REPLACING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COLLEGE ATHLETICS?

Ralph Nader is at it again.  Remember him?  He went after General Motors back in 1965.   Nader wrote "Unsafe at any Speed",  a study that revealed that many American automobiles were unsafe.  The first chapter, "The Sporty Corvair - The One-Car Accident," pertained to the Corvair, which had been involved in accidents involving spins and rollovers.  An old high school buddy of mine had one.  I'll admit, they were dangerous.  Maybe, just maybe, we can thank Nader for our safer automobiles of today.

Years later, Nader would make four attempts at the United States Presidency running as a Green Party candidate in 1996 and 2000 and as an Independent in 2004 and 2008.  He is commonly known as an activist.  His most recent venture, "League of Fans"  launched in 2004 is a sports reform project.  Their mission is described as such, "working to improve sports by increasing awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, exposing irresponsible business practices, ensuring accountability to fans and encouraging the industry to contribute to societal well being".   So here is what he's proposing.

"As we near the exciting conclusion of 'March Madness' — which would more accurately be described as the 2011 NCAA Professional Basketball Championships — it's time we step back and finally address the myth of amateurism surrounding big-time college football and basketball in this country," said Nader, whose League of Fans is proposing that the scholarships be replaced with need-based financial aid. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposal Thursday, ahead of its official release.

On the surface, it might have some merits.  Might.  Let's take a look at some numbers. 

There are about 5,042 scholarships available at the Divison 1 level.  D1 football teams are required to offer 85 athletic scholarships (and no more per team) and there are 119 teams at the 1A level and you can divide 85 by 4 because each coach has about 21.25 scholarships per year.  In reality, Division 1 football coaches can offer and distribute no more than 25 scholarships per year, but for use of this exampe, let's stick with 21.25 because they cannot have more than 85 players on the team under full scholarship. 

At the D1 level, there are roughly 2,528 athletic football scholarships available each year (21.25 scholarships X 119 schools) give or take a few scholarships as no coach can recruit 25 players.

There are 116-1AA (now known as Football Subdivision Championship) teams.  These teams are allowed to offer 63 athletic scholarships per team.  63 athletic scholarships divided by 4 years equals about 16 scholarships a year.  16 scholarhips a year times 116 teams equals 1,856 athletic scholarships available per year.  But wait, each football in the Ivy League competes at the FSC level, but they do not offer athletic scholarships.  Now we have to deduct about 150 scholarhips to maybe 1,706 at the FSC level.  It's also unlikely that every FSC team offers 63 scholarships but for sake of argument, let's say they do. 

Now, let's say there are roughly 4,234 football scholarhips (2,2528 +1,706) awarded at the Division 1 level and FSC level each year, and that's assuming every FSC team offers the maximum of 63 athletic scholarships (highly unlikely). 

If you consider Divison 1 Men's Basketball, there are 347 schools offering scholarhips.  That's 4,511 total.  Add in the remaining sports which offer lesser numbers in scholarships....and let's not forget the Women's programs as well, and you have some lofty numbers to consider.

Up and Over.....and Maybe Out.

Here is a big part of the problem according to Nader.  "An entire industry has developed in the youth sports arena — club teams, personal trainers, etc. — to prey on families’ dreams of an athletic scholarship. The lure of the elusive athletic scholarship is the primary — sometimes the only — marketing tool these youth sports entrepreneurs use.”

In place of this, Nader suggests worthy student-athletes receive need-based financial aid instead.  Of course, NCAA spokesman Bob Williams didn’t see the point in this, saying that scholarship athletes “are students, just like any other student on campus who receives a merit-based scholarship.” ESPN’s  Jay Bilas didn't see a solution in Nader's plan either.  Ralph Nader calls for an end of athletic schollys.  Nader and NCAA are both wrong. The principle of amateurism is the real issue, not schollys.  Former NCAA President Walter Byers has called for paying the players.  Hmmmmm.....that's a stark contrast.

Nader said his proposal was the opening initative for a rejuvenated League of Fans.  We probably haven't heard the last of this.   Not with Ralph Nader back on the warpath.  All I know is, the system is horribly "broken".  Somewhere there has to be a solution.

Thanks for reading,

John

                                                   -30-

MARCH MADNESS IN MANY WAYS

This is an exciting time for Men's College Basketball.  And well it should be.  No matter what name you want to put to what we're experiencing, "The Big Dance, The Final Four or March Madness",  the fanatics come out of the wood unlike any other sport in the United States. Not the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals or the Stanley Cup can compare.  And it's not just the games themselves that cause the hysteria.

Some would say there's a formula to the lunacy.  Millions watch CBS Selection Sunday. ..... follow that with hours of "Bracketology" where the "analysts" dissect each game.....and then it's time for making an "educated" guess for an individual bracket which gets dropped into a contest, company "pool" or family challenge.  If anything has been proven over the years, it's that there is NO recipe for success.  Some entrants choose the winners by mascots, some flip a coin, others fall in love with school colors or there is the method of going strictly by the higer seeded team and God knows what else.  No matter the philosophy used, each thinks their bracket is the winner.  Is that delusional or what?

