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Friday, June 3, 2011

Why Corruption In College Athletics Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon

The recent scandal at Ohio State involving players selling memorabilia for discounts on tattoos(among other things) has brought to light the greater debate about corruption across all college athletics.  And while it is true that higher profile schools such as Ohio State are more susceptible to violating the rules, it does not mean the smaller schools are exempt, either.

In fact, in an article in ESPN The Magazine dated May 30th, 2011, the magazine called 2010 the most scandalous year in college sports.  It goes on to say that even schools such as Boise State are being investigated...for women's tennis.

A natural reaction is to point the finger at the head coaches of these programs, who are called upon to educate and enfore the regulations that the NCAA create.  However, the scandal at the Ohio State begs an even bigger question. 

And while I am not going to argue that Jim Tressel was made out to be a scapegoat, I think that Boomer Esiason, former quarterback for the University of Maryland, Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Jets, makes some interesting points in this video I am reprinting from Sports Illustrated(ironic that it's from SI, the same SI I trashed yesterday, but remember these are the opinions of Esiason alone, and not necessarily the editorial staff at SI):  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/ncaaf_video/2011/06/03/060211.btm_boomer_selling.mov.SportsIllustrated/index.html

So maybe a change was necessary at the top of the Ohio State football program.  Does that mean the next coach will have better luck convincing his players to follow the rules?  Maybe.  Only time will tell.

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