Not so Fine

What a shocker. Another scandal has just rocked the world of major college athletics. This time though, it does not involve a pay-to-play scheme, impermissible benefits, or athletes cheating on their SATs. This one is far more graphic, and continues a recent disturbing pattern that parents of perspective student-athletes should strongly consider before sending their children away to college. It involves yet another coach being linked to and accused of sexually abusing underage boys.

Bernie Fine, the Syracuse men’s basketball assistant coach of 36 years was fired November 27th because of escalating allegations that he sexually abused several young boys during his coaching tenure. The story first went public when former Syracuse ball boy, 39 year old Bobby Davis recently accused Fine of molesting him starting when he was 12 or 13 and continuing until he was 27. Davis claimed the abuse started one summer night before seventh grade, when he was spending the night at the Fine residence. He alleges that Fine came into the basement that night and inappropriately fondled his genitals.

Shortly thereafter, 45 year old Mike Lang, Davis’ step-brother and fellow former ball boy, also accused Fine of molesting him as a youth. Despite these serious allegations, the accusations against Fine seemed fraudulent in the eyes of the public. This seemed to be a hopeless ploy by two desperate men to acquire quick cash for their suffering, and fifteen minutes of fame. At least that’s the way Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim viewed it, claiming “It is a bunch of a thousand lies he has told. You don’t think it is a little funny that his cousin (relative) is coming forward? He supplied four names to the university that would corroborate his story. None of them did… there is only one side to this story. He is lying.”

The attention the two men hoped to bring to the situation began to fade as the Syracuse Orangemen took to the court this November with high expectations for this season. And though Bernie Fine was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, not much was believed to come out of the probing.  A repeat of a Penn State scandal seemed far from likely. But for Fine, things quickly took a turn for the worst. 

After news broke of Davis and Lang’s allegations, another young man, 23 year-old Zach Tomaselli of Lewiston, Maine, reported that Fine molested him in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room. A new man, a new allegation; suddenly this tale of Fine’s molestations didn’t seem so frivolous. Maybe there was some truth to the stories these men were telling. Just as charges against Fine began to gain momentum, the most revealing evidence of all was revealed: a taped conversation with Fine’s wife, Laurie.

In a telephone conversation taped by Bobby Davis in 2002, Laurie Fine admitted her fears about her husband’s encounters with young boys, especially Davis himself. She observed her husband’s behavior, but felt “powerless to stop the alleged abuse”. She told Davis, “I know everything that went on with him… Bernie has issues, maybe that he’s not aware of, but he has issues… And you trust somebody you shouldn’t have trusted.”

Just like that, with that one taped recording, this story became very real and chilling for a nation already reeling from the shocking news that continuously pours out of Penn State about its own child sex abuse scandal. The revelation of Fine’s actions proved to many that maybe the Penn State scandal was not an isolated incident, and maybe Jerry Sandusky was not just a rouge coach who preyed on young children. Maybe these predatory coaches lurking around programs are an underlying culture of college athletics. If this is truly the case, then parents should give very cautious thought to where their children attend college, whether they are an athlete or not.

But how does a parent truly gauge the character of a school and its athletic program? How does parent know the signs of predatory individual like a Sandusky or a Fine? They don’t, and that’s the scary part. You can’t anticipate how genuinely someone will care for your child when you’re not present. This breach of trust has never been more evident than these latest stories of sexual misconduct towards minors. Parents in the Sandusky and Fine cases obviously trusted both men with the care of their children, but that definitely is not what happened. Both men sexually abused young boys, and in Fine’s case he did so to two brothers over an extended period of time. Incidents like these should make all parents pause and think; what types of people do they want surrounding their children.

Your Average Scandal

Your Average Scandal

By Cullen Hamilton

Ruined programs and defamed coaches seem to have become the norm in college football. Over the past few college football seasons, notable schools such as USC and Ohio State have witnessed their storied football programs and high-profiled coaches go down in the flames of NCAA scrutiny. This past week, one of the country’s top football programs and arguably one of the best college football coaches of all-time, experienced their own fall from grace.

The Penn State Nittany Lions and their (former) hall of fame coach Joe Paterno are in shambles after information leaked about an ongoing child sex scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky, a longtime friend and a coach for Paterno for 32 years, was recently arrested for 40 counts of molesting underage boys over a 15-year period.

The most notable of these sexual encounters occurred in 2002, three years after Sandusky’s retirement. Mike McQueary, a then graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions told a grand jury this month that he witnessed a boy, “whose age he estimated to be ten years old, with his hands up against the wall, being subjected to anal intercourse by a naked Sandusky.” Once he saw the young boy being raped, McQueary immediately left the facility “distraught”. The decision he made after that would later cause the downfall of Penn State football.

