Ever notice how all those guys in Texas have names like Mack, Clint, Colt, Buck, Troy, and yes, even Tex? You won't find a Leslie, Romeo, and definitely not a Lovey in the bunch. Good grief, even though he was born, raised, and went to high school in Texas, current Minnesota Viking superstar Adrian Peterson wound up shipping out to Oklahoma when it came college time. Texas ain't gonna put up with no Adrians forever either. Y'all git, now. But enough about that.
In case you missed it -- #1 Alabama wore out #13 LSU in the second half and the Tide rolled to a 38-17 victory. No big surprise there, but something else brought up during the broadcast was.
Turns out Alabama has 13 players on their current team that have already graduated. Maybe this is typical for many other college football programs as well -- but it raises a few questions nonetheless.
Unless I miss my guess, it is currently November, midway through the fall semester of every school in the country. Nobody's received their degree in the last couple months. It had to have happened earlier, most likely in May or June (though it's possible a few kids finished up during "summer school").
Regardless, when it comes to college football, something is wrong with this picture. If some players already have their degrees, then what are they doing still playing months later? Yes, yours truly is aware of freshmen routinely being "red-shirted" to give them another year to mature before becoming bonafide players. And yeah, we've all heard about 5th, and even 6th year seniors for a long time now.
But you know what? This has not only gotten out of control, but flies in the face of the whole original purpose of athletic scholarships. When a kid was good enough in high school, a university would offer them a 4 year scholarship to come and play for them. Free room and board, free tuition, free books, free everything. A "full ride". If kids weren't quite ready as a freshman, they still had 3 more years of eligibility to play. But it was expected that, after 4 years, they would complete the academic requirements to earn their Bachelor's degree. If they became stars on the gridiron in the meantime, then more power to them. Perhaps the megabucks of becoming a pro would become available. Either way, the deal was for 4 years. When the sands in that hourglass ran out, if the kid wasn't good enough to go pro (and the vast majority aren't), then it was time to go find a real job. After all, the university just provided them with the opportunity of 4 years of higher education. If they were too busy partying and chasing skirts along the way to take advantage of what had been offered to them -- then tough. They had a shot most kids will never have -- and they blew it. No sympathy here if they wind up cooking fries at Mickey D's or being a Walmart greeter. Somebody's gotta do it.
But back to Alabama football, which seems to be a paradox. It's a good thing 13 guys have already graduated. That speaks well for the academic side. But if they've already graduated, then the university has fulfilled it's end of the scholarship bargain, and shouldn't be forking out another year's worth of tuition and the like, just because some older football players technically remain "eligible" under current rules. This is wrong.
It reminds me of the movie Animal House. You remember that. Dean Wormer, and Otter, Pinto, Flounder, etc. The late John Belushi played a character called Bluto. Turns out, he'd been at Faber college for 7, count-em 7 years with a total grade point average of 0.0. But damn, could he party. Food fight.
It seems to be much the same with 6th year seniors these days. Why are they still allowed to play, and where does it end? Will we someday see 10th year seniors? Guys that are old enough to have kids of their own in middle school, while STILL on scholarship at a university? This could get out of control.
Yours truly humbly suggests the schools need to get back to the old days. Hey kid. You're really good, so we're going to give you 4 free years. We'll throw in the best housing we have, and the best coaches we can find to make you even better. You'll have the best equipment, and play in stadiums that most other kids will only ever get to see on TV. And BTW, we've got some pretty sharp professors that will teach you a whole lot in the classrooms if you pay attention. Make the best of those 4 years. Because when that clock goes ding -- out you go. Good luck and God bless, but a deal's a deal. Just like it once was with you coming out of high school -- so it is with the current crop of hot-shot peach fuzzers. It's their turn now. So no hard feelings -- but like Adrian -- you gotta git.
No comments:
Post a Comment