For the NCAA, there is a method for this madness.  The basketball tournament funds up to 96 percent of their annual budget.  It has become a cultural, financial success that has generated huge televison ratings.   This year offered something new for the viewer.  "All the games all the time" was a ratings success the first weekend of March Madness.  Instead of just some of the games on CBS, every NCAA tournament game -- First Four, second and third rounds -- was on CBS, TBS, TNT or TRU-TV.  The games have averaged 8.4 million viewers, a 14% increase over last year.

Butler Is Back at It Again......

However, there has always been an element of controversy that has followed the tournament.  The selection of teams has left some schools feeling cheated.  Eleven Big East teams comprised the new format of 68 teams in 2011.  After the first weekend, only UCONN and Marquette remained.  The Golden Eagles were the last team selected by the committee after compiling a 9-9 conference mark.  Oklahoma State, New Mexico and Alabama are a few of the good teams that were left out. 

Former Indiana and Texas Tech head coach, Bobby Knight suggested in 2008 that the field be expanded to 128.  He raised those same concerns again this season.  For now, the remarks have fallen on deaf ears.  Still it makes little sense for teams to play in the National Invitational Tournament or the CollegeInsider.com Tourney.  Case in point...if you saw the size of the crowd at the Missouri State-Miami NIT game on Monday evening you'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise.  1,623 people showed up.  Missouri State lost 81-72 and finished 26-9.  The Bears, who were 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference this year....deserved better.

The madness is also prevalent in the coaching carousel as teams seasons come to an end.  Wins and losses were the most important factor in a coaches dismissal years ago, but that is no longer the case.  Tennessee might be the best example of this insanity.  Volunteer Athletic Director Mike Hamilton stood behind coach Bruce Pearl for months amid violations of lying to an NCAA committee.  "Bruce will be our coach at Tennessee for now and years to come" he said.  Yet, his tune changed.  It raises the question as to whether Hamilton feared losing his job and to appease his bosses, he gave in.  But not only did he give in, he caved!!  Two days before the Volunteers opener versus Michigan, he said Pearl would be evaluated at the end of the year.  With Pearl's job now clearly in jeopardy, Tennessee displayed little energy in a 30 point blowout loss to a young Wolverine squad.  The torpedo Hamilton launched at the Volunteer Nation hit with a resounding thud.  To add fuel to a fire, Hamilton then dismissed Pearl this past Monday on the morning of the Tennessee Women's First Round game against Marquette.  Volunteer fans were livid.  Critics are now questioning why Hamilton couldn't have waited one more day to fire Pearl so as to not detract from the Women's game.  Clearly his lack of leadership in the Athletics Department with basketball and with the recent Lane Kiffin era in football has amped the chatter on sports talk shows and in the sports pages in Knoxville.  Clearly, Hamilton's dismissal could be forthcoming.

Already there are a number of coaches who have turned in their whistle this spring.  Some are household names and others are retreads.  Still the list has some names you will probably recognize: Pat Knight, Keno Davis, Paul Hewitt, Jim Les, Jim Boylen, Jeff Capel, Ricardo Patton, Pat Kennedy, John Pelphrey, Sidney Lowe and Heath Schroyer.  And then there are the "hot" seat coaches....  Jeff Bzdelik from Wake Forest, Herb Sendek of Arizona State, Trent Johnson of LSU, Mark Phelps at Drake, Tim Jankovich at Illinois State and Darrin Horn at South Carolina. 

One big name coach is on the move.  Mike Anderson accepted the coaching reins at Arkansas on Wednesday.  Who replaces him at Missouri?  How about Tubby Smith from Minnesota.  And who is brave enough to take the Tennessee job knowing NCAA penalties are in store?   There are also hires that raise eyebrows.  Texas Tech named Billy Gillespie as their head man.  Two previous stints in the state of Texas at Texas A & M and UTEP were successful, so maybe this is a good fit.  A short two-year run as the Kentucky Wildcat coach proved Gillespie was not good under the microscope.  After his dismissal from Kentucky,  Gillespie was charged with his third alcohol offense.  As a result of that, many programs avoided the "name" Gillespie.  It's taken him two years to resurface.  Clearly, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Why has college coaching become so competitive?  Well, because it's nice work if you can get it.   At least 25 of the 347 Division I college basketball coaches now strolling the sidelines earn $1 million or more annually, not including potential bonuses.  Heading that list is John Calipari of Kentucky who makes $4 million a year.  Following Calipari on the pay list are Florida's Billy Donovan (a two-time national title winner), $3.3 million a year; Kansas's Bill Self (a national title in 2008), $3 million a year; and Ohio State's Thad Matta (national runner-up in 2007 and owner of a .749 career winning percentage), $2.5 million a year. University of Louisville's Rick Pitino, one of the most storied names in the game thanks to his run at the University of Kentucky and in the NBA, pulls down $2.25 million a year. The average salary of a head basketball coach is $800,000.  Hmmmmmm, that's  crazy........