After rushing out of the Penn State locker room in horror, McQueary did what any confused young man would do: turn to his father for advice. McQueary consulted with his father and they decided he would report what he saw to coach Paterno the next day. From there, Paterno informed his superiors: Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz. Paterno also scheduled a meeting between the two men and McQueary, so McQueary could specifically explain what he witnessed.

Curley and Schultz’s response to Sandusky’s actions were sickening and shameful. They did nothing! They didn’t report the allegations to any law enforcement, not even campus security. All they did was take Sandusky’s locker room keys. He’s a pedophile! Taking his locker room keys is not going to deter him from preying on little boys. Not only that, they didn’t prohibit Sandusky from visiting campus until November 6th of this year, one day after he was charged with sexual abuse, and an astonishing nine years after school officials were formally notified.

The question now is who rightfully deserves the blame. Obviously, Sandusky should be severely punished for his despicable actions. But who’s next to point the finger at? At the time, young Mike McQueary did what he thought was best. Then, Joe Paterno (technically) did the right thing and told his superiors. From there, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz failed to do their job, basically enabling Jerry Sandusky’s actions.

But in social media, the notable name in this scandal is getting the bulk of the blame: Joe Paterno. Quite frankly, I don’t disagree with where the blame is targeted. When McQueary told Paterno what he witnessed Sandusky doing, Paterno fulfilled his requirement as coach and reported the incident to higher-ranking officials at Penn State.
But, at the same time, Paterno failed his moral requirement, to his team, to Penn State, and ultimately to the victims. Paterno took the easy way out of this scandal by doing the bear minimum. He did exactly what his job required him to do and that was it. Anything more, he obviously wanted to be handled by Penn State officials, to keep his legendary name and program free from scrutiny.

You have to believe that if one of the victims was Paterno’s son or grandson that he would have acted more aggressively. He would not have simply notified officials and then walk away like nothing happened. Nobody is blaming Paterno for Jerry Sandusky’s horrific actions. But Paterno is and should be blamed for his poor handling and judgment in the situation. Sandusky was his good friend, his long time assistant coach, so therefore Paterno should take some responsibility his actions. Even though Sandusky was retired at the time of the incident in 2002, it occurred in the Penn State football facilities, so Paterno should have taken the necessary steps to prevent Sandusky from continuing his behavior.

But I don’t believe Paterno enough, and honestly I think he tried to brush this situation under the rug. He himself never notified the police or made sure the officials he informed notified police. He obviously did not confront or disallow Sandusky from being around the program because Sandusky was not banned from campus until November of this year. In reality, Paterno didn’t do anything to wrong in this situation, but he definitely didn’t do anything right either. Now Joe Paterno’s hall of fame career of 60 plus years will forever be tainted by his inability to tell the truth.

Best Game of the Year

Best Game of the Year

By Cullen Hamilton

Saturday night is officially the clash of the titans in college football. The LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide square off in the matchup of the number one and number two teams in the country. The winner of this showdown can almost guarantee themselves a spot in the SEC and National Championship. Both teams definitely want to be at full strength coming into the contest, and LSU took the necessary steps to make sure that several key players are ready to go.

October 19th, just days before LSU’s home game against rival Auburn Tigers (no. 23), head football coach Les Miles suspended Spencer Ware, Tyrann Mathieu, and Tharold Simon, because of alleged positive tests for marijuana. Spencer Ware was the team’s leading rusher through seven games, with 128 carries for 512 yards and 7 touchdowns. Tyrann Mathieu is arguably the Tiger’s most exciting and dynamic player. From his cornerback position, he has forced six turnovers and scored two touchdowns this season. Tharold Simon is another key contributor in the secondary for an already stacked LSU defense, recording 29 tackles and one interception this season. All three players were forced to sit out this week’s game before they are allowed to return to action next week against Alabama.

But, as expected, LSU didn’t need all their weapons to win this game, as they routed Auburn 45-10. The LSU running attack still managed 174 yards, gaining nearly five yards a carry, and their defense forced two turnovers and held Auburn under 250 yards of total offense. LSU dominated in all facets of the game in route to their game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama next week. The suspensions obviously did not hamper the team’s ability to perform, making the suspensions look like a fraud in itself.

LSU dismantled Auburn in their teammates’ absence, and the suspended players will be eligible to play in the next game, the biggest game of the season: Alabama. So what was the lesson learned here? These three players basically got a two-week vacation before the most monumental game of their careers.

They committed a crime. They had unlawful possession and unlawfully used marijuana. If the police instead of the LSU coaching staff had caught this offense this might be a different story. We might hear about three LSU players facing jail time or probation, not simply a one game suspension. So, again, what really is the lesson learned? These players committed a crime and are still allowed to play in the most highly anticipated game of the season. Peoples’ lives are changed for the worse because of unfortunate decisions about marijuana, but these athletes were only suspended for one game.

