For The Love of What: Part One

I have been trying to get myself in the college football mood these last few months. After this weekend, I think it's best that I sit this season out and re-evaluate next year to see if this is just a phase. The year round fascination with football has tainted the enjoyment of the competition on the field in both the college and professional game. I accept the blame for watching the saturated coverage on the sports networks; beyond that, off the field topics have leaked into national and local news as well as podcast and other media. It's hard for me to drop my interest in the sport since it was once a dream of mine to play the game.

The NFL for all the criticism it receives does function as an entity allows players to be compensated and earn a living off their images as does other professional leagues. The college level, mostly the NCAA, harps so much on the amateur status of the participating athletes all while allowing the member institutions to market their brand in a means to sell an education or so they say. Once the media and fanatics are added to the mix, the world of sports becomes a vast world of overly judgmental people making the athlete into the villains while we all become the victims. All the faith and trust is placed in the machine at the end of the day; a machine that obviously cannot be flawed.

I'll save my disdain for institutions of higher learning and other hypocritical beings for another day. The likes of the NCAA and its governing keeps me from enjoying the game that I once played; couple in the media coverage craze and super fans, it's enough to drive a sane person mad. I have developed several random opinions on this subject. An expert on the subject I am not; an observer of rubbish would be more fitting.

Playing for the title

The mainstream of thought would have us to believe that the ultimate goal of the college athlete is to play for the title. It seems that it should be the motivation that explains the amateur participants desire to stick with collegiate sports in contrast with seeking a professional career. College football argues that its bowl system is a bonus that the players love in addition to its long tradition. Instead of winning championships, being a bowl winner is just as delightful for teams, schools, and fans. These accolades bring bragging rights that last for ages.

I agree that competitive people do seek the top prize in their relative field, but how many people are competitive in a given environment. Think of your job; how many people are hungry for advancement and will do anything to achieve that dream? Compare that with the people that are content with doing their jobs with no ambition for glory and the others that are skating along on the labors of others. This general principle alone disproves the fact that college football players are these title hungry individuals, some may be but not the majority. Many factors lead to a guy wanting to play football.

There are approximately 300 programs in Division I college football; a small percentage of them post winning records each year with even fewer winning a conference, bowl, playoff, or division championship.  Yet and still all of these schools continue to sign new players to take the field in the fall. But why are these young men going to schools that provide little to no chance of ever winning a meaningful game if they are so title driven?

The Miami Hurricanes before the '87 Fiesta Bowl in which they lost to Penn State

Free Education

Scholarship athletes are perceived to be given a free education. I have mentioned this same point once, but I shall clarify. I point to the fact that a good bit of the scholarship athletes leave school with little or no education debt. This is the least that a program can provide since they do not stress the importance of education as strongly as the athlete side. There's nothing wrong with being a mediocre student and a exceptional player; the reverse would instantly create a problem in the eyes of the school, coaches, and fans because no one really cares if the 6th string quarterback is a 4.0 student as long as he's not taking up one of the scholarships.

This stance is not the same as those that contend that athletes should be fortunate to have a chance for a "free" education. Never mind the fact that so much more is required of a player. These viewers will argue that it is easy for a young adult to balance a life that consists of high demands from one angle and very low expectations from the other. Many of the individuals that criticize the student-athletes of their actions have not had the luxury of being a high profile athlete. Some have never played on an organized team although the speak as experts.

The movie The Program portrays the system that some athletic programs use to make sure their students are making the grade.

Play for Love Not Money

The professional leagues would seem to be the goal of the collegiate athlete, but it is no secret that there are only a small number of players able to make the jump. Even after becoming a paid professional, football is not a sport that comes with a long career tag. What the average career is less than 10 years? What does a player do after his career has long dimmed? Matter of fact, in this whole world of amateur sports, the only amateurs are the participants. Everyone else involved seemed to receive some sort of financial benefit.

The universities have transformed themselves into a brand. Licensed merchandise distinguishes one university from another regardless of colors, mascots, and abbreviations. These identifiers provide revenue to these universities and have been used to promote school pride. Not many people are going out and purchasing items that identify with the college of liberal arts at their favorite school, and there's no huge market for schools that lack athletic programs or prolific, well known sports teams.

Athletes can never be view upon as a brand. The star running back can be anyone's favorite player of all time. This same star, though, cannot use his status to be granted favors. All the while he is expected to be this model student. Around him, the world will scream signs of misconduct, greed, and "business" practices. Coaches jump from school to school for both personal and professional reasons. Universities sever league ties to generate more attention on all fronts. Even small institutions seek and accept games against big budget schools in exchange for money. An athlete that feels the need to capitalize on his image is instantly demonized especially if this capitalization leads to millions of dollars and/or fame.

Willis McGahee was carried off the during his last collegiate game supposedly to never to play football again.

He worked for months to rehabilitate himself and has been in the NFL for 9 years where the average at his position is around 3.

I could go on and on, but my attention to this topic is doing the same disservice that the slanted media coverage has. I know that nothing is perfect, never will be. I just cannot stand on the side of the masses that blur the lines of sensible regulation and reasonable understanding of the motivations of a young man's actions.