Arne Duncan, the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, wrote a very persuasive piece today for ESPN.com.
Duncan, who played basketball at Harvard, believes that it is imperative that colleges and universities should have to graduate 40 percent of their student athletes to be eligible for postseason participation.
This is in the wake of the report that came out around the start of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament that indicated that there were some schools participating in this tournament that have not graduated any players recently.
The way that the NCAA calculates graduation rates is by giving student athletes a six year window to complete their bachelor's degree. Transfer out of a program and departures for early entry into professional leagues do not count against a team provided that the student athlete was in good academic standing at the time.
Look, I think Duncan's heart is in the right place.
But I fail to see how it is fair to ban current players for the sins of past players.
It's like when the NCAA implements a postseason ban to a current team for transgressions of previous administrations. What did the current players have to do with someone who was on the team over a cycle ago?
If, for example, I am a freshman on the Cal Bears right now, why should I have been banned because no one from the 2005 team has received their degree under former coach Ben Braun?
I guess that's a life lesson that Duncan and the NCAA can teach these athletes. As Scar from the Lion King said, "Life's not fair, is it?"
Look, I do think that reform is necessary in intercollegiate athletics. On many levels in the revenue sports, the dollar signs have taken over and that romantic, quaint notion of the student athlete in his varsity jacket, carrying a stack of textbooks under one arm has faded into that Norman Rockwell past.
The problem I have, though, is with the fact that some of these student athletes come to college not prepared to be there at all. That is the broken part of the system.
Just because you (or someone you pay) can take the S.A.T. and you receive your diploma from high school doesn't mean that you're prepared for college. It just doesn't.
There are countless tales of illiteracy among student athletes in college courses. Guys who can't read or write in English composition classes or in need of education in rudimentary math skills like addition and subtraction.
The system is set up to provide them with a means to an end: They go to college because they have to, not because they want to.
It's a miracle to keep some of the student athletes eligible, let alone on a path to graduation.
The emphasis on reform the intercollegiate athletic process needs to filter down to the middle and high schools. That's where the system, from my perspective, breaks down.
I would even go as far as to say that the AAU should require academic standards for participation.
No grades? No travel teams. No showcase games during the summer.
No grades? You don't get to go to the skills camps.
Make education matter long before they get to college.
Because you aren't necessarily going to flip the switch for motivation once they arrive.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I've come up with an apt description of Tim Tebow
So I don't write a whole lot about Tim Tebow for a variety of reasons. The main one being that I don't want my email box blowing up.
But as I thought about the latest controversies involving Tebow this week, plus the added rumor that Tebow might grace one of the covers of NCAA Football 2011 by EA Sports, my mind kept coming back to one thing: What product represent Tim Tebow the best?
Tim Tebow is Happy Fun Ball. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball:
But as I thought about the latest controversies involving Tebow this week, plus the added rumor that Tebow might grace one of the covers of NCAA Football 2011 by EA Sports, my mind kept coming back to one thing: What product represent Tim Tebow the best?
Tim Tebow is Happy Fun Ball. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It's hard out here for a beat writer
I think I may have figured out what the toughest job in the SEC might be.
The toughest job in the SEC is beat writer for the Florida Gators.
At least if you work for the Orlando Sentinel.
That’s what Jeremy Fowler found out on Wednesday when he was confronted after practice by head coach Urban Meyer.
Meyer was upset about a piece Fowler wrote in which he quoted junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson saying that new Florida quarterback John Brantley was, “a real quarterback.”
You know what? That’s not being fair to Thompson. Here’s his full quote from Fowler’s story on Tuesday:
Now, when I first heard the quote and read it, my initial reaction was to say, “Okay, then.”
I didn’t think he was ripping Tebow. I saw it as a way to praise Brantley. Brantley is a more traditional quarterback, and I don’t think that anyone who saw Tebow play the last four years would even deign to think of him as a traditional quarterback.
He just wasn’t. That wasn’t his game.
So Thompson’s comments seemed innocuous enough, and several of the pieces I read from blogs and columnists said the same thing. No harm, no foul.
Unless you’re Urban Meyer, who yelled at Fowler after Wednesday’s practice for having the audacity to…quote Thompson?
Fowler wrote, “’If that was my son, we’d be going at it right now,’ said Urban Meyer, pointing his finger and singling me out in front of about 15 or 20 reporters gathered after Wednesday’s practice.”
According to Fowler, Meyer continued:
Look, I don’t know the full extent of the issues that Meyer has had with Fowler or other reporters from the Orlando Sentinel.