Now, do not be mistaken, this is indeed a commendable move by head coach Les Miles. In today’s society, the pressure to win in college athletics is paramount. At many other institutions, this situation would have merely swept under the rug, so give Les Miles his due praise for doing the right thing. But could he have done more? His players messed up and committed a crime. To really make a statement and use this as teaching tool for his team, why couldn’t Miles suspend his players for the next game against Alabama or maybe more? Why couldn’t he instill in his players that character is more important than athletic performance and victories?

Miles certainly showed that he wants more for his team than just football accolades, by suspending these players. But, he should have taken a further step. To truly solidify the point that ethics is more important than football these players should have been suspended more than one game. He should have shown his team he was willing to head into Alabama without several prominent guys because they violated team rules. He should have expressed his desire to have responsible young men on his football team, and suspended his players for more than one game, because they did not meet the requirements of being a student-athlete.

But instead, Les Miles opted only to his suspend his players for one game. His move to instill discipline in his football team died when he reinstated the three suspended players Saturday’s game with Alabama. Therefore, Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon come out of this as winners because they know they are needed. Miles’ decision proved that these players could afford to bench against Auburn, but they services are definitely going to be needed in the battle against Alabama. If these players believe that they are irreplaceable and their presence is necessary win, who’s to say they won’t step out of line again? And if they do misbehave again, we all know what the result will be; they’ll be brought back right before they are needed. So much for proving a point.

Getting Ready

Getting Ready

By Cullen Hamilton

Saturday night is officially the clash of the titans in college football. The LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide square off in the matchup of the number one and number two teams in the country. The winner of this showdown can almost guarantee themselves a spot in the SEC and National Championship. Both teams definitely want to be at full strength coming into the contest, and LSU took the necessary steps to make sure that several key players are ready to go.

October 19th, just days before LSU’s home game against rival Auburn Tigers (no. 23), head football coach Les Miles suspended Spencer Ware, Tyrann Mathieu, and Tharold Simon, because of alleged positive tests for marijuana. Spencer Ware was the team’s leading rusher through seven games, with 128 carries for 512 yards and 7 touchdowns. Tyrann Mathieu is arguably the Tiger’s most exciting and dynamic player. From his cornerback position, he has forced six turnovers and scored two touchdowns this season. Tharold Simon is another key contributor in the secondary for an already stacked LSU defense, recording 29 tackles and one interception this season. All three players were forced to sit out this week’s game before they are allowed to return to action next week against Alabama.

But, as expected, LSU didn’t need all their weapons to win this game, as they routed Auburn 45-10. The LSU running attack still managed 174 yards, gaining nearly five yards a carry, and their defense forced two turnovers and held Auburn under 250 yards of total offense. LSU dominated in all facets of the game in route to their game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama next week. The suspensions obviously did not hamper the team’s ability to perform, making the suspensions look like a fraud in itself.

LSU dismantled Auburn in their teammates’ absence, and the suspended players will be eligible to play in the next game, the biggest game of the season: Alabama. So what was the lesson learned here? These three players basically got a two-week vacation before the most monumental game of their careers.

They committed a crime. They had unlawful possession and unlawfully used marijuana. If the police instead of the LSU coaching staff had caught this offense this might be a different story. We might hear about three LSU players facing jail time or probation, not simply a one game suspension. So, again, what really is the lesson learned? These players committed a crime and are still allowed to play in the most highly anticipated game of the season. Peoples’ lives are changed for the worse because of unfortunate decisions about marijuana, but these athletes were only suspended for one game.

Now, do not be mistaken, this is indeed a commendable move by head coach Les Miles. In today’s society, the pressure to win in college athletics is paramount. At many other institutions, this situation would have merely swept under the rug, so give Les Miles his due praise for doing the right thing. But could he have done more? His players messed up and committed a crime. To really make a statement and use this as teaching tool for his team, why couldn’t Miles suspend his players for the next game against Alabama or maybe more? Why couldn’t he instill in his players that character is more important than athletic performance and victories?

Miles certainly showed that he wants more for his team than just football accolades, by suspending these players. But, he should have taken a further step. To truly solidify the point that ethics is more important than football these players should have been suspended more than one game. He should have shown his team he was willing to head into Alabama without several prominent guys because they violated team rules. He should have expressed his desire to have responsible young men on his football team, and suspended his players for more than one game, because they did not meet the requirements of being a student-athlete.

