College sports are wonderful. The competition level is usually a bit more level, there is often more emotional investment, and there is constant upheavel leading to new hope each year. Personally, college sports may trump many professional leagues in my mind.
However, there are serious problems. Yes, obviously there a lot of troubles involving the BCS system and various other things, but that isn't what I'm here to talk about. Instead, the biggest problems I see here are the moral issues.
Recently I read about Jeremiah Masoli's newfound school, the University of Mississippi. After being kicked out of the University of Oregon for various legal transgressions, Masoli has now found himself a new school of a similar stature. This is, of course, with absolutely no punishment to Masoli.
This is ridiculous. The NCAA is relatively effective at cracking down on schools, though it almost always takes far too long. One can easily see that schools like USC and Cincinnati should have been punished much earlier, but thorough investigations take time. What is totally unforgiveable is that individuals are never punished. John Calipari frequently switches schools and immediately begins cheating again. Kelvim Sampson has continually found jobs. Players like Masoli simply transfer to slightly lower level schools.
Obviously, it makes some sense that the NCAA can only punish the school. After all, it is Memphis' fault that they hired a coach with a history of violations. Yet the school did nothing wrong beyond a poor hiring. Why allow such coaches to continue to laugh at the rules? Schools will always hire whoever gives them the best chance of winning and recruit the best players, regardless of whether or not they are morally or ethically straight.
The NCAA needs to do something to focus on the individual transgressor. If they do not, we may never see the end of such ridiculous criminals and douche bags running the college sports landscape and, in a world supposedly devoted to higher education and the betterment of youth, is that really acceptable?
I think you bring up a good point. In addition to the NCAA punishing individuals more I think there needs to be some system in place to punish teams that give scum bags and crooks more chances. Right now there is little to no reason for a team not to let a troubled player transfer into their school. I think the NCAA should attach a lesser punishment to the player or coach that cheated. Where ever that person goes that lesser punishment follows them. You want to hire a coach that cheats, fine, you just get 1 less scholarship.
ReplyDeleteTo further cement my point of the NCAA's ridiculousness, Jeremiah Masoli is cleared and will be allowed to play for Ole Miss this season without sitting out any games. After being arrested and kicked out of Oregon. The second college he has been kicked out of.
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