sdd@pyuxh.UUCP (S Daniels) (04/08/85)
On ABC's "Sports Beat" (4/7/85), Howard Cosell interviewed Dr.
Eammon Kelly (sp?), President of Tulane University. Within the
space of 5 minutes, Dr. Kelly asserted that university president's
had to "get control of their athletic programs" and that Tulane was
still going to drop men's basketball. He would not consider moving
the program to division III where no scholarships are given and the
level of play is such that a repeat of the point shaving and payoff
scandals is very slim.
While I don't condone point shaving and improper paying of athletes,
I have to wonder about Dr. Kelly's approach to the problem.
1. No one's been convicted of anything yet, either by the NCAA or
the justice system. Prudence and respect for the institutions
would dictate a delay in the dismantling of the basketball program.
2. What does Tulane prove by dropping the program, that the way to
handle a problem is to avoid it? Wouldn't the better service to
academia and sport be to "take their licks" now, fire/expel/ban(alumni)
the people involved, and continue the program "clean?"
THAT's taking control of the program.
How many times will incidents like Tulane's occur? My guess is "plenty"
until the NCAA and the universities recognize that you can't just supply
room and board to someone earning $X for the institutions and tell him/her
that he/she can't even get a part-time job to put gas in the car.
--
Steve Daniels (Bellcore, Piscataway, NJ, !pyuxh!sdd)
"I'm counting the smiles on the road to Utopia."