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    Prostate of Dorian GrayMichael Harriot
    3/31/17 2:07pm

    Going back to college and sitting in some of the classes that the athletes are in has changed my entire perception of college sports. These kids are being kept eligible, not being educated. I had to change my major when I realized how much those classes were wasting my time. I’ve had high school classes that were more challenging. There’s a small army of “tutors” that take care of any pesky online homework assignments for the kids and make sure they attend class. There’s no interest in making sure they learn or grow, just making sure they show up.

    None of the authority figures these kids have to turn to are doing anything but advising them in their own self-interests. Nobody is talking to these young men about future job prospects or how a certain degree will benefit them. It’s all funneling them towards Communications or Parks & Tourism degrees. When Enterprise car rental advertises how they hire the most NCAA athletes, it’s because these kids aren’t being taught anything and have traded their only marketable skill for magic beans. And yet everyone else involved in even the most tangential way to athletics gets stuff out of this. You can’t even fathom the number of people getting free swag from Nike or Adidas that have the barest connection to any athletic programs. One fellow I know personally, always looks like he had just come from a shopping spree the Adidas outlet store.

    College sports are corrupt and immoral. Grown-ups taking advantage of the naive nature of 20 year olds is all it is. The mission of the land grant university has been perverted.

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      World's Moistest Jheri CurlProstate of Dorian Gray
      3/31/17 2:58pm

      former D1 athlete here.... the system is a con but many of the athletes prefer it that way. the only way to succeed is to have wealthy and/or invested parents. many of these guys are the first in their families to attend college and it shows because their parents do not know what questions to ask or what to look for. everyone is in on the ruse... from ESPN broadcasting high school games and where kids sign to the athletes themselves not making sure they’re taking classes that’ll lead to degrees. not dissing african american studies majors, or sports & recs majors but how many jobs will they receive upon graduation? this is what integration looks like. we’re led through the door not as an equal but as gladiators/entertainers.

      i remember enrolling as a math major and being dissuaded. my parents called the coach (cpa mom & engineer dad) and said that if i was not in engineering or math that i would transfer and then the coach changed his mind. getting close to graduation (i did a 3/2 programme) someone in athletics admin told me how proud they were of me and if only the blacks were smart enough to graduate (both parents are *quadroons so most folks do not know i’m black on appearance) they’d do much better in life.

      *before anyone attacks me.

      1. i’m not american

      2. quadroon is an acceptable term in my culture

      3. the difference between a mulatto and a quadroon is victoria rowell and her daughter:

      Illustration for article titled
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      feather-throttle-not-hairWorld's Moistest Jheri Curl
      3/31/17 3:48pm

      Just curious where you’re from. I know i’ve heard Brazil has crazy (to americans) classifications for all sorts of various mixes, but i’m curious how common such a system is in other parts of the world.

      Also, holy shit your anecdote is depressing.

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    Hoyo AfrikaMichael Harriot
    3/31/17 12:59pm

    Another argument I’ve heard is that the money schools make from basketball and football go to fund other sports that may not be so lucrative. Then I thought about it. How many black kids get offers for a handball or fencing scholarship? Few to none, I am certain.

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      Ugh.Hoyo Afrika
      3/31/17 1:03pm

      Also, I’d imagine the funding that goes toward, say, wrestling amounts to something between “a pittance” and “a paltry sum.”

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      Prostate of Dorian GrayHoyo Afrika
      3/31/17 1:48pm

      I think it was Amin El Hassan I heard make the point that the “black” sports which also happen to be the moneymakers are being used to subsidize the “white” sports (tennis, swimming, all the country club shit that requires money to participate in). It was a while ago and I don’t remember for sure if it was he, but he’s fearless, strident, and funny so I’m going with Amin.

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    GiggleGiggleBooMichael Harriot
    3/31/17 1:13pm

    Yes, blacks make up the largest percentage of high profile sports (Basketball & Football). Yes, there are millions if not billions being made at the campus level of these sports. However, I don’t believe that students should be monetarily compensated for their involvement in the sport. In the article its mentioned that blacks have a lower chance of graduating from these universities, seemingly white universities. So lets put that into prospective. If Blacks are already not graduating, without a 6 or 7 figure contract tied to their participation, how many would actually graduate with that kind of money already sitting in their bank accounts instead of the potential of earning it in the NBA or NFL? I would suspect drop out rates to increase, retention rates to increase, etc. And blacks would be tied to those numbers in very heavy rates. A scholarship, free room and board, free education, and opportunity to not only graduate from a prestigious (wypipo) university and the possibility of upward mobility into the NBA or NFL is very generous. However, I think the money trail can be restructured. I don’t think those coaches should be getting millions. I don’t have an answer to how things should be restructured in terms of money, but students shouldn’t be millionaires. We already see blacks act a fool when they get money in the professional arena.. imagine the campus one. They will lose total focus.

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      World's Moistest Jheri CurlGiggleGiggleBoo
      3/31/17 3:11pm

      this is where non athletes get lost in the argument. no one is asking for 6 or 7 figure salaries during the intercollegiate years. we’re asking for

      1. enough meals for students to not go hungry (which was rectified 2 years ago the scholarship athletes can get unlimited meals)

      2. insurance that covers injuries sustained during college. if i blow out my ACL (which I did while playing a college sport) my school can then cut me and the cost becomes my burden.

      3. enough money for laundry or rent. most people talk of room & board but it’s not feasible for athletes to stay on campus because we’re stuck there year round and the dorms close for repairs etc. also as an athlete at a D1 institution your classmates/fellow students knock on your dorm room all night to get your attention/take photos/meet their girlfriends etc which sucks when you have a 6am run.

      4. most athletes are stuck on campus during spring break & summer break. they do not get a chance to enjoy the “college experience” because of the hours that the sport dictates.

      5. i had to choose between my original major and my sport because of conflicts with mandatory courses. the coach told me that because the athletic department is paying for my education i couldn’t take any class i wanted but only the pre-approved classes by the department.

      6. luckily, my parents could afford for my care during school but for many of my fellow athletes that were poor that was not the case. so when you talk of large contracts most kids just want cost of living expenses. is that too much to ask? especially since they’re not allowed to work while they’re in school like many of the other poor kids (pell grant recipients)

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      crouching tigerGiggleGiggleBoo
      3/31/17 5:07pm

      If it’s so important for players to be amateur/unpaid, then why are coaches paid? Shouldn’t they do it for the love of the game?

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    Cali4lifeMichael Harriot
    3/31/17 1:24pm

    Would you think they were evil? No, I would think: That’s some crazy white people slavery shit right there.

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    AdigsMichael Harriot
    3/31/17 1:14pm

    What is the issue? These kids aren’t forced to go play college sports. They could skip college and go into a trade or go the route that many people take and get loans to put themselves through school. But they are willing to buy in to the dream (no matter how much of a long shot) that they may have a professional opportunity at sports. It seems no different than playing the lottery. Of course the house’s (or univerity’s) take is guaranteed, but it would be unreasonable to say everyone who buys a ticket should be a winner. What you are purchasing is a chance. If you feel that the odds of success are too long it is very easy to just opt out.

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      Hello, America: Find Your SoulAdigs
      3/31/17 4:22pm

      They could skip college and go into a trade or go the route that many people take and get loans to put themselves through school.

      And of all those options, you don’t see how (for an athletic kid) pursuing an athletic scholarship is the best choice by far?

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    jcn-txctMichael Harriot
    4/02/17 5:12pm

    Colleges are like Vegas, the house always wins. The roads and diners of Vegas are filled with people that thought they could beat the house.

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