But instead, Les Miles opted only to his suspend his players for one game. His move to instill discipline in his football team died when he reinstated the three suspended players Saturday’s game with Alabama. Therefore, Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon come out of this as winners because they know they are needed. Miles’ decision proved that these players could afford to bench against Auburn, but they services are definitely going to be needed in the battle against Alabama. If these players believe that they are irreplaceable and their presence is necessary win, who’s to say they won’t step out of line again? And if they do misbehave again, we all know what the result will be; they’ll be brought back right before they are needed. So much for proving a point.

Old Dogs

Old Dogs

By Cullen Hamilton

Have you ever heard the saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Is it actually true? The University of South Carolina proved it to be true. The football program said farewell to one of its most experienced and troublesome Gamecocks: starting quarterback Stephen Garcia

On October 4th, the South Carolina Gamecocks were finally fed up with the immature antics of star quarterback Stephen Garcia, and officially dismissed him from the program. The university’s decision came on the heels of a positive test for alcohol and marijuana. Garcia’s dismissal effectively ends one of the most promising and turbulent careers, in recent college football history.

In his three-plus years under center for the Gamecocks, Garcia led the program to a 20-14 record, including bowl games in all three seasons. He threw for an impressive 7,597 yards for 47 touchdowns, while completing 589 passes, all ranking in the top three of the Gamecock record books. He also rushed for 777 yards and scored an additional 15 touchdowns in his tenure. It’s undeniable; Stephen Garcia enjoyed a remarkable career on the field at South Carolina, but what he experienced off the field was anything but stellar.

As mentioned before, Garcia was no stranger to trouble. His expulsion from the team was not the first disciplinary act against him at South Carolina; it was his sixth. He had been suspended five previous times. Most of which are eerily similar because his trouble usually involved alcohol use (or abuse).

In 2007, just a month after stepping on campus, Garcia was suspended for public intoxication. A month later, Garcia was suspended again for vandalizing his professor’s car. The following year, he was banned once more for underage drinking. In the last seven months alone, Garcia was suspended twice for alcohol related incidences. On the eve of last seasons’ Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Garcia hosted an alcoholic bash in his hotel room, where state police later spotted him with several nude girls. One month later, Garcia was disciplined again for being drunk and disruptive at a mandatory SEC leadership event.

This is not normal behavior for a college student. As some point you would think enough is enough, and that Garcia would show some self-restraint. But maybe he really did have a drinking problem. If so, what did head football coach Steve Spurrier do to help him? After Garcia’s final mishap Spurrier said during a media session, “We are all saddened that this occurred. We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete here at South Carolina. Obviously, he has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract.
We wish him the best.”

Does “numerous opportunities” mean that Spurrier would allow so-called leader to make the same mistake over and over again, and then simply slap him on the wrist? Would Spurrier pledge to hand down a stiff penalty, only to bring Garcia back when he was truly needed? It was obvious that Garcia had weakness for drinking, but was he ever forced to receive counseling or go to rehab? Or was threatening to take his spot of the football team the best South Carolina could have done for this troubled young man?

The answer is clear; South Carolina did what was best for Stephen Garcia the football player, not Stephen Garcia the person. If they were serious about him turning his life around he would have been a fixture at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, instead of football games. Before, that wasn’t an option; the team needed him, so they had to put up with the behavioral issues. Just last season he threw for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading the Gamecock’s to a SEC Eastern Division crown and SEC title game, both firsts in the school’s history. The university seemed to ignore Garcia’s destructive behavior as he led his squad to notable victories, such as wins over Florida and Clemson.

This year has been a totally different story for Garcia, and the reason South Carolina finally booted him from the team. Following his week one heroics, where he rallied his team to victory East Carolina, Garcia’s season had been far from spectacular. Over the next five games, Garcia completed a mere 52% of his passes for 4 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his final game as a Gamecock, he watched from the sideline as he was benched in favor of Connor Shaw.

Fancy South Carolina decided to pull the trigger after this recent mistake by Garcia. He was on the bench while his team was ranked 14th in the country. Maybe the Gamecocks really didn’t need him this year to be good. Maybe that’s the same reason the university is just now giving him the treatment that he earned long ago.

Mediocre Play

Mediocre Play

By Cullen Hamilton

Gator Nation is scratching its head in confusion. Head coach Will Muschamp is sitting in front of a blank drawing board. The Florida Gators may be staring at the top 25 in college football, on the outside looking in, for the second straight season. This isn’t supposed to happen.

In their past two contests, the Florida Gators have successfully earned themselves the label of a second-tier SEC team, after blowout defeats by conference foes Alabama and LSU, 38-10 and 41-11, respectively. The Gators managed to gain a combined 435 yards, while giving up a combined 819 yards during the two games. The team also committed four careless turnovers while forcing none, and their opponents held time of possession for twenty minutes more than the Gators.

