Apr 1st, 2009 - April's Fools
That's us by the way.
As we try to psyche ourselves up for the Final Four matchups between Connecticut and Michigan State and Villanova and North Carolina and ultimately for the Championship next Monday night, it's harder for us this year with the realization that in fact this version of March Madness is a complete and utter sham.
When 25% of the participants in any sporting event are dirty, that's an issue that cannot be ignored. Yahoo! Sports revealed last week that the University of Connecticut has been keeping up with one of it long-standing school traditions, (along with its annual Tug-of-War and Distance Barfing contests), and been violating student-athlete recruiting regulations... again.
Oh, the hue and cry. The shame. The tearful news conference where coach Jim Calhoun admitted to his nefarious deeds...
You missed all of that? No wonder considering, not so shockingly, it never happened.
Welcome to the NCAA - where they never let a thing like academic integrity or following rules interfere with a bottom line or a ratings point.
Why?
Well, first off, the fans simply don't care. What is apparent to most of us is simply this: Major league college sports is a big business and when a kid gets into a school he shouldn't have, or drives as nice a car as your average AIG exec, it's overlooked because, really, what's the harm?
Second, as you've noticed, the media is on the shtick as well. You would think a big juicy story like this would be dominating the sporting news cycles with investigative reporters uncovering violation after violation, but this isn't the way things work covering college sports.
That's because the objects of the exercise really are just kids. They are trying to get ahead any way they can, in this case because they can run fast and jump high. It's not their fault the system is the way it is, and therefore the press can't be seen picking on them like they would someone who cheats in professional sports. (Like they do there either.)
And finally, the reason this recruitment thing goes on, and will continue to do so not only there but everywhere, is because Coach Calhoun is the highest paid state employee in Connecticut.
He earns $1.62-million a year knowing those X's and O's, and how to get the best players in the country to chose UConn over anywhere else. He didn't even bother to proclaim his innocence when the story broke shrugging off the Yahoo! reporters as simply "bloggers," and dismissing their charges as a mere "distraction."
And of course he's right.
Nothing will come of this because when/if he's found guilty, all he'll get is a wrist slap and lose a scholarship or two for end-of-bench players who would never see game time anyway.
The system is they way it is - and on one is trying to fix it because no one perceives it as broken.
All that matters is there's a thriller on Monday night that the fans will talk about for years, the writers can fell forests writing about and the NCAA can use in their next CBS broadcasting negotiation...
...and the disposable players get taken for a ride by millionaire civil servants who are only in the business of keeping their personal money machine churning.
Ah, amateur athletics. Is there anything more pure?
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Bet NCAA Basketball Now!
That's us by the way.
As we try to psyche ourselves up for the Final Four matchups between Connecticut and Michigan State and Villanova and North Carolina and ultimately for the Championship next Monday night, it's harder for us this year with the realization that in fact this version of March Madness is a complete and utter sham.
When 25% of the participants in any sporting event are dirty, that's an issue that cannot be ignored. Yahoo! Sports revealed last week that the University of Connecticut has been keeping up with one of it long-standing school traditions, (along with its annual Tug-of-War and Distance Barfing contests), and been violating student-athlete recruiting regulations... again.
Oh, the hue and cry. The shame. The tearful news conference where coach Jim Calhoun admitted to his nefarious deeds...
You missed all of that? No wonder considering, not so shockingly, it never happened.
Welcome to the NCAA - where they never let a thing like academic integrity or following rules interfere with a bottom line or a ratings point.
Why?
Well, first off, the fans simply don't care. What is apparent to most of us is simply this: Major league college sports is a big business and when a kid gets into a school he shouldn't have, or drives as nice a car as your average AIG exec, it's overlooked because, really, what's the harm?
Second, as you've noticed, the media is on the shtick as well. You would think a big juicy story like this would be dominating the sporting news cycles with investigative reporters uncovering violation after violation, but this isn't the way things work covering college sports.
That's because the objects of the exercise really are just kids. They are trying to get ahead any way they can, in this case because they can run fast and jump high. It's not their fault the system is the way it is, and therefore the press can't be seen picking on them like they would someone who cheats in professional sports. (Like they do there either.)
And finally, the reason this recruitment thing goes on, and will continue to do so not only there but everywhere, is because Coach Calhoun is the highest paid state employee in Connecticut.
He earns $1.62-million a year knowing those X's and O's, and how to get the best players in the country to chose UConn over anywhere else. He didn't even bother to proclaim his innocence when the story broke shrugging off the Yahoo! reporters as simply "bloggers," and dismissing their charges as a mere "distraction."
And of course he's right.
Nothing will come of this because when/if he's found guilty, all he'll get is a wrist slap and lose a scholarship or two for end-of-bench players who would never see game time anyway.
The system is they way it is - and on one is trying to fix it because no one perceives it as broken.
All that matters is there's a thriller on Monday night that the fans will talk about for years, the writers can fell forests writing about and the NCAA can use in their next CBS broadcasting negotiation...
...and the disposable players get taken for a ride by millionaire civil servants who are only in the business of keeping their personal money machine churning.
Ah, amateur athletics. Is there anything more pure?
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Bet NCAA Basketball Now!
