The Most Important Article Ever Written About College Sports*

I remember back when this thread had a chance for an intelligent discussion about what might go down as the seminal article of its time on college athletics and the NCAA. I saw that Scarborough gave it a good amount of air time on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning. That was cool.

I'd love to see lots and lots of journalists asking college presidents and athletic directors pointed questions about the article, and if they haven't read it about issues raised in the article. It might actually get some traction. I'd think long and hard about asking any coach about it, though. Maybe a handful out there savvy and caring enough to read and understand the issues raised but overall probably not much hope on that level. If you ever run into a player who has read it, well, I'd ask him for investment advice.

 

Coaches coach football. For all the talk about molding men, coaches coach football. And that's OK. But you're right - it's the AD's and presidents who need to get called on the carpet.

I occasionally would try to do pieces - nothing to this degree - about the tension between academics and athletics, the temptations of college athletics, etc., etc. I'm sure many others here have, as well. Many way better than I ever have. But I'm sure most of their work was met with one of two reactions, as mine was:

(1) Indifference
(2) Anger (at the writer, not the system or good ol' State U)

 

Serious question -- how many of you have ever worked in major college athletics as a coach or administrator?

 

I haven't.

Why?

 

Just wondering if anyone has any real insider insight.

 

Even at the DIII level, coaches can have administration look the other way on players and admissions.

That I have seen as an employee of the university. I have also seen a DIII kid have a tuition of $18 a semester.

 

Former low-level SID at one.

 

John Gasaway of Basketball Prospectus has a retort on Branch's article: http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=735

I think he's reading the story's comparisons to slavery and colonialism way too literally, and I think he's probably wrong that no one's writing books about this issue.

 

There already was a book, written at least 20 years ago, on the NCAA. I can't remember the title of it.

And Rick Telander wrote "The 100-Yard-Lie" about his experience with college football, and why it's such a sham.

And yes, Gasaway is reading the slavery interpretation a little too literally. No, these are not slaves. The athletes can walk away. But the mentality behind the whole NCAA premise is very similar.

 

Murray Sperber has written like five of these books. Also some good ones by Allen Sack, a former Notre Dame football player turned reformer. The TV stuff in Branch's article is all in Keith Dunnavant's book, the name escapes me right now, but it's really good

 

Seth Davis disagrees:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/seth_davis/09/21/Branch.rebuttal/index.html

 

Seth Davis vs. Taylor Branch. There's an intellectual and journalistic matchup along the lines of Akron vs. Alabama.