Tank's Take August 22, 2003

Crisis on Campus

Not since the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal in the World Series, has a sports organization faced such turbulent times. Scandals involving coaches, players, and boosters in Colligate Sports is nothing new, but nobody has ever died before, and with the murder of Patrick Dennehey at Baylor the shit could be about to hit the fan for the NCAA, that could seriously endanger the future of college sports.

For years players in College Basketball and College Football have been treated differently since these are the two biggest money making sports for the NCAA. Scandals are hardly heard of in college baseball, hockey and volleyball since their is hardly any television exposure.

However the worlds of Division 1A Football and Division 1 Basketball are almost professional like, with all games on television, highlights on Sportscenter and merchandising. Nobody every sees merchandise of Division Montclair State being sold everywhere, but the logo of Notre Dame is just as recognizable as the New York Yankees, and Montreal Canadiens, and when that much money is involved their is always room for corruption.

The future of College Basketball has been in jeopardy for several years, the NCAA Tournament is the only thing really keeping it as an important sport in the scheme of the American Sports viewer. From November to February games are watched, but there is hardly a clamor for the big game. However in March with tournament office pools, that rank second behind the Super Bowl for betting activity, everyone become a College Basketball junkie.

However the level of play has been on a serious decline in the NCAA Tournament as more players leave early to get the bling bling in the NBA, or skip college all together.

Fortunately for College Football the NFL has an age requirement. However storm clouds for that rule are on the horizon as Ohio State RB Maurice Clarrett who may be suspended by the NCAA for several rules violations has threatened suing the NFL. Though the rule is best for everyone as younger players in the NFL are in danger of serious injuries, liberal American courts will likely find such a rule illegal. If this happens the NFL will face the same problems with immaturity and skill level that has deteriorated the level of play in the NBA.

However, academic ineligibility and gifts from boosters are nothing new for College Sports, every year more teams end up being put on probation losing scholarships and being ruled ineligible for postseason play. However if a player has the power to jump to the NFL like they due to the NBA the inmates will be running the asylum, and that's how the problems that led to the scandal at Baylor Basketball got its roots.

If a mediocre program like Baylor, which is never a threat to challenge for the Final Four is giving players gifts like SUVs, what is going on at the top-level programs? Once again this is nothing new. Years after UCLA's basketball dynasty ended, it was learned a used car salesman was paying the players for playing for the Bruins.

Such scandals are a way of life, as the NCAA does not want the horrible truth learned that's the problem is widespread, even though everybody knows its widespread. However, the problem is when the news hits the papers, and that's when teams get their punishment of probation, taking away scholarships, and postseason play.

However these punishments are hardly ever a real deterrent, as teams keep on breaking the rules. Sometimes the NCAA has to come down harder, taking more scholarships away or handing out the death penalty.

The death penalty means that the college could no longer play the sport for which they committed the repeated violations. In major football and basketball the NCAA has only used the death penalty once shutting down the SMU Football program for 2 years. The Mustangs were a premier team in the Southwest Conference before being shut down in 1986; they have yet to recover, even after being reinstated in 1989.

However, even the death penalty has become a joke. A few years ago Alabama committed similar violations while on probation, and was not given the death penalty because of deep roots into the history of College Football, which includes a record for Bowl Appearances, and 7 National Championships. Had it not been for this history Bama would have no future.

However, the scandals are getting worse. When they hit the public eye it ends up giving the sport, the university, and the NCAA a black eye. In the past 5 months it has only gotten worse for the NCAA as the behavior of coaches off the field has led to scandals.

Since March 3 coaches have been fired for incidents off the field. First Larry Eustachy, Iowa State's Basketball Coach got fired after pictures of him drunk at a campus keg party hit the Internet. Then Mike Price got fired before coaching a single football game for Alabama because he let a stripper run up a $1,000 room service bill. Then it was completed when Washington Football Coach Rick Neuheisel was fired for being involved in a high stakes office pool for the NCAA Tournament.

Both Price and Neuheisel are currently perusing legal action against their universities. They both made dumb mistakes, but hardly anything worth being fired over, and the fact that they both lost their jobs shows the pettiness of the NCAA. The violations pale in comparison to what Eustachy did, and will likely end up with both schools getting more egg on their face, as they will likely both lose their lawsuits.

