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While the NCAA does not allow the payment of players, the amount of money up for grabs has promoted unethical behavior among a majority of college athletic programs. Corruption is now an every day affair. Every good season that results in a bowl bid or tournament appearance equals more money for schools. This leads to temptation and wrong doing by many high ranking college administrators, coaches and boosters.
The eight teams representing their schools in last year’s Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games, were paid close to $15 million each for making it to college football’s promised land. For a school like Louisville, who has recorded a surplus of just around six million dollars from the athletic department since 2000-2001, that extra money is a huge boost to the program.
It has been debated that the college presidents in these conferences have a stranglehold on the decision, essentially making it impossible for smaller schools to get their piece of the pie. These results even sparked Congress to threaten an anti-trust investigation into the BCS format.
“It looks like a rigged deal,” said Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.). College sports, like the pros have become big business and schools cross the line every year to get paid.
One of the darkest days not only in college football history but all sports hit the nation Feb. 26, 1987. Southern Methodist University ’87 football season was canceled and a variety of restrictions were placed on the schools football team for years to come. The program was given what is now known as the “death penalty” in college athletics.
“[The decision was to] eliminate a program that was built on a legacy of wrongdoing, deceit and rule violations,” stated the NCAA about the 1987 Southern Methodist University football season.
SMU was guilty of paying 13 players $47,000 during the 1985-86 academic year along with several other violations that shook the foundation on college athletics.
Along with the ban on the 1987 season, the NCAA infractions committee laid down restrictions limiting the programs scholarships, coaching positions, television and post-season appearances with a probation period lasting until Sept. 1, 1990.
“Unfortunately as far as I’m concerned it seems like everything in athletics is about money, and it’s not always aimed at the student-athlete or what’s best for the game,” said former Cornhuskers head coach and now Republican Representative for the state of Nebraska, Tom Osborne.
With the popularity of college athletics always on the rise and the amount of money up for the taking, dishonest and crooked actions are taken on a regular basis every year.
In Oliver Stone’s epic film, “Wall Street,” Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Geko stated that “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.;” then adding, “greed, in all of its forms – greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind.”
Hopefully the money driven officials in college sports do not listen to Mr. Geko’s advice or corruption will continue to run rampant.
