NCAA Hypocrisy

We could talk all day and all night and another day and another night on just how stupid and corrupt the NCAA is. For this post, I will try to focus on only one aspect: the recent 4-game suspension of Georgia star receiver AJ Green. Green, who is on a full athletic scholarship and a projected top 5 pick in the upcoming draft recently sold his game used jersey for $500. The problem with the situation is two-fold. First, collegiate athletes are not allowed to sell memorabilia. Green should have known this. After all, the NCAA rule is a result of some former Bulldogs who decided to sell their Sugar Bowl rings in an attempt to get extra cash. Second, Green sold his jersey to an agent, which is akin to taking money from an agent. That is an even bigger no-no. With all the recent ado about players meeting and taking money from agents, Green should have been careful, especially since he is currently being investigated for an alleged meeting with an agent at the now famous Miami houseparty that includes players from UNC, USC and Florida.

Green broke the rules and should be punished. He is a star football player and is currently a junior, meaning he has been on campus for three years now. He should know better. And he should be sorry because Georgia now has to play the next three games without him. They can get by Colorado and Miss St without him, but I question whether they can beat South Carolina, a constant foe, without him.

My issue with the NCAA is not unique to many respected sportswriters around the country. My issue is the hypocrisy that continues to be shown by the NCAA. I am not going to take the time to list specific examples, but we all know that players get away with much worse - domestic violence, assault, theft to name a few - and get less punishment from the NCAA and their schools. The US legal system operates on the basis that you are innocent until proven guilty. For many players accused of crimes, they are allowed to stay in school while either a legal or a school investigation is ongoing. In many cases, they are still allowed to stay on the team even after being found guilty. Coaches will break out the old "He is a good kid but made a stupid mistake. I believe in him and think he deserves a second chance" chorus. This is because the American public believes in second chances(even if we all know it's only because that player can help win games). But if you break a NCAA rule that is in no way a legal rule, you get suspended by the NCAA for a period of their choosing. It just doesn't seem to jive with me.

The second issue I have is a much broader one and gets into the question of whether student athletes on full athletic scholarships should be allowed to have a job. This is definitely a polarizing issue as some people feel a full ride is more than enough while others (myself included) feel that yes, it is necessary to allow some athletes to go to school, but what about the extra money for pizza and beer? (btw - I am not naive enough to believe that players start to except money from agents, boosters and coaches only for beer and pizza - it's all about the cars.) Whatever side of the fence you fall on, I think we can all agree that NCAA athletics, football especially, are now a business. Colleges rake in shit-tons of money by promoting their teams and players, yet the players themselves are not allowed to see any of that money. Athletes on full rides get a lot from the college (ie - a free education), but when your athletic department has a budget of $96 million thanks to your football program (UF), it seems ridiculous that the players don't see any of that money. Need I remind everyone that without players there are no games, which mean no fans and of course no revenue.

Georgia is allowed to sell AJ Green's jersey (and as Andy Staples at SI.com notes, they do so in 22 different versions) but Green can't see any money from it. How is that right? Answer: it's not. In return for a free education, student athletes are required to go to class, stay eligible and help their program win games. If along the way, they help make the program popular, then great. But no where in their contract should they be required to sign over their identity and their ability to market themselves. I'm not suggesting that they should be able to hire agents and PR staff, but at the very least they should see some small cut of the money made off of their jerseys or their 'likeness' in video games. It's only fair.

Now, getting off my soapbox for a minute, I would like to say how excited I am for this weekend's games. It's tough to overlook everything that is wrong with the sport,but if you can, then weekends like this are for you. We got a full slate with 4 match-ups of Top 25 teams: #22UGA at #24USC, #17FSU at #10Okl, #12Miami at #2OSU and #18PSU at #1Alabama. It is an exciting slate and one that I hope to watch from start to finish.