Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Amid controversy, the NCAA steps in like a mean babysitter. They lay down the law, but are also just saving its own head.

[Written in 1989, and it's still an issue.]

This comes after Terrelle Pryor and 4 other Buckeyes will be forced to sit out the first 5 games of next year, (Including the one against the Buffs) but not the Mary Poppins/All State Sugar Bowl. Makes no sense right? Why not put your foot down and really make a statement to college athletics as a whole?

And here’s why, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky right now that they put Cleveland State on probation another three years,” appropriately said by former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

But the real problems are the athletes themselves. And the majors they choose. (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2003-11-18-atheletes-majors_x.htm ) How many of these kids fit the prerequisite standards that all the other students abide by? How many would be at this school if it wasn’t for an athletic scholarship and a huge booster seat for classes? And sadly, the answer is very few.

[There are many exceptions to this rule, and it doesn’t get talked about enough. There are some smart people that are also exceptional athletes. But the majority, or super-majority, of student-athletes that get in trouble do not fall in this group of exceptions.]

So how in the world do we expect a group of 20-something kids, that if it wasn’t for their athletic ability would not be in these schools, that get paddy-caked through COLLEGE level courses to remain eligible, that most will not play the sport forever, to be “smart” enough to make decisions that have huge future-threatening ramifications?

It’s absurd.