The Gator squad looked to be in complete disarray for most of the two games, following the ankle injury of quarterback John Brantley against Alabama. Will Muschamp and his staff pulled their hair out searching for a counter to the injury, but nothing worked. They played freshman quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, swapped them for dual-threat option Trey Burton, and tried direct snaps to running back Chris Rainey: all failed miserably. Everything the Gators attempted was smothered by Alabama and LSU’s ferocious defenses.

In short, Florida was dominated, and they appeared absolutely inferior to two teams who are usually considered their conference equals. The Gators could not compete at the level of LSU and Alabama, the no.1 and no.3 teams in the country. Florida’s physical, interior guys were blown-up and manhandled. Their speedy, perimeter guys were bottled-up and chased down. Throughout the thrashings they endured, one could only think, what’s happened to the Florida Gators? LSU and Alabama are certainly gifted opponents, but the Florida Gators are expected to be just as good as both of those teams, or even better.

These two embarrassing losses are not just reflections of Brantley’s absence. Since Tim Tebow’s departure a year-and-a-half ago, the Florida program has struggled to find that swagger and leadership the garnered them two national championships in 2006 and 2008. Since Tebow’s final game as a Gator, the program has gone 12-7 (.631), not exactly the type of record expected from a perennial powerhouse. In the same period, the program has only managed a mediocre 6-6 record (.500) in conference play. In such a short window, the Gators have fallen from the ranks of recurrent SEC and BCS title contenders to the ranks of the pretty good or solid.

For this Gainesville, Florida community, the adjectives good and solid don’t satisfy their desire to have a dominant team every year. Sadly for Florida fans, their Gators are no longer the fearsome Gators that roamed the fields in the days of Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow. The program no longer has the defenses that delivered bone-crushing hits and the offenses that ran opponents out of the stadium. Now they’re just another pretty good team in the ultra-competitive SEC.

Since their most recent title run, Florida has lost to LSU and Alabama for two consecutive years, and watched Auburn win the BCS National Championship last year. This year alone, the Gators sit on the outskirts of the top 25, staring at five SEC rivals enjoying their national rankings: LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Auburn. This is unfamiliar territory to Florida fans. Even in down years, the Gators are supposed to be ranked in the top 25 and atop the SEC. The program is expected to be equal or better than all other conference competition. Florida fanatics believe their Gators should never be looking up at other programs in the conference, especially teams such as Arkansas and South Carolina, who are not considered to be traditional powers in the SEC.

Florida now sits eye to eye with other programs such as Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas, all programs that were once elite that are now squandering the middle of the pack of their conferences. Like many other sputtering programs, Florida is hoping to regain their footing after last year’s disappointment of not winning the conference title and or being selected to a BCS bowl game.

But this goal of returning to their previous ledge of dominance may have to be shelved until next fall. They have already suffered two conference losses this year and they still have to visit no. 24 Auburn and no. 15 South Carolina. Both games should prove to be uphill battles for the struggling Gators, but in the meantime they should be focused on not falling farther down on the national totem poll. These two games might be monumental for the Florida program in their attempt to show the nation that they have just hit a dry spell, and that they have not lost their spot amongst the college football giants.

Business Decision

Business Decision

By Cullen Hamilton

School is officially in session, so Kentucky basketball Coach John Calipari is back at it again. Coach “Cal” is attempting to do the unprecedented, complete his fourth straight year of having the top recruiting class in college basketball. He might have just moved a little closer by landing his first commitment of the 2012 class, Archie Goodwin. This commitment surely adds to the excitement of Kentucky, but also continues the disturbing trend of young NBA dream chasers.

And what a commitment. On the evening of September 20, five-star recruit Archie Goodwin announced via twitter, that he would be attending the University of Kentucky, to play for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard from Sherwood, Arkansas, is ranked thirteenth on the ESPN Top 100, and he is exactly the type of recruit Coach Calipari can use to lure other elite players to the Wildcat program. It is undeniable that Calipari is in uncharted waters, having only one commitment with less than two month before the November signing period, but with the addition of Goodwin, other recruits are predicted to follow suit.

In the meantime, Big Blue nation isn’t complaining; they’re more than satisfied with the outcome. Archie Goodwin adds to a long list of extremely gifted players that Coach Cal has brought to the “blue grass” state; all possessing the potential to pursue a NBA career.

Not everyone seems to be thrilled about Goodwin’s decision, especially those from his home state of Arkansas. Throughout his entire recruitment process, even after committing to Kentucky, Archie Goodwin continuously expressed his love and loyalty to his native state. So, the question arises: is Mr. Goodwin using
Kentucky as a first class ticket to the NBA or did he fall in love with the academic institution and its historic basketball tradition?