I'm sure none of us will receive anywhere near those kinds of "payoff" in hoisting a winning NCAA bracket this year.   Still, there is some great satisfaction awaiting the TOP DOG.   The foolishness is in knowing that however exhilarating the moment is on April 4th, there will be a need to defend the crown you been entrusted with in 2012.  And that, is what you call Madness any way you look at it!!  

Thanks for Reading,

John

P.S. If your bracket got "blown up" last weekend, don't feel bad.  Mine did too!!!  Now just sit back and watch and enjoy the games.

                                        -30-

WHERE ARE YOUR SPORTS ROOTS?

What's your first remembrance of being a sports fan?  Think back a minute.  Was it some event you saw on TV.....was it some big sports event everyone was talking about, or was it a game you attended?   Can you even remember when this "follower" thing happened?  I hope you can, because that's when most of our roots take shape.  That's when you became a Green Bay Packer fan and not a Minnesota Vikings fan when the Purple People Eaters lost their fourth Super Bowl.....when the Chicago Cubs held a fascination for you instead of the Florida Marlins even though Steve Bartman ripped your heart out with his foul ball incident in 2003  (really, was it all his doing?).....you liked Phil Mickelson more than Tiger Woods because his image was more like one you could relate to...or when Brandi Chastain tweaked your interest in a sport you never thought you'd follow by scoring a goal in a World Cup soccer game then disrobing to a sports bra to punctuate the moment.               

The Thrill of Victory In A Life Changing Moment

That's the great thing about being a fan.  You never know for sure when you're going to be catapulted onto a bandwagon.  When something will move you to root for this team or person rather than another.  Take for example the NCAA Basketball Tournament going on right now.  Do you find yourself cheering for teams you'd never thought you could?  Are your brackets more important than loyalty to the hat or sweatshirt you're wearing identifying "your" school?   And because of these happenings, you're beginning to feel a little peer pressure?  Hmmmmmm.....those are some questions that might be cause for reflection.

This also might be a time when you pray the NCAA tournament moves along quickly so you can get back in "fandom" with your school's spring football practices.  Maybe then, you can keep your integrity.  Or is fantasy baseball right around the corner?  Nevertheless, we've gotten off course here a little bit, but I wanted you to see how difficult this fan thing has become.....and why it's so important to hang onto your beginnings.

 My roots are established in Chicago sports.  My favorite uncle and his family moved to Chicago in the early 1960's.  He was tops in my book.  And my way of connecting with him was cheering for the Chicago teams.  I became a fan of the Bears, Blackhawks and White Sox.  What about the Bulls and Cubs, you say?  The Bulls didn't come along until 1966 and for some reason, I was an American League fan and not a National League one.  I'm sure a fella with the #7 on his back had alot to do with that.  Mickey Mantle, to me, was the best player ever, I just couldn't get my arms around the New York Yankee love fest.  Or perhaps I loved the underdogs better.

When did this fan thing really take hold with me?  In 1966, my family traveled to Chicago to share Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle.  That weekend,  the Bears were playing the Atlanta Falcons.  THAT'S WHEN IT HAPPENED!!  November 27th, 1966.  Take a look at the game program below.  Notice the game was played at Wrigley Field and not Soldier Field.  And if memory serves me right, they played with both end zones!!!



My First Game Program...Got Yours?


The day couldn't have gone any better than if I had ordered it myself.  The Bears beat Atlanta 23-6.  I couldn't even remember the score, but I recall Chicago winning.  My memories were of sharing time with my uncle, hearing fans say things I'd never heard before, embracing the Wrigley Field moment and seeing two rookies who would be household names in pro football forever, Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.  Months prior to this, the Bears had drafted Butkus, Sayers and lineman Steve DeLong in the 1st round.  I'm not sure if any team can claim a draft remotely close to that in quality.  DeLong would go on to play for the San Diego Chargers for a good share of his NFL career, but did have a cup of coffee with Chicago in the latter part of his years.  Still to this day, how the Bears got that lucky I'll never know.





That's where it all began for me.  When I saw Gale Sayers run with his galloping/slashing style and Dick Butkus gore ballcarriers with his hellacious hits, I was hooked.  Sayers and Butkus, Butkus and Sayers....wow.  Sadly, neither experienced much success with the Bears as a winning franchise during their careers.  Still, as a fan, my roots were firmly planted.  I didn't jump ship and look for another team/city to support.  It was Chicago.  The Bears, White Sox and Blackhawks.  Fortunately, I've seen each of those teams win World Championships in my lifetime.  Not everyone can say that about their teams.  As for my other pro and college favorites, they will become apparent to you as time goes on.  At least you know where I'm coming from for now.

So, where are your roots?  What are your memories?  What joys and frustrations have you felt in your sports ride?  This is just some of the roads we'll travel in the coming days as SportsRealms takes shape.  What does "realm" mean?  By definition it says, "an untroubled kingdom of reason"  or "a land of make believe".   And if that doesn't describe "us" and the turf we live on , then what does?

Thanks for reading,

John

                                           -30-