Mr. Jeff Gordon (the original) is from Malad, Idaho. Growing up in a small town, he had a lot of time to throw alley-oops to myself as well as burn a lot of inanimate objects. His motto in high school was "nard, or nothing." Women have never been able to keep their eyes, or hands, off of him but sorry ladies, he's taken. He currently resides in St. George, Utah with his lovely wife Karissa, is an avid follower of anything sports, and is known as the second hairiest man in the nation. His post today is about the corruption and evil that is beginning to seep down from professional sports through the cracks onto the collegiate level. I present to you:
Future Path of NCAA: Destiny or Demise?
By Jeffrey Crowther
The love of money is the root of all evil. For the NCAA that root has sprouted and grown into a tree so huge that it provides a shady atmosphere across the whole country. From Southern California to Connecticut, there is a growing darkness that many of us college sports fans aren’t sure if we want to shine a light upon what has been occurring in the underground of our beloved pastime.
The most recent bombshell at Ohio State University really symbolizes the state of college sports. One of the most prominent football schools in the nation has an infestation of NCAA violations that have been going on for almost a decade. The leader of their team, Coach Tressel, had an image so squeaky clean that he was nicknamed the, “Senator.” The distortion of that image was so shockingly different to the true visual of this coach that it now brings up the question of, who else is cheating? Do we really want to know? Do we want to destroy the record books for this past decade? We already have one national title vacated. If we look further into this box of Pandora’s, will we wish that we hadn’t? With all its’ complexities and endless debates, this situation comes down to what is right, and what is wrong?
Terrelle Pryor is not a criminal. Reggie Bush is not a criminal. Coach Tressel is probably an upstanding man that has helped so many people over the years. Is that our standard nowadays? If you’re not breaking the law then it’s okay? The law shouldn’t have to dictate our college sports nor our personal lives. Can there not be a higher standard to live by? When going to college it is referred to as higher learning. Shouldn’t all of the students be receiving that higher learning without the exception of athletes? With all the good that Coach Tressel has done for so many student athletes, it is feared that he has done more harm. As a college sports coach, mentor is one of the most important callings that fall under their umbrella of responsibility. These coaches are mentoring the future of America. Bending the rules and making the exceptions are exactly what we see in our politics, business, and many other areas of our country. How many graduating classes of student-athletes have been taught that because they can perform on the field, the rules off the field don’t apply? The increasing frequency and intensity of the NCAA violations leads one to believe that the field of college sports is being overtaken with weeds. The nation and the NCAA now face a monumental, defining fork in the road. Do we sweep these NCAA violations under the rug by getting rid of them, and thus allowing college athletes to get paid? Or do we hold onto the prestige of integrity that the NCAA once boasted?
A recent poll on espn.com revealed that the nation was split right down the middle on whether or not college athletes should get paid. 50% said yes and 50% said no. The NCAA can take a stand or it can go with the flow. It is pretty obvious by now that to take a stand against these NCAA violations, the NCAA needs a complete overhaul similar to the actions of Major League Baseball against the use of steroids. Doing so will result with some ugly consequences as we can see in MLB and it’s record book full of asterisks. National Titles, trophies, and records could be lost but the integrity gained.
Eyes will be watching the near future decisions of the NCAA. The house built on integrity is on fire. Do they let it burn to the ground or do they fight to put it out? They can’t sit back on their rocking chair made of gold anymore. As this fire of immorality continues to sweep across the horizon of college sports, the NCAA will choose.
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