Tuesday, May 31, 2011

IT'S A SAD, SAD DAY AT OHIO STATE

I awakened this morning to the very sad news that Jim Tressel, coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, had resigned his position due to the ongoing scandal regarding discounted tattoos and sold championship rings and the like.

While I don't condone the activities of the players, what business is it of the NCAA if tattoo parlors want to give marquee players a discount? Frankly, my long-held belief is that universities make a veritable fortune from their football programs and the players who are, granted, getting a fine education for free, still have expenses during their college careers for which, quite honestly, they should be paid. They shouldn't be put into the position of grubbing around for nickles and dimes but rather should be free from the financial pressures during their college experience. That way they can and should concentrate on their school work (as Tressel insisted they do - to his enormous credit), might not be tempted to bolt to the pros early, and it would leave a school free to concentrate on educating all of their students and administering a successful athletics program, without the fuddy-duddy, antiquated NCAA breathing down their necks.

Here's a thought - why not tell the NCAA to go stuff themselves? Their investigations are NEVER EVER conducted in a discreet fashion and even when the allegations and charges are baseless - and they have been in many cases at many schools - the school is forever tainted by the rooting around of the NCAA investigators who try to justify their salaries by painting everyone with the same guilt-brush!

Granted, I am an OSU Alumni and more than a little biased (unlike the MSM, I admit my bias), but that's how I see it.

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