Good luck persuading Arkansans of the latter. How could they believe Goodwin’s proclamation of love for his state and the Arkansas Razorbacks? He claims to love his Razorbacks, yet he’s going to a conference rival claiming, “I love my state, but it’s a business decision and this is best for my career and my family”.

Did he really say “business decision” and “career”? Are those words supposed to be in a soon-to-be college kids’ vocabulary? Aren’t kids supposed to consider academics, location, climate, other students on campus, etc? And of course (for him), athletics should be a substantial part of his considerations. But “business decision”? “Career”? I thought Goodwin was declaring which college he would attend, not declaring for the NBA Draft. But maybe in today’s world of high-level college basketball, committing to college and declaring for the draft are one in the same.

Goodwin’s future coach and school are prime examples of this new era of college basketball. No one has ever praised John Calipari for giving his players amazing and nurturing college experiences. People have praised him though, for consistently breeding his already good players, into great NBA standouts. Over the past four seasons (dating back to his tenure at Memphis), Calipari has produced fourteen NBA Draft picks, all but five of which drafted in the first round. Five of those players were selected within the top five. Derrick Rose and John Wall were the number one overall picks in 2008 and 2010, respectively. In 2010, Calipari made draft history, having five players drafted in the first round.

You’ve got to give the man his props; he gets the job done. He turns talented high school recruits into productive NBA pros. He grooms his players at the collegiate level, propelling them towards the professional level.

But once again, is that what the college basketball world has been reduced to? Can kids search for a fulfilling and wholesome college experience, while also competing at the highest level on the court? Now days are blue chip recruits solely in an arms race for the NBA and a “business decision” is the only decision worth considering?

It’s quite unfortunate that Archie Goodwin’s apparent tunnel vision and concern for his “business decision” and “career” are actually the qualities that might push him towards a NBA career. In today’s college sports, athletes must become one-dimensional people, only focusing on their athletics careers and give less attention to their social and academic lives. They must become obsessed with their craft.

Therefore, if Archie Goodwin seriously wants to play in the NBA, he can’t allow himself to stay at home and play for Arkansas. Even if Razorback pride courses through his veins, he can’t allow himself to don the maroon and white. Over the past ten years, only three Arkansas players have been drafted. In that same time, John Calipari has had nineteen players drafted. You do the math. It’s a sad reality but if Archie Goodwin wants to play basketball for a living, he’s got to throw away personal preferences, and make a “business decision”.

Winning Before Ethics

Winning Before Ethics

By Cullen Hamilton

He’s the next best thing. He’s a man amongst boys. He’s the consensus number one overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He’s the newest addition to the defending National Champion Connecticut Huskies. Yes you guessed correctly, he’s Andre Drummond.

On August 26, 2011, UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun received the words that all major Division One programs yearned to hear: Andre Drummond was coming to high school to play his collegiate ball. The 6’10, 275 pound Drummond decided to forgo a prep year at Wilbraham and Monson Academy, instead opting to enroll at UConn this fall, because he already fulfilled academic requirements to allowed him graduate early. Drummond’s jump to the college ranks, makes him eligible for competition this upcoming season. Possessing freakish athletic ability, and showcasing a skill set many consider to be similar to NBA standout Amare Stoudemire, Drummond has positioned himself well for next year’s NBA Draft.

Don’t be confused now; this commitment does not only benefit the soon-to-be lottery pick. Husky nation is ecstatic because of the outcome. Their program landed an immediate impact player who can keep them among the top guns in college basketball, after losing Mr. Everything, Kemba Walker. The team returns key contributors: Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi, Shabazz Napier, and Roscoe Smith, their second through fifth leading scorers, respectively. Drummond is believed to be the exact ingredient that will propel the Huskies back to another possible Big East and National title run.

Drummond’s decision should come as joyous news to the campus in Storrs, Connecticut, but not everyone is content with the route Andre Drummond is taking to join the basketball team. During the team’s recent, magical journey through the Big East and National championships, the university dealt with grave issues concerning its basketball program. Last year, the NCAA found the UConn basketball program guilty of not promoting an atmosphere of compliance. Coach Calhoun and his staff committed several NCAA recruiting infractions, including impermissible contact with recruits and providing free tickets to high school coaches. In response to these serious violations, the school implemented a self-imposed two-year probation, where they will forfeit one basketball scholarship per year, for each of the next two seasons.

This restriction on available scholarships limits the program to two scholarships for this upcoming season, which they have met with incoming freshman Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels. Andre Drummond’s commitment makes him the third player to receive a scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic school year. But how is that possible? The Huskies have obviously overused their basketball scholarships. They had two to give out, yet three were accepted. The program was just handed probation and now they’re cheating again? Not exactly. The program committed no wrongdoing. Sophomore center Michael Bradley graciously gave up his scholarship and applied for financial aid, to allow space for the highly touted Drummond, who otherwise would not have been able to play due to lack of scholarships.