But it seems to me that Meyer is making a much bigger deal out of this than needed to be.
Defending a player is one thing. Mike Gundy was made famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for his rant defending Bobby Reid from big, bad Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson.
But Gundy yelling in a press conference is one thing.
Meyer pointing a finger in a reporter’s face seems to be a bit much to me.
It’s great that Meyer defends his players (although I don’t know if he was defending Thompson or Tebow).
This act, though, seemed like a bit much.
Video of confrontation available here
UPDATE: Now embedded for your enjoyment:
The toughest job in the SEC is beat writer for the Florida Gators.
At least if you work for the Orlando Sentinel.
That’s what Jeremy Fowler found out on Wednesday when he was confronted after practice by head coach Urban Meyer.
Meyer was upset about a piece Fowler wrote in which he quoted junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson saying that new Florida quarterback John Brantley was, “a real quarterback.”
You know what? That’s not being fair to Thompson. Here’s his full quote from Fowler’s story on Tuesday:
“You never know with Tim,” Thompson said. “You can bolt, you think he’s running but he’ll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything’s with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback.”
Now, when I first heard the quote and read it, my initial reaction was to say, “Okay, then.”
I didn’t think he was ripping Tebow. I saw it as a way to praise Brantley. Brantley is a more traditional quarterback, and I don’t think that anyone who saw Tebow play the last four years would even deign to think of him as a traditional quarterback.
He just wasn’t. That wasn’t his game.
So Thompson’s comments seemed innocuous enough, and several of the pieces I read from blogs and columnists said the same thing. No harm, no foul.
Unless you’re Urban Meyer, who yelled at Fowler after Wednesday’s practice for having the audacity to…quote Thompson?
Fowler wrote, “’If that was my son, we’d be going at it right now,’ said Urban Meyer, pointing his finger and singling me out in front of about 15 or 20 reporters gathered after Wednesday’s practice.”
According to Fowler, Meyer continued:
“You’ll be out of practice — you understand that? — if you do that again,” said Meyer, while a couple of spectators still sat in the stands. “I told you five years ago: Don’t mess with our players. Don’t do it. You did it. You do it one more time and the Orlando Sentinel’s not welcome here ever again. Is that clear? It’s yes or no.” (finger pointing toward the face)
“Urban, come on. Don’t make any threats,” I said. “That’s fine. I’ll play by rules. But all I was doing is quoting the guy. I don’t think I was the only one.”
“You’re a bad guy, man,” Meyer said. “You’re a bad guy.”
Look, I don’t know the full extent of the issues that Meyer has had with Fowler or other reporters from the Orlando Sentinel.
But it seems to me that Meyer is making a much bigger deal out of this than needed to be.
Defending a player is one thing. Mike Gundy was made famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for his rant defending Bobby Reid from big, bad Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson.
But Gundy yelling in a press conference is one thing.
Meyer pointing a finger in a reporter’s face seems to be a bit much to me.
It’s great that Meyer defends his players (although I don’t know if he was defending Thompson or Tebow).
This act, though, seemed like a bit much.
Video of confrontation available here
UPDATE: Now embedded for your enjoyment:
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Books that have influenced me
This idea came from a reader of Tyler Cowen's site Marginal Revolution. This is a list based more on my gut and what came to my mind stream of consciousness rather than trying to think too deeply about this list.
I admit that it was not instantaneous; I still had to think about books that mattered to me. While I've been a voracious reader in my lifetime, I still had to think about what books really touched me on some level or made a difference in how I viewed things.
Also, this list is in no particular order.
1) Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell — Not the first Orwell I read (that honor belongs to Animal House) but this was the book that stuck with me. I was in high school when I read it, and it is the kind of book I wish I was talented enough to write. On some level, that applies to all of these books, but this one in particular was an enthralling memoir about being poor in two of the most famous cities in the world in the early 20th century.
2) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — Chris over at Smart Football said this best: Fitzgerald is best read when you're young. The charming and mysterious Gatsby is truly a seductive character.
3) The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger — While probably not the best Salinger you can read (Nine Stories holds that honor), I think that most teenaged males feel like Holden Caufield on our best days — especially those of us at prep schools.
4) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes — Tilting at windmills. Dulcinea. The concept of how madness can consume us when we're at our weakest. To me, on some level, this is the first modern novel. A classic work of art. I was introduced to it in Spanish class and then read it in translation.
