By Christopher B. Daly
The battle over intercollegiate athletics rages on. (Actually, it is just a few folks crying in the wilderness.)
Recently, the reformist Joe Nocera of the NYTimes weighed in with an op-ed. Like many reformers, he seems to really believe in the need for more radical solutions, but he pulls his punches in the name of being realistic. Enh!
Earlier, the Chronicle of Higher Ed shared this story about a football player at the University of Memphis, which makes a powerful case for eliminating college athletics. It’s a thoroughly reported piece on the Chronicle’s handsome, lucid, well-designed website. ( Actually, the home page is not that brilliant, but the Memphis piece is beautifully laid out and includes relevant multimedia. The audio clips are really something.)
And Buzz Bissinger, never one to mince his fuckin’ words, had this to say: Ban College Football.
AP photo / Football at my alma mater, UNC
(Which would be a start. What educational purpose does college football serve? It really amounts to a farm system for the NFL in which the pro teams don’t have to pay player salaries.)
For that matter, what educational purpose does any intercollegiate athletics serve? If you are in college and you want to get some exercise, start a pick-up game and challenge the kids in the next dorm. Then, get back to reading long books.)
I say, ban the NCAA.
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