The Attack Of The 50-Foot NCAA
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, May 09, 2008
Good.
In my opinion, the NCAA’s unhealthy fascination with the APR is a charade because I’m not convinced the national organization that supposedly governs intercollegiate athletics is all that concerned about the academic performance of student-athletes.
In short, when it comes to academics, the NCAA is all bark and no bite.
First, I have a problem with the term “student-athlete” because it fails to properly capture their most appropriate role within the university. That’s why I refer to players as “revenue generators.”
But I digress.
Instead, here are the four things I believe the NCAA truly cares about:
1. Making money;
2. The continuing existence of the NCAA;
3. Pandering to the TV networks;
4. School nicknames.
If you have any questions about No. 4, please speak with your friends from Newberry College.
If you need evidence of the NCAA’s obsession with making money, look no further than men’s basketball, which, because college football is controlled by the conferences, has become the organization’s cash cow.
Of course, they’ll never admit that because they’re afraid of offending all the other sports. As I’ve said before, the NCAA and political correctness walk hand—in-hand like two young lovers.
The NCAA will earn more than $1 billion from CBS and its various subsidiaries under the current TV deal for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They get hundreds of millions more from ESPN and the various cable networks.
More than once, Dave Odom told us that Disney (the parent company of ESPN) controlled college basketball. I believe it.
Like any living organism, the NCAA is most interested in survival, which leads us to the APR.
Years ago, when the Alabama football program was about to get sanctioned for numerous rules violations, a national debate erupted as to whether the Crimson Tide should receive the death penalty.
Some said yes, others said no.
I told people then - and I’ll say it again today- that the NCAA would never pull the plug on Alabama football because they were absolutely terrified of the possible consequences.
What “consequences”? Nothing less than the extinction of the NCAA.
Had the death penalty been handed down, the NCAA was afraid Alabama would spearhead a revolt against it and lead to the creation of a rival organization.
Well, it’s the same thing with the APR.
According to the NCAA’s statistics, only 17 of the 123 teams penalized this year came from the six BCS conferences. Many big schools such as USC were granted waivers.
Therefore, don’t look for the APR system to produce much change in college athletics in future years. The big-time programs still dominate the stage, and the NCAA simply won’t do anything to hurt those programs.
But, if you’re a college football fan, there is something you should be worried about.
The NCAA has announced the formation of a Football Academic Review Working Group to “devise recommendations for improving the academic performance of football student-athletes.”
The group is supposed to prepare a final report by April, 2009.
Why should the average college football fan shudder? Because if the final product looks anything like the one prepared by the baseball academic working group a couple of years ago, you can expect to see major changes in college football in the coming years such as reduction in the number of scholarships, reduction in the practice times and the 20-hour rule, reduction in roster sizes and one and on.
Ray Tanner will tell that the changes arising from the recommendations of the baseball group have severely damaged the interests of college baseball.
One of the 30 members of the football working group is Peg Hefferan, the senior women’s athletic administrator at Wagner College.
Why is a women’s athletic director on a committee powerful enough set to change the landscape of major college football?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
So, the expected splash over the Academic Progress Rate (APR) turned out to be nothing more than a mere ripple in the water.
Good.
In my opinion, the NCAA’s unhealthy fascination with the APR is a charade because I’m not convinced the national organization that supposedly governs intercollegiate athletics is all that concerned about the academic performance of student-athletes.
In short, when it comes to academics, the NCAA is all bark and no bite.
First, I have a problem with the term “student-athlete” because it fails to properly capture their most appropriate role within the university. That’s why I refer to players as “revenue generators.”
But I digress.
Instead, here are the four things I believe the NCAA truly cares about:
1. Making money;
2. The continuing existence of the NCAA;
3. Pandering to the TV networks;
4. School nicknames.
If you have any questions about No. 4, please speak with your friends from Newberry College.
If you need evidence of the NCAA’s obsession with making money, look no further than men’s basketball, which, because college football is controlled by the conferences, has become the organization’s cash cow.
Of course, they’ll never admit that because they’re afraid of offending all the other sports. As I’ve said before, the NCAA and political correctness walk hand—in-hand like two young lovers.
The NCAA will earn more than $1 billion from CBS and its various subsidiaries under the current TV deal for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They get hundreds of millions more from ESPN and the various cable networks.
More than once, Dave Odom told us that Disney (the parent company of ESPN) controlled college basketball. I believe it.
Like any living organism, the NCAA is most interested in survival, which leads us to the APR.
Years ago, when the Alabama football program was about to get sanctioned for numerous rules violations, a national debate erupted as to whether the Crimson Tide should receive the death penalty.
Some said yes, others said no.
I told people then - and I’ll say it again today- that the NCAA would never pull the plug on Alabama football because they were absolutely terrified of the possible consequences.
What “consequences”? Nothing less than the extinction of the NCAA.
Had the death penalty been handed down, the NCAA was afraid Alabama would spearhead a revolt against it and lead to the creation of a rival organization.
Well, it’s the same thing with the APR.
According to the NCAA’s statistics, only 17 of the 123 teams penalized this year came from the six BCS conferences. Many big schools such as USC were granted waivers.
Therefore, don’t look for the APR system to produce much change in college athletics in future years. The big-time programs still dominate the stage, and the NCAA simply won’t do anything to hurt those programs.
But, if you’re a college football fan, there is something you should be worried about.
The NCAA has announced the formation of a Football Academic Review Working Group to “devise recommendations for improving the academic performance of football student-athletes.”
The group is supposed to prepare a final report by April, 2009.
Why should the average college football fan shudder? Because if the final product looks anything like the one prepared by the baseball academic working group a couple of years ago, you can expect to see major changes in college football in the coming years such as reduction in the number of scholarships, reduction in the practice times and the 20-hour rule, reduction in roster sizes and one and on.
Ray Tanner will tell that the changes arising from the recommendations of the baseball group have severely damaged the interests of college baseball.
One of the 30 members of the football working group is Peg Hefferan, the senior women’s athletic administrator at Wagner College.
Why is a women’s athletic director on a committee powerful enough set to change the landscape of major college football?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.