Bradley’s selfless act may be seen as refreshing to some Husky diehards, but for others, this latest move keeps UConn on the unethical path that landed them this current probation. Yes, Michael Bradley offered away his hard-earned scholarship, but was it really his choice? Did the UConn staff pressure this young man into giving up his scholarship, telling him that his decision was for the betterment of the team? And if this was Bradley’s idea, how could Jim Calhoun tolerate this? His program is under NCAA sanctions because of the unruly actions that he and his staff performed. Allowing Andre Drummond to strip Michael Bradley’s four-year scholarship, so that he can boast his talents for perspective NBA scouts, displays one crucial aspect of Jim Calhoun’s programs; things will never change.

Morals and ethics will never truly be an issue as long as games are won, seats are filled, and money is raked in. It’s sad to witness Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun manage his program with the mindset that winning is everything, that running a clean organization takes a back seat to compiling victories. It’s sad to witness Jim Calhoun ask Michael Bradley, who experienced a tough childhood, to give up his scholarship so that Andre Drummond can put up numbers for UConn for a year. It’s even more sad to think that every other basketball program in the country would do the same thing to land a prospect like Drummond.

There’s no denying that Andre Drummond is a rare talent who has the potential to be a NBA superstar one day, but when did keeping a promise become too much to ask? Michael Bradley entrusted his future in the UConn coaching staff, believing the scholarship he received would be his for the next four years. Unfortunately, what Michael Bradley didn’t realize is that Jim Calhoun was willing to forfeit his free education, to help his basketball program by acquiring Andre Drummond. Yes, it’s official now, winning is more important than ethics.

Does Winning Mean Everything?

Does Winning Mean Everything?

By Cullen Hamilton

Another Saturday, another Georgia loss, and another notch cranked up on the hot seat of head football coach Mark Richt.

Last Saturday the Georgia Bulldogs suffered their second disappointing loss this season at the hands of SEC rival South Carolina Gamecocks in their home opener, a game many considered to be a ‘must win’ for the program. The Bulldogs battled their favored opponent valiantly but eventually succumbed to turnovers, including a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, giving the Gamecocks the 45-42 victory. This excruciating defeat came on the heels of the 35-21 mauling by supposedly inferior opponent Boise State last week, a performance that help proved Boise State’s legitimacy amongst the giants of college football. While Boise State and South Carolina were formidable opponents (No. 5 and No. 12 respectively), these losses are still embarrassing and disheartening because they jumpstart a season that Bulldog fans believed would signal the resurgence of Georgia football.

The two losses were not only unsettling, but also symbolic. They proved to Georgia supporters and sport fanatics that the ‘Dawgs’ have not yet returned to national prominence. These early season losses proved that even with their celebrated recruiting classes (top 15 each of the past three years), the program hasn’t escaped its relative mediocrity, going 8-5 in 2009, 6-7 in 2010, and beginning this season in a 0-2 hole.

No one is searching harder to end the trend of lackluster Georgia football, like heavily scrutinized coach Mark Richt. Richt is in his eleventh year on the job, and he has produced a satisfying football product overall. He boasts a record of 96-34 entering this season. He also holds an impressive SEC record of 55-28, winning two conference titles in his first ten seasons. But what has he done for me lately? Georgia diehards desperately seek the answer to that question after Richt has only mustered second and third places in their Eastern SEC division the past three years. And after every disheartening loss, Bulldog fans imagined guillotine inches closer and closer to Mark Richt’s tenure as head coach. Georgia’s passionate fan base is tired of seeing recent images of Auburn, Alabama, and Florida, all SEC rivals, hoisting National Championships.

The fans are confused, as Tommy Lawhorne, a board member from Columbus stated, “There are many of us who are concerned about the status of the football program.” The team consistently generates top tier players to compete at the highest level. And in recent years the program has molded two first-round studs in Matthew Stafford and AJ Green. There’s no doubt that Richt has a niche for attracting top high school talent, but where is the dominance that Georgians were accustomed during the Hershel Walker days of the 80’s? The Georgia fans remember and miss the glory days, so naturally they feel a sense of football entitlement. They want to return to football royalty and have a slice of that familiar pie: the winning pie.

But, wait, winning isn’t everything right? Aren’t today’s student-athletes supposed to leave campus with a degree, before a ring? Shouldn’t young men receive a well-balanced college experience away from the football field? Don’t coaches have a larger role in player’s lives than simply getting them to win football games? Often when new coaches are hired, athletic directors serenade the media with praise of how much that coach will affect the player’s lives off the field and in the classroom. They falsely emphasize how much football will not be the number one priority in the program, but rather how sculpting productive young men will truly be the focus.

