Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times broke a story that I had heard rumors about for a long time. Tony Wroten, Garfield high School's star basketball player (and future Husky) appears to have received special treatment by the school in regards to a Spanish class. You can read the full article here (which by the way is very confusing), but the jist of the story is this: Wroten got a D in Spanish 1. To help Wroten move on to Spanish 2, AD Jim Valiere, who has an endorsement in Spanish, claims to have had an independent study with Wroten and two other boys, a claim principal Ted Howard denies. Howard did admit to approving Valiere to teach the boys in the summer, a claim that Valiere denies. However, Valiere did submit a grade change in Sept 2010 for work he says was done in the spring, not in the summer. Confused yet? Of course you are - there is a lot of 'he said, he said' going on here. Bottom line, something fishy went on with Wroten's Spanish 1 class. To get into the UW, he needed two years of Spanish, so Howard, in an act that I will take as being genuine if not incredibly naive, created a 3 person remedial Spanish 2 class in a school that is over-populated.
The whole situation just stinks. There is no way around it - Wroten received some sort of special privilege. He didn't work hard enough and got a D in Spanish 1, but instead of having to take a summer course to get the credit, the grown-ups around him decided it was best if they interfered and 'helped' him get into college. I have no doubt that their decision to intervene was somewhat rooted in goodness, but you simply can't overlook that they had a conflict of interest.
If Tony Wroten, one of the nation's top recruits, couldn't get into the UW because he didn't get the necessary grades, it would make him and by extension, Garfield, look terrible. Neither Howard nor Valiere wanted to see that happen. They wanted him to move on to UW. They wanted him to go pro. They wanted to be proud of him. They got so wrapped up in Tony Wroten, the basketball player, that they failed Tony Wroten the student.
Even after having had time to digest the situation, I still can't kill Howard and Valiere. The fact is that we have a huge problem with our society: we love celebrity. Don't agree? Think about how much time you have spent reading about Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Jersey Shore, Bangelina...the list goes on and on. Sports are no different. It might seem ridiculous that ESPN shows the University of Alabama Spring football game or high school basketball games with top ranked recruits, but they are able to do it for one reason: people will watch.
We are willing to overlook a lot of the off-the-field stuff as long as our favorite team is winning. Next year when Tony Wroten goes to UW, no one will call him a cheater (ok, maybe every other Pac-12 fan base will). Instead, we will he appraise on him for how good of a basketball player he is. It's the same praise he has been getting since he was in middle school and the same praise that all superstar basketball (and football) recruits receive that make them think they are privileged.
A huge problem is that they just don't think they are privileged, they know they are privileged. I mean, who else in high school receives as much respect as athletes? Certainly not those enrolled in drama class or band or AP Chemistry. Superstar athletes like Tony Wroten know what they mean to the school. They know that they single handedly help the perception of the school. It doesn't matter how good the AP programs are (which at Garfield is actually really really good), a school will be more highly thought of if they can win the state football or basketball title. The players know that. And they also know that means they can do what they want without repercussion.
Unfortunately the administration knows that success in athletics means a lot to the school. Howard and Valiere are no dummies. Even though most of their motives may have been a result of being personally invested in the future of Wroten and the other two boys, they did have a huge conflict of interest. They knew that their basketball program is their bread-winner. They know that they can get away with a few scandals here and there, but continued breaking of rules will not look good upon their school. They need to remain competitive. They need money. Basketball brings in a lot of money. It's as simple as that.
I hate being the guy who passes blame from a few individuals to that of the whole society, but I think it is important that we acknowledge the short comings of this nation. We don't care about science, art and literature any more - sports and celebrity are king. As long as you and me (oh, I am definitely at fault as much as the next guy) are willing to watch the Alabama Spring Game, ESPN will show it. They are a company trying to maximize profit - they will do whatever is necessary to make money, regardless of what long-term societal effects it may have. So as consumers we need to wise up and treat high school sports for what they are. We need to stop idolizing 15year old kids. They can't balance a checkbook or vote or buy alcohol yet. They are kids. Let them play. Let them be kids. Keep the worship to the professionals.
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