A Necessary (Re)Introduction

I haven’t opened up a real can of worms since I was about 12 years old when I used to bait my own hook out on the lakes with my grandparents. But I remember well that opening the can meant going back to it whether the Blue Gill are bitin’ or not. With that in mind, I return to the subject of yesterday’s post – this business of University academia as mixed with collegiate athletics.

Enough about the problem of athletes wanting the piece of the pie alluded to in the theme song of that 70s classic sitcom “The Jeffersons”. We know that recruits from Dade to Los Angeles County want it. Raise your hand if you like poverty. That’s what I thought. But back to the “worms” and the nasty stuff they keep ’em in over at the fish and tackle shop, I don’t know how to attack the problem. What I know is that the NCAA will likely never sanction the payment of amateurs. By the same measure, it will never and I mean never ever ever ever shy away from the lucrative scaffolding it has created for how universities can use sports to fund expansion. I was naive enough to direct my initial frustrations at the NCAA upper echelon. But few movements are spurred top down. If I want kids to stop expecting kickbacks for their participation, I must find a way to communicate the truth about the intangible value of education. And it’s that methodology that escapes me.

It’s a mystery because to value something as abstract as education it must be transferable in one’s mind. For instance, honing the skill of written language gives you potential to possess a voice far louder than someone unpolished in the discipline. If you can communicate, you can write grant proposals to build more playgrounds in your city, use email/text message/Instant message to chill your friend out whom you offended in fifth grade or eloquently express legitimate concerns to our own Head of State, Mr. Barak Obama himself. I value that kind of stuff but what if you don’t? From the ability to think critically in pressure situations to team leadership to the maneuvering of unfamiliar social frameworks college is often a war of attrition that pits athlete vs. conventional wisdom. But I don’t know how to tell a starving athlete to think percentages and probability instead of like a man who would spend a $100 7-Eleven gift certificate on lottery scratchers.

If you have insights on this, I’m listening because remember, this revolution begins with the very recruits in question not in the Dean’s office. I’m only 34 and I watch the whole world reel in fear when money stands to be lost. “It’s the way of the world and money makes the world go ’round.” Since I’m already Christian and counter cultural, I’ll go “yard” and admit that I hate that addage. Money is a tool meant to be used for the improvement of society. Says who? Says someone more credible than any of us. The university that worships money by cheating to recruit may as well be a 19th century American plantation for claiming to offer a free education to kids who receive nothing of the sort. I need help. Who will help me build character in young people so they can develop the courage to turn the system against itself by internalizing the value of education. We can start the revolution with simple things like helping kids from impoverished backgrounds find safety in their communities. Maybe safe kids learn better. I’ve heard that kids who aren’t hungry work a little harder in the classroom too. Oh, and then there’s that parental influence component. If you don’t like exploitation in so-called amateur athletics, join me by sharing ideas on how to build a genuine appreciation for the value of an education. After all, if you could give yours back to the university would you do it?