The NCAA, Sprewell, and The Code

The NCAA is constantly discussing ways of paying or not paying its athletes. It will apparently vote to allow the five wealthiest conferences “autonomy” in determining their rules. The reason for this is that the NCAA has lost sight of the purpose of college: to get an education. It began sliding down this slippery slope when the idea of an “athletic scholarship” first came into being. The idea that a college would give a person a scholarship to play sports was thought of as a noble idea: to enable a person to get an education who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Of course the athletes would have to do the normal academic work! Despite many individual exceptions, the athletes’ course of study in most major universities is now a joke – all you have to do is listen to their use of language when interviewed to understand this. Latrell Sprewell, the latest professional athlete to go broke (despite turning down a $21 million dollar contract at one point “because I have to feed my family”) is an example of an athlete who obviously missed out on an education while at the University of Alabama.  The $100 million he did earn is gone.  The Code says “I will develop my skills to the best of my ability.” The “skills” referred to are not just athletic – they are academic as well. Until coaches and administrators make education the top priority for all their athletes, they are failing them, their institution and themselves. Where is your school, your coach, your league in this debate?