NCAA in Need of a Major Overhaul

[SilkyJ]

Per Gene Wojo @ ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5420728)

[mgtr]

Great article! I love the line about being designed for a world that does not exist.

[4decadedukie]

Great article! I love the line about being designed for a world that does not exist.

ESPN's piece is good, clearly worth reading, and the John Thompson III's statement that mgtr cited ("The system is designed for a world that doesn't exist.") is both pithy and accurate.

However, I urge substantial caution, not in reforming the NCAA, but rather in a potential NCAA regulatory design that focus exclusively on the "world that exists." To the extent -- and no doubt it is large -- that current NCAA's practices and policies can be simplified and/or made more effective, relevant and contemporary, obviously they should be (that clearly is LONG overdue and URGENTLY required). All such changes, however, should be made without compromises or concessions that the serious problems that now plague intercollegiate sports and student-athletes -- including (but not limited to) frequent academic and admissions dishonesty, frequent student-athlete (and coach) behavioral and criminal issues, and frequent illicit financial influence by agents and others -- are simply too difficult to detect, to investigate, and/or to punish. In essence, the NCAA crucially requires reform of its practices and policies, but not of its objectives or its ethical principles.

Far too frequently in contemporary America, we diminish, dilute and "dumb down" enduring goals and principles because it is the easy way to deal with change. In doing so, we continuously "lower the bar" on critical matters of integrity, performance, and standards. While the NCAA's current morass is bad and certainly requires reform, it would be much worse if college athletics acceded to expediency and endorsed conduct that is now frequent, but is also forever unacceptable.