NCAA is a Organized Shame!

Bryant Gumbel has a terrific show on cable called Real Sports!  For those that haven’t seen it….no matter whether you are a Sports Fan or not…..the stories are compelling, brutally honest and always offer a redemptive side that makes you feel good that you watched.  Gumbel has a consistency of purpose that is refreshing to say the least.  This weeks show talks about the family life of Yankee pitcher CC Sebastia, Sports Mascots, The burial site of Jim Thorpe and Texas Rangers baseball superstar Josh Hamiliton and his history of drug and alcohol abuse and his rise back “to the bigs” for the second and third times! 

Gumbel finishes up the program with an editorial indictment of the NCAA for the fact that even though they had no qualms about radically punishing USC for 4 years over an inappropriate “Agent Contact”…thusly, stripping Reggie Bush of his Heisman Trophy and taking away 14 wins from the University of Southern California – limiting their scholarships for 4 years….guess what?  The NCAA seems to be looking the other way however, for over 30 other colleges with apparent NCAA violations!

 http://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel/index.html

Urban Meyer, Coach at the University of Florida, for instance  had 27 to 30 of his college athletes arrested, charged and imprisioned over the last three years.  Drugs, brutalizing family, friends and others, rape, armed robbery and down to the point that one guy even robbed a liquor store.  The NCAA has not limited there sanction adverse nature just to Florida however.  There are over 25 Universities from across the country that are being investigated for the same thing that Reggie Bush was and that the University of Southern California was punished for.  None of them have been placed on probation, forced into any limits for Bowl participation, scholarships or lost any previous wins from their schedules – over the last four years.

Who are these NCAA officials, that place their godlike powers out there for none to see!  Can we at least get a list of the NCAA Commissioners that have made these choices and decisions?  Bryant Gumbel, god bless him has stepped up to the plate and said:  “We notice…what you are not doing NCAA!  http://www.ncaa.com/  Now let’s do something about it!

Billions of dollars are involved in College Sports,with Offshore and Professional Gambling taking bets weekly and over the entire season!  Can anyone imagine the impact of of those sanctions on the USC Football team alone – for the 2010 season?  The NCAA is dirty!  We have no evidence, yet we just know that our nose is an old friend….and something is rotten and stinks to high heaven in Denmark!

Let’s start with some basic Reforms!  We need a Federal Government Agency to oversee the activities of the NCAA.  We need to regulate their activities, we need to make sure that they cannot implement indiscriminate sanctions without total approval and oversight of a governing board!  The BCS system has already been a major problem and has had the Senate take already take a look.  More needs to be done!  We cannot allow the abuse of power to reign over a major part of our American Society and fabric. All Board Members of the NCAA need to be available to the press for comment.  When was the last time college atheletes were tested for performance enhancing drugs?  Isn’t it about time?

In the works this year are many extreme and fundamental changes to the various National College Sports Conferences.  The impacts and shifting of funds from television, cable and Licensing are immense.  The further impacts to individual alumni donations, Federal Grants and like are astronomical.  Add to that the participation Private Industry for Research and Development programs within the college system…..and the decisions by NCAA Officials approach those of the United States Olympic Committee.  Who makes those life and death decsions that determine whether an athlete that has dedicated their lives to sports..are amateur or professional or bowl eligible!   The Big 10…is soon to be the Big 12, The PAC 10 is soon to be the PAC 12 or 15.  Who made Boise State Bowl eligible?  Someone did and the whole BCS structure needs constant oversight.  How much  money has Boise State made in the last three years because they became BSC qualified?

Let’s just say, this is a complicated process, political, prone to organized crime influence and a very dirty business that puts itself directly into the crosshairs of  Organized Crime!  Taking away the medals of Jim Thorpe back a 100 years ago should have told us something!  The taking of the awards of Reggie Bush…may be a minor blip on the screen!  What won’t be is the ongoing influence of the The NCAA!  Federal oversight required and is needed now!

The NCAA needs to apply terminating sanctions for all Universities and Colleges that do not drop athletes that are dropped from school for any reason, break the law and are convicted or charged with in any felony case!  Rape, aggravated brutalizing, bar fights, firearms indiscretions and robbery should be at least as egregious as talking to a professional agent before they graduate.  Unless of course, they forget to send a cut to the NCAA Commissioners ….to keep quiet!  Let us not forget that NCAA Referees can also be bought and need Federal oversight as well.  Sports is America and if sports are dirty……our entire society fails – doesn’t it?

The NCAA is not sacrosant or above the law, nor should it be. There needs to be Federal oversight.  These are just people, who can be paid off, people who are susceptible to private and political pressures.  The process needs to be open and all the rules – very clear!  Until corrective action occurs, the NCAA will be  just an another Organized Hall of Shame!