We are middle class white folks but my wife did "grow up poor" in an urban area. I grew up in what was then known as "Appalachia". We were both smart and got scholarships to college, graduated, and made some money, not that much but we are OK (better if the dam stock market had not flattened for a decade!SNARL!!!)
A number of years ago, OK make that decades ago to be honest, we took a 13 year old son to an "elite" lacrosse camp. We dropped him at the registration area and left.
My wife's comments as we were driving away to vacation on the Outer Banks; That was the most testosterone laden environment I have ever experienced! Those people are too intense and scary!
This from a woman who had a turn teaching in an inner city school.
I had to agree.
-- Edited by BigG on Tuesday 1st of February 2011 06:00:10 PM
During their high school years, many were treated like gods and had little discipline. They get that in college ball.
That should be the case but I think it depends greatly on the school. The god-like treatment certainly continues at many colleges and not just for football. The schools with elite lacrosse teams are famous for annointing their top players. At least most of the lacrosse players get their degrees, but too many major in being ...holes.
I hear you. After reading about that jerky LAX player who killed his UVA girlfriend last year, it was clear that he had been given a spoiled/indulged lifestyle. I'm not sure, but I think that that particular sport attracts a lot of affluent kids from pricey prep schools.
Again, I aplaud the college coaches that make it clear from the beginning that playing sports (for most students) is not going to be a career and that they need to get a degree and prepare for a career.
For many of these football players, if they weren't given athletic scholarships, they would not have the means to go to college. For many, it is an opportunity that they would get no where else.
During their high school years, many were treated like gods and had little discipline. They get that in college ball.
That should be the case but I think it depends greatly on the school. The god-like treatment certainly continues at many colleges and not just for football. The schools with elite lacrosse teams are famous for annointing their top players. At least most of the lacrosse players get their degrees, but too many major in being ...holes.
Much as I love college football, I have to consider the semi-pro and pro baseball and hockey systems to be much fairer to athletes.
In football, a few percent of atheletes get big bucks, the rest mostly get, at best, the value of a state university education. Many get little except room and board for a few years.
In hockey, the players all get somewhat of a reasonable working class/middle class income with the same chance to "hit it big".
The current system of athletic grants-in-aid is a holdover from the days when a college degree was a guaranteed ticket to a middle or upper middle class life and pro sports weren't very profitable.
The world has changed.
So, you think it's better for high school grads to go semi-pro? I don't...so few ever make it to the pros...and then they have nothing.
the rest mostly get, at best, the value of a state university education.
I would hardly say that is nothing. however, I do have more respect for coaches that make it their business to stress academics and getting a degree while playing football.
I also like that during the college years, these young men do "grow up" a bit. During their high school years, many were treated like gods and had little discipline. They get that in college ball.
-- Edited by ItalianMomma on Tuesday 1st of February 2011 12:58:26 PM
Much as I love college football, I have to consider the semi-pro and pro baseball and hockey systems to be much fairer to athletes.
In football, a few percent of atheletes get big bucks, the rest mostly get, at best, the value of a state university education. Many get little except room and board for a few years.
In hockey, the players all get somewhat of a reasonable working class/middle class income with the same chance to "hit it big".
The current system of athletic grants-in-aid is a holdover from the days when a college degree was a guaranteed ticket to a middle or upper middle class life and pro sports weren't very profitable.
I don't think anyone ever confused him with a student. He was and is an athlete - that's it. His academic career consisted of stealing a computer and cheating - not his cup of tea.
True....I don't think I ever heard what his supposed major was. I'm not sure he had one. I think he probably was just taking the minimum 12 credits in whatever was the least demanding subjects.
I don't think anyone ever confused him with a student. He was and is an athlete - that's it. His academic career consisted of stealing a computer and cheating - not his cup of tea.
I'm confused about the time line. He left Florida because of the cheating/theft scandal and went to a junior college. Did the alleged bargaining by his father take place while he was in junior college of did anything like that happen out of high school?
The investigation has to do with the timeframe of 2009. During that time, Cam was at a JC and wanted to transfer to Miss St - because one of his old UF coaches was there and he liked that guy a lot.
that's what makes the decision to go to Auburn further suspect. If he wanted to play for MSU, then why go to Auburn (which at the time, had no prospects of having a winning team)
The logic is that when MSU turned Cecil down for money, Cecil went "fishing" elsewhere. The logic further suggests that if Auburn had also said "no," then Cam would have ended up at MSU (his preference).
There's no logical reason for Cecil to have selected Auburn in Dec 09 for his son, except if there was money to be had.
It's also logical that Auburn would have extended the money. Auburn had been feeling bad the past previous years. There was huge pressure to turn the Auburn program around.
the weird thing is that Cam only attended Auburn for 2 semesters total. That's it. He's not even going to school this semester. He went Spring of 2010 (after signing) and went Fall 2010....that's it.
-- Edited by ItalianMomma on Monday 31st of January 2011 04:10:01 PM
I'm confused about the time line. He left Florida because of the cheating/theft scandal and went to a junior college. Did the alleged bargaining by his father take place while he was in junior college of did anything like that happen out of high school?
I still want to know if the NCAA is going to be able to prove where Cecil Newton got the money to fix his church?
Rumor is that an Auburn Alum paid for it.
I'm still split as to whether Cam knew about it or not.
The fact that he let his dad "choose" his team is a bit odd. Makes me think he knew something was up.
On the other hand, Cecil may not have wanted his son to know he got money because he didn't want Cam to accidentally spill the beans or to ask for some of the money for himself.
A lot of the "fanatical sports thing" is related to primate behavior. It is modern man's (and occasionally woman's) way of beating the chest, grimacing, shreiking, and hurling poop to discourage territorial aggression.
The person booing your team this Saturday will be writing you a mortgage, checking your kid's tonsils, and/or buying a ticket and riding on your airline Monday.
Will we evolve out of this behavior? Its been a couple of milllion years so I don't think so.
Organisms enjoy behavior that facilitates survival. Humans still hunt and gather in the form of game hunting, fishing, and shopping. Bovine young like to run and this develops muscles needed for survival in the wild. Some tiny dogs have a herding instinct that causes them to try to herd bugs (since they don't have anything else in the house).
-- Edited by BigG on Saturday 15th of January 2011 04:12:52 PM
" My Alabama friends were really torn. They hate Auburn, but are staunch SEC fans, so it was a tough one."
Yeah, same thing with my husband. In the end, he had to root for where he was born. It's a southern thing. And he doesn't really hate Auburn. Honestly, this fanatical sports thing is quite hard to understand for me!!
