goals, but
in the real world sooner or later the warrior kills the undefended. 


--
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.
It has removed 88 spam emails to date.
Paying users do not have this message in their emails.
Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len


_______________________________________________
nwu-sports site list
nwu-sports at tssi.com
http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/nwu-sports