Why is anyone shocked about NCAA Ruling?
So UNC got off, scot free and crystal clear, degrading college education and making student athlete a complete oxymoron. Many who write and discuss sports in general and basketball in particular, act surprised.
Why?
I lived in LA in the eighties when the Times published a long-running, detailed report about what transpired at UCLA during the Wooden era. Players were well compensated and given: “girlfriends,” extensive, luxury perks, medical procedures for their girlfriends—if you get the drift—and all kinds of incentives to attend, matriculate, and enhance the Blue and Gold at Westwood.
In other words, all those championships were not simply a result of terrific coaching—though I’m sure the coaching was excellent for the well paid, mostly professional 12 or 13 who occupied Pauley during those years. Bottom line, there was far more transpiring behind the headlines than anyone cared to mention or report, until years later.
Those LA Time’s articles, though, produced few if any negative ripples. And in fact, the lionization and deification of the coach and his minions have only been enhanced over the years with awards, accolades, walk on water mythology and church-like worship from all sports mavens and the general public. Many groups today use the coach’s books and “philosophy” as motivation and gospel. This includes—but is not limited to—ball players, school teachers (when I was a teacher, the principal had us read one of Wooden’s book), car dealerships et al.
So, IMHO it follows: as long as we continue worshiping the success of brazen corruption from the 50s, 60’s, and 70’s, it’s no wonder that in today’s super-hyper-win-at-all-costs atmosphere many coaches attempt to emulate the icon to ensure a similar status for themselves. Today’s scandals, then, seem the logical outcome to what started well over sixty years ago. And no one should be surprised that “they” are succeeding on a Roy(al) scale.
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