5) Bald As I Wanna Be by Tony Kornheiser — Mr. Tony? Really? Yes, really. I could have put Dave Barry in here as well, but I was nearing the end of my college career when I came across Tony Kornheiser's radio show. While this is his second collection of Style section columns, I maintain that it's his strongest. I can have it on my bookshelf for two years without reading it, pull it down and laugh out loud.
6) I'm Just Here For the Food by Alton Brown — My patron saint of the kitchen, I fell in love with Good Eats while unemployed and living in Pennsylvania. Alton inspired me to do something with my downtime, and that was learn to cook better and more. This book helped diversify my skills and also taught me many things.
7) On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee — And Mr. McGee helped explain the science and some of the history behind what Alton was teaching me. A reference book that I can read again and again.
8) The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all of the evidence. It biases the judgment." Something that every journalist or researcher should keep at the forefront of their mind. I know I do whenever I am writing longer pieces for this blog.
9) The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka — Seventh grade. Starting to go through puberty. So naturally, this book about a major physical change resonated with me as I went through my own personal physical metamorphosis.
10) Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare — Not to be a contrarian, but I think Marc Antony's eulogy for Caesar might be even better than Hamlet's, "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Although really, the story is centered on Brutus's conflict of the good of the state versus his own friendship and what should matter.
I admit that it was not instantaneous; I still had to think about books that mattered to me. While I've been a voracious reader in my lifetime, I still had to think about what books really touched me on some level or made a difference in how I viewed things.
Also, this list is in no particular order.
1) Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell — Not the first Orwell I read (that honor belongs to Animal House) but this was the book that stuck with me. I was in high school when I read it, and it is the kind of book I wish I was talented enough to write. On some level, that applies to all of these books, but this one in particular was an enthralling memoir about being poor in two of the most famous cities in the world in the early 20th century.
2) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — Chris over at Smart Football said this best: Fitzgerald is best read when you're young. The charming and mysterious Gatsby is truly a seductive character.
3) The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger — While probably not the best Salinger you can read (Nine Stories holds that honor), I think that most teenaged males feel like Holden Caufield on our best days — especially those of us at prep schools.
4) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes — Tilting at windmills. Dulcinea. The concept of how madness can consume us when we're at our weakest. To me, on some level, this is the first modern novel. A classic work of art. I was introduced to it in Spanish class and then read it in translation.
5) Bald As I Wanna Be by Tony Kornheiser — Mr. Tony? Really? Yes, really. I could have put Dave Barry in here as well, but I was nearing the end of my college career when I came across Tony Kornheiser's radio show. While this is his second collection of Style section columns, I maintain that it's his strongest. I can have it on my bookshelf for two years without reading it, pull it down and laugh out loud.
6) I'm Just Here For the Food by Alton Brown — My patron saint of the kitchen, I fell in love with Good Eats while unemployed and living in Pennsylvania. Alton inspired me to do something with my downtime, and that was learn to cook better and more. This book helped diversify my skills and also taught me many things.
7) On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee — And Mr. McGee helped explain the science and some of the history behind what Alton was teaching me. A reference book that I can read again and again.
8) The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all of the evidence. It biases the judgment." Something that every journalist or researcher should keep at the forefront of their mind. I know I do whenever I am writing longer pieces for this blog.
9) The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka — Seventh grade. Starting to go through puberty. So naturally, this book about a major physical change resonated with me as I went through my own personal physical metamorphosis.
10) Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare — Not to be a contrarian, but I think Marc Antony's eulogy for Caesar might be even better than Hamlet's, "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Although really, the story is centered on Brutus's conflict of the good of the state versus his own friendship and what should matter.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Big Ten Expansion Speculation: Realignment into divisions
Because I love doing these speculative expansion posts in pairs, here's my thoughts on Big Ten realignment. Again, I see four possible scenarios, but unlike the Pac-10, where there appears to be two distinct rumored favorites, there are at least five contenders. I tried to incorporate all five into the different scenarios. Alignment one assumes that Missouri is selected and is based on an East/West split. Alignment two assumes that one of the other schools (Pitt, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Syracuse) is selected, but is still based on an East/West geographic split):
Alignment 1:
East
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Ohio State
West
Missouri
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Alignment 2:
East
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Pittsburgh (or Syracuse, ND or Rutgers)
West
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Purdue
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Alignments three and four as based on North/South divisions:
Alignment 3:
North
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
South
Missouri (or Rutgers or Pittsburgh)
Illinois
Purdue
Indiana
Penn State
Ohio State
Alignment 4:
North
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Syracuse (or Notre Dame)
Northwestern
Michigan State
Michigan
South
Iowa
Illinois
Purdue
Indiana
Penn State
Ohio State
I don't see the Big Ten taking the radical step of just placing the teams into a hat and pulling names out and slotting them into divisions. The Big Ten is too traditional to do something like "Mountain" and "Plains" divisions; after all, this is a league that was still known as the Western Conference officially until sometime around 1987—even though they had had ten teams since the mid 1950s.
Progressivism is not their style.
Alignment 1:
East
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Ohio State
West
Missouri
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Alignment 2:
East
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Pittsburgh (or Syracuse, ND or Rutgers)
West
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Purdue
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Alignments three and four as based on North/South divisions:
Alignment 3:
North
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
South
Missouri (or Rutgers or Pittsburgh)
Illinois
Purdue
Indiana
Penn State
Ohio State
Alignment 4:
North
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Syracuse (or Notre Dame)
Northwestern
Michigan State
Michigan
South
Iowa
Illinois
Purdue
Indiana
Penn State
Ohio State
I don't see the Big Ten taking the radical step of just placing the teams into a hat and pulling names out and slotting them into divisions. The Big Ten is too traditional to do something like "Mountain" and "Plains" divisions; after all, this is a league that was still known as the Western Conference officially until sometime around 1987—even though they had had ten teams since the mid 1950s.
Progressivism is not their style.
Pac-10 Expansion Speculation: Realignment into divisons
As a strictly mental exercise, I wanted to think about how the Pac-10 would realign if they did expand. There are a couple of possible alignments to think about. There is the traditional East/West Alignment, where a line is drawn among the cities that make up the conference and voila!
Now, all of these alignment assume that the Pac-10 takes the two most viable candidates, which are Utah and Colorado.
Alignment 1:
East
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Washington State
USC
West
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Stanford
Cal
UCLA
Of course, this would break up the Washington/Washington State and the USC/UCLA rivalries. So why not go East/West, but with a twist: Take each of the pairings and split them up not based on pure geographical location, but based on their location within the pairing:
Alignment 2:
East
Colorado
Arizona
USC
Cal
Washington State
Oregon
West
Utah
Arizona State
UCLA
Stanford
Washington
Oregon State
Of course, you can always go with the typical North/South geographic realignment:
Alignment 3:
North
Colorado
Utah
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
South
Cal
Stanford
USC
UCLA
Arizona
Arizona State
Of course, there is another option, which makes no regard for the actual geographical location. It's more about trying to balance out the divisions with regards to the perceived relative strengths and weaknesses of the football programs while trying to do some preservation of rivalries.
The rivalries for those who wind up cross-divisional can be handled within the scheduling structures that the conference would create. I believe that this is sort of what happened with the ACC, and why they call their divisions "Atlantic" and "Coastal"
Alignment 4:
Division 1
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Cal
UCLA
Division 2
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
USC
Stanford
Again, this is all supreme speculation, as Pac-10 expansion is still a long, long way away for being a done deal. But it does make for some fun mental gymnastics.
Now, all of these alignment assume that the Pac-10 takes the two most viable candidates, which are Utah and Colorado.
Alignment 1:
East
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Washington State
USC
West
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Stanford
Cal
UCLA
Of course, this would break up the Washington/Washington State and the USC/UCLA rivalries. So why not go East/West, but with a twist: Take each of the pairings and split them up not based on pure geographical location, but based on their location within the pairing:
Alignment 2:
East
Colorado
Arizona
USC
Cal
Washington State
Oregon
West
Utah
Arizona State
UCLA
Stanford
Washington
Oregon State
Of course, you can always go with the typical North/South geographic realignment:
Alignment 3:
North
Colorado
Utah
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
South
Cal
Stanford
USC
UCLA
Arizona
Arizona State
Of course, there is another option, which makes no regard for the actual geographical location. It's more about trying to balance out the divisions with regards to the perceived relative strengths and weaknesses of the football programs while trying to do some preservation of rivalries.
The rivalries for those who wind up cross-divisional can be handled within the scheduling structures that the conference would create. I believe that this is sort of what happened with the ACC, and why they call their divisions "Atlantic" and "Coastal"
Alignment 4:
Division 1
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Cal
UCLA
Division 2
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
USC
Stanford
Again, this is all supreme speculation, as Pac-10 expansion is still a long, long way away for being a done deal. But it does make for some fun mental gymnastics.
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