Let’s be honest, do these large university want pleasant young gentlemen frolicking throughout the campus, or beastly athletes stalking their playing fields? The latter has been proven to be higher on universities’ wish list and seems to enhance coaching job security.

Last year, Florida Gator football coach Urban Meyer ended an illustrious six-year tenure where his teams posted the amazing overall record 65-15, en route to two BCS National Championships. But his tenure also included the less illustrious stat, a whopping twenty-five players arrested. Where is the personal integrity and character that athletic directors ensure when new coaches are hired? Obviously these issues were swept under the rug for one reason: Meyer won ball games. Now flip to Richt: his teams are not generating the same number of wins that Georgians are familiar to, but he has remain consistent a one key category. In his ten plus years, Richt has graduated 201 players. He has proved that cares about the development of his kids as people, but what do the fans care about: productive members of society, or winning football games?

The World’s Purist Sport

The World’s Purist Sport

By Kevin Green

A main headline, through all of the lockout and holdout news in the national football League this year, has been the new kickoff rule instated for the 2011-2012 NFL season.

Since the 1994 NFL season, the ball has been placed on the opponents’ 30-yard line for every kickoff. This year, however, The NFL has changed a key rule, placing the ball at the opponents’ 35-yard line, giving the kicker an extra five yards on the kickoff. These five extra yards have been crucial for kickers in the NFL. In 140 kickoffs in the preseason earlier this year, the amount of touchbacks sky rocked from last year, increasing from 64 touchbacks in 150 kickoffs in 2010, to 44 touchbacks this preseason. Out of those 140 kickoffs, only 96 have been returned, which is much less than the 124 returns last preseason.
Players, coaches, and fans highly dislike this new rule change, resulting in many changes in game plan and personnel for many NFL teams. If almost every kick is downed in the end zone for a touchback, many players who make a living returning kickoffs might be out of jobs. Many coaches and players have expressed negative feelings toward the rule change, such as Detroit Lions wide receiver Rashied Davis: “I’m just going to tell you the truth. I hate it,” and also Lions linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba: “The five-yard start is Awful.” The dissatisfaction throughout the league is subject to grow throughout the 2011 season, when field position is going to be premium and begins to affect the outcomes of games.

All of the headlines and interviews regarding the rule change got me thinking of all the problems that arise in each sport every year. For the past couple of years in the MLB, many wrong calls have sparked discussion on instant replay. Some people have insisted the MLB adopt the NFL’s replay challenge rule. However, slowly but surely, the MLB is adopting instant replay, but only for homeruns and fair or fail balls. Many people want this rule to be widened, so that every type of play can be reviewed and possibly overturned. However, some baseball purists believe the instant replay takes the history out of the game, and that the instant replay will be negative for the game of baseball.
For the upcoming NBA season, much like the past NFL offseason, the national basketball association has officially entered a lockout. This lockout, unlike the NFL’s lockout, could jeopardize the 2012 NBA season. The lockout has forced many players to play overseas in professional leagues in Europe and Asia to kill time during the lockout and keep their skill sets up to par in preparation of he NBA lockout ending for the 2012 season. Deron Williams, point guard of the New Jersey Nets, set the trend for NBA players to play ball overseas during the lockout. Williams signed a contract to play on the Turkish professional team Besiktas earlier this year. Many other NBA players have signed contract with teams overseas, such as Brazilian guard Leandro Barboso of the Toronto Rapters has agreed to play for a team in South America, and free-agent Sasha Vujacic has also agreed to play ball in Europe during the lockout.
These problems addressed above are just a few examples of the problems with almost every popular sport in the World. However, Soccer is the one sport that has stayed true to its rules and origins.

For centuries, soccer has been one of the world’s most popular sports, played in virtually every country, and extremely popular in Europe and South America. Even though Soccer is not as popular in America as basketball or football, it is still the world’s most popular sport. With all of the controversy in other professional sports, it seems that soccer is never in the sporting news for controversy, and if it is, it is for the actions of a single player or the fans, not the sport itself. Soccer has been played around the world for centuries, and there have never been drastic rule changes that alter the dynamic of the sport, unlike the reaction to the new kickoff rule in the NFL. Also, unlike the NFL and NBA, Soccer has never had a “lockout,” where players and coaches cannot agree on the terms of the league, and postpone the start of the season. One main controversy in Soccer over the years has been racist chants directed toward a player on the field. However, FIFA has made a strong effort to end racism in soccer, and this issue has subsided over the years. This problem, unlike other major sports in America, has nothing to do with the game itself. It has to do with things surrounding the game, such as the fans. For centuries, the game of soccer has stayed wholesome and avoided any controversy or rule changes, making soccer one of, if not the purist sports in the world.