The pettiness of the NCAA is one of the main things preventing them from cleaning house completely. Recently the University of Utah was placed on probation because he paid for dinner for his players. This is not what the NCAA should be wasting its time, on but it makes them look like they are policing things and have things under control. Instead they look like Barney Fife stopping the law-abiding citizen for going 1 mile over the speed limit while the bank on the corner is being robbed by every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Which brings us back to Baylor. The simple disappearance and death of a player has led to the uncovering of players receiving gifts, of course the NCAA will hit them with probation thinking that itself important, and hoping more scandals like this do not pop up its ugly head. However if lowly Baylor is doing it everybody is doing it, and its only a matter of time before a major contender is caught, and if the Baylor scandals lead to wide spread investigations, which if done independently could expose the fraud of the NCAA rules, and bring down college sports as we know it.

The lessons of television exposure leading to corruption are ignored on all levels particularly Little League. Years ago you would not hear of any scandals. However, with increasing exposure on ESPN, parents with bad intentions get involved, and the next thing you know 14-year old Danny Almonte is blowing away 11 and 12 year olds with his fastball.

So far this years Little League World Series has been scandal free. However, before ESPN thinks about expanding the coverage further, it should consider the consequences. If the sport is to keep its innocence then television coverage has to be kept at a minimum. For once parents begin to see the dollar signs of getting their kids on TV, shortcuts will be taken and there will be more Danny Almontes that will ruin the event for future generations.

Speaking of ESPN, why must me suffer through the figgen X-Games, if you get better at a sport by smoking pot it should not be considered a sport. The fact that ESPN is wasting valuable airtime with this is increasingly annoying. I don't understand how these [cough] "sports" even deserve the time of day. If you want to see skateboarding go down to the local 7-11, but please don't put it on TV, and don't put its highlight on the same Sportscenter as the baseball pennant race, and NFL training camps.

ESPN also feels its necessary to enter the world of dramatic series television with the premier of "Playmakers" on Tuesday the 26th. To be fair I will without hold judgment until I watch the first episode, but judging the promos I have seen countless times, (so much that I can almost recite it verbatim) ESPN has gotten itself over it's heads.

Hero of the Week: New York Mets OF Cliff Floyd, in an otherwise miserable season for the Mets Cliff Floyd gave his all every game that he played in despite a nagging Achilles injury that hampered him from the start of the season. Floyd managed to put together a solid season batting .290 and driving in 68 RBI. On Monday Floyd shut it down for the season to prepare for surgery to be healthy for next season. Floyd could have shut it down in April or not given it all with the Mets struggling in last place nobody would have blamed him for wanting to quit earlier. However, he didn't and gave Mets fans reason to cheer all season particularly in his final weekend as he tore apart Rockies pitching, as the Mets enjoyed a 6-0 home stand. In the finale on Monday Floyd was given a well-deserved standing ovation, if this is how he plays hurt Mets fans have much to look forward to when he is healthy.

Geek of the Week: Former Baylor Basketball Coach Dave Bliss, perhaps the most reprehensible coach in the history of college sports. To tell his players and assistants coaches to say that missing basketball player Patrick Dennehey was involved in drug deals to cover up the gifts he had given him is so bad that is no way Bliss should ever be allowed to coach again, nor should be allowed to be an announcer, because I for one will never watch a game which he does color commentary for, and I'm sure many others feel the same way I do. It's bad enough that Dennehey was murdered by a teammate but to have his coach soiling his good name, and perhaps slowing down the search for his body is sickening and twisted. Dennehey deserved better, and a Coach he trusted was spitting on his grave and dragging his name through the mud. While telling people to soil Dennehey's reputation he was playing the role of concerned coach to a tee, up to the point he bowed his head solemnly at his funeral. Imagine if Patrick Dennehey's family had known what he was doing, I'm sure fist would have been flying, because he certainly would have been decked like he deserved. I guess that's true of backstabbers though Bliss smiled in their face, while stabbing the memory of Patrick Dennehey in the back.