The Ohio State Problem

Today, I read an article on Scout’s College Football News about the Ohio State situation and how the NCAA needs to react to this and other situation like it.  In the end of the article, the author, Pete Fiutak, states the following:

I’ve written and said this in every way possible. NCAA, it’s time. Just let the players make money.

The schools don’t have money lying around to increase the stipend – the extra TV money should go into the underfunded academic programs.

Really, was it so bad that Terrelle Pryor allegedly made money from signing things? (By the way, I write that in plain view of the Pryor-signed football given to me as a gift last year.) Is it really that bad if a booster wants to take a player out to dinner, or hand him $100, or give him a car? Is it really morally wrong to make a deal with a marketing company while still in college, sell a t-shirt for some extra cash, or go to a party thrown by an agent? Of course not.

NCAA, it’s time to change the focus of your mission. Instead of trying to police all the minutiae, realize what’s truly important. Do more research on the concussion problems. Finally start doing something about the underreported and completely unnoticed steroid and performance enhancing drug problem. Work harder at helping players be students. Basically, focus your energy elsewhere.

NCAA, this is fixable, but you have to become realistic. Times have changed, and you need to, too.   

This is absolutely the wrong approach to fixing the problems in the NCAA.  Introducing more money into the system will only make it worse.  By taking this approach, recruiting will become a bidding war, boosters will offer $100,000, $200,000 or $500,000 for top recruits, introducing more corruption into the sport.  College Football is supposed to be about pride, winning for your school, beating your archrival, singing your school fight song, hot cheerleaders, wearing body paint in 5 degree weather; not money, greed and corruption.

This problem can only be fixed by taking money out of the equation.  If a program like Ohio State does something like this, the people responsible need to be punished.  Jim Tressel should face a ban on coaching college football, and heavy fines.  The Athletic Department should be cleaned out and banned from working on college campuses.  Terrelle Pryor and the players who broke the rules should pay for anything they sold and pay back all scholarship money the school spent on them along with heavy fines.  The team should lose scholarships, ban the boosters and people involved from any Ohio State related events.  However, the current and past players and fans who didn’t do anything wrong should not be punished (trust me that is saying a lot coming from the world’s biggest Michigan fan and Ohio State hater).

College sports are supposed to be the purest form of sports, it’s supposed to be a about winning for you school, not a paycheck.  I know this sounds a little pie in the sky, but it should be.  College is a place where dreams start.  Kids party at tailgates, scream at kickoff, shout obscenities at the opponent, and realize the money isn’t everything.  That is what college football (or baseball, basketball, hockey, whatever) needs to be, the players who excel such as Pryor will have the opportunity to make money after school and if they are good enough they’ll make millions and that’s how capitalism works (I promise that’s the only political mention I’ll make) but College Football is COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not pro football.  The fans want players to play for their teammates, their coaches, their fans, for trophies and for glory not for a paycheck, that’s what the NFL is for.

Time to Stop Using the Race Card

This Post originally appeared on Why Liberty?

A few months ago former NFL Quarterback Warren Moon suggested that NFL Prospect and potential first round draft pick Cameron Newton is being judged solely on his skin color and not his talent. Moon said this to CBS Sports:

A lot of the criticism he's receiving is unfortunate and racially based.  I thought we were all past this. I don't see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans about their smile or called a phony.  He's being held to different standards from white quarterbacks. I thought we were past all this stuff about African-American quarterbacks, but I guess we're not.

The problem with Moon’s statement is that it is 100% false.  What Moon is commenting on is what ProFootballWeekly's Nolan Nawrocki had to say about Newton. Nawrocki wrote:

Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law — does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t get a racism vibe from this statement, what I get from it is that Newton is cocky, me-first, screw-the-team type of player and that has nothing to do with his race.

Moon also implies that black quarterbacks in general don’t get a fair shake because of their color.  This, once again, is 100% false.  If a quarterback is skilled and good enough, he will make it, if not, he won’t make it, it’s that simple.  We need to stop playing the race card in this country whenever it is convenient.  The truth on this subject is simple, the reason black quarterbacks (generally) haven’t been as successful (no super bowls) is that their style of play (run first, pass second) isn’t all the contusive to the NFL, Period. 

We can also apply economics to this situation, if an owner of a team thinks Cameron Newton or any other mobile quarterback is going to win and make them money, he’ll invest in that quarterback.  The reason owner are starting to shy away from mobile quarterbacks (who tend to be black) is that they simply don’t get the same results as quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rogers.

So once again, my message to Warren Moon or anyone else who wishes to use race as an excuse or reason . . . STOP!!  The NFL and it’s owners only care about one color, green.