Comments on: Column: “Fix” Is In For College Football Playoff

By: Scratchigmyhead

Scratchigmyhead — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 19:48:39 +0000

John U. Have you ever heard of Dr. Harry Edward,I believe from San Diego State University. Dr. Edwards wrote about this very same issue 40 years ago. If you are not familiar with him, please google. Dr. Edwards predicted this very same thing but he limited his comments to African American athletes. What I don’t understand is that Mary Sue is supposed to be so student focus, why isn’t she voicing concerns about the extension of the football season especially as it impacts the so=called student athletes, especially as it exposed them to additional injuries and will interfere with their academics. What hyporcracy.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:42:02 +0000

Just one more example where the use of money diminishes us.

By: Tom Brandt

Tom Brandt — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:14:59 +0000

The student/athletes, many of them, may be unpaid but they are not uncompensated. Most non-athletes attending the University of Michigan will graduate with the debt they took on to pay the University’s high tuition. Athletes on full scholarships won’t. That’s not nothing.

By: Colin Oatley

Colin Oatley — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:12:08 +0000

The college presidents are doing what they were hired to do: maximizing revenue from sales and donations, while minimizing costs. If the presidents fail to do so, they will lose their jobs. The athletes should be allowed to maximize their own revenues, but the schools and the NFL have colluded to prevent football players from competing in a free and open job market for athletic talent.

By: Scott Rosencrans

Scott Rosencrans — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:24:13 +0000

Having been more than pleased with your articles and radio reports to date, I have been secretly lamenting that the day might come when I disagree with your position. Today’s the day. I think the playoff idea is good because I think that the other two systems used in my lifetime have been either mind blowingly subjective or non-humanly inappropriate. Football is a game of human excellence juxtaposed to human style failings. I happen to think that when even a referee fails (unless corruption is involved) it is still an essential part of the sport experience. I agree with the “settle it on the field” line of thinking, but understand your comments surrounding that idea. On the other hand, how can any system that would be this conclusive provide greater opportunity for discourse and contention than 1) a system where an elite decided the champion in a closed room, or 2) a system where the HAL 9000 is in control of the decision?

Naturally, your writing is stellar as usual.

By: abc

abc — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:28:53 +0000

In 1976 James Michener wrote ‘Sports in America’ where he raised a number of troubling issues about how colleges and universities are exploiting student/athletes (among other troubling issues that are still… issues). But he did not just identify problems he also offered a possible approach for schools where an athlete could be an athlete while in their prime, and go on to even compete professionally, but also be afforded the opportunity to return to complete their education afterwords with their scholarship. If I recall correctly part of his idea was to make it easier for student/athletes to pursue more rigorous degrees because they did not have to complete them before they departed for their professional careers.

An article from 2008 has the following – Some athletes say they have pursued — or have been steered to — degree programs that helped keep them eligible for sports but didn’t prepare them for post-sports careers.”A major in eligibility, with a minor in beating the system,” says C. Keith Harrison, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, where he is associate director of the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

Mr. Bacon I have to assume that you are familiar with this book and I am wondering if you have any thoughts as to whether there have been any improvements in the way college athletes are treated (encouraged) with respect to pursuing a real education. I have to imagine that extending their season cannot help.

I have occasionally had the opportunity to ask people in sports if student/athletes are really student/athletes, or are they athlete/students. Mostly I get the answer I want to hear but always seem to wonder if that answer is not practiced and hollow. Certainly the NCAA likes to tout the graduation rate but I have also seen reports that many of the degrees are based on the easiest coursework possible. One of Michener’s salient points was that schools profit greatly from their athletes (and I know this varies by sport) and they should use some of that profit to make sure that the athlete gets a quality education even if that means making a place for them at their school after they are done playing collegiate and pro sports.