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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – College sports were corrupt in the 1940s and 50s. Three of the biggest basketball schools in New York: City College, New York University, and Brooklyn College, all had players who were regularly approached by gamblers in a point-shaving scandal. Win the game, but be under the point spread – usually by not playing hard in the closing minutes or by missing free throws on purpose. Players who were involved got paid between $1,000 and $2,500.
Today the payments come from the colleges in the form of Name, Image and Likelness payments. It’s a salary paid to a player to promote the college’s athletic program. Last month, Nevada-Las Vegas quarterback Matthew Sluka quit the team after three games when a $100,000 payment from an assistant coach never materialized. Players now regularly leave one school and join another for more lucrative arrangements. There are many college athletes who have NIL deals north of $1-million.
Ah, the quaint old days when I was in college. A college athlete at Syracuse University had an opportunity to earn a life-changing college degree, for free, for playing basketball or football. I paid $60,000 in tuition for the same parchment that was offered to them. I, of course, could not dunk or throw touchdown passes. That used to be a good deal; students usually from poor or inner city backgrounds got