My brackets are busted...screw the NCAA!

In retrospect, it probably wasn't a good idea to pick George Washington University to go to the Elite Eight. The first two days (so far) of the NCAA tournament have actually been kind of dull. There hasn't been any truly shocking upsets (VCU over Duke isn't exactly shocking) and only one OT game. Not so much Madness as Frazzle-ness.

Anyway, over at True Hoop Henry Abbott has a good post about the ambivalence of watching the tournament. On one hand it is undeniably fun to watch, and on the other hand its yet another showcase for the hypocrisy of the NCAA. The players aren't so much amateurs as unpaid semi-professionals, not students as much as a self-segregated group with (often) their own dorms, dining halls, courses, and grading schematics. Abbott talks about some of the common "defenses" for the NCAA, but I want to quickly mention two particularly lame aspects of college athletics:

1. The idea students are being paid through a free education at the school. Oh really? Cause I'm sure Nick Saban will understand that his starting left tackle has a paper due in class that week and won't be able to make it to practice: sorry coach! For some kids athletic scholarships are great opportunities, but in the pressure cooker of high level NCAA athletics, with the travel, the film study, the practices, the work out sessions, the games themselves, the student's educations often are dealt with as an afterthought. Think about the legions of stories that come out every year about college instructors, either willingly or through corrosion, giving athletes passing grades for lacking work. The bigger issue about this isn't the student athletes failing as it is the universities' willingness to cut corners and give breaks to insure a winning team. Often, kids aren't even getting the real college education they are supposedly getting for "free". Which leads to the second point:

2. MONEY MONEY MONEY
Everyone, EVERYONE, from the coaches, to the networks, to the merchandise sellers, to the shoe companies are literally making BILLIONS off these kids. CBS signed a 11-year, $6 billion contract for exclusive rights to the NCAA bball tournament in 1999. How much do you think that will be when the contract expires, less? Nike, Reebok, and Adidas sign contracts directly with college coaches for the exclusive right to dress their student players for 6 figures, possibly even more, but we don't know because these deals are SECRET. Ohio State this year isn't even wearing the Nike swoosh on their uniforms, but will be wearing Lebron James - Nike logo (James didn't actually attend Ohio State, but would have if he wanted to work for free). Meanwhile if Greg Oden gets a work study job or allows someone to BUY HIM LUNCH, the NCAA would launch an investigation.

The NCAA talks about greatness of amateurism and education, but most of us, athletes and viewers alike, are actually learning about the power of greed, exploitation, and corruption.

Well, I better go. If USC doesn't win this next game my chances of taking the money from the pool is gone!