The Mighty Crystal Palace

As we all prepare for one of the most entertaining 3 week stretches in sports, its easy to lose focus of the utter hypocrisy that exists in the NCAA. As someone who sincerely cares about the health of the system, for both moral and selfish reasons, it is painful to take a hard, honest look at the current state of affairs.

Let’s dial the clock back 1.5 years with a letter from Congressman Bill Thomas, Chairman of the US H.O.R. Committee on Ways and Means. This letter demands NCAA president Myles Brand to defend the NCAA’s tax exemption status, which they say is to "maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body" in their annual tax return. Several of you are probably just now learning that the NCAA’s most recent TV contract with CBS for $6 BILLION that kicked in 2002 is TAX FREE! Some may have known, but still this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Fine, no taxes paid, but at least all these kids are getting a quality education and learning valuable life lessons… right. Only 55% of football players and 38% of basketball players graduate - compared to 64% of the general student body. Fret not though, Myles Brand has instituted the Academic Progress Rate, and if not met, severe (scholarship loss) penalties will be assessed. In no time schools will surely regain focus in fear of not meeting the minimum standard…50% graduation rate…huh? To make matters worse, they allow 5 years for graduation in these stats; I’d hate to see what the 4 year rates are. There must be other programs in place, some of that $6B have to been put towards academic learning centers, tutors, books, SOMETHING!!!

We interrupt this blog to report NCAA (non-profit mind you) President Myles Brand’s for 2006 earned (drum roll please) $895,000. C&C Music Factory said it best, Things that Make You Go HMMMM!!!

OK, let’s be fair for a second, if it wasn’t for schools misrepresenting their intentions, catering to these over hyped man-children’s every need, and turning a blind eye to anything that may cost the player PT, these schools wouldn’t make enough for the other 25-35 sports that don’t turn a profit to play. I will be the first to advocate that athletics is one of the best training grounds for business, life in general in fact. But is sacrificing our standards a necessary evil?

At least once we move past the economics of the NCAA we find a mature and well adjusted organization run in a fair and reasonable manner…or do we…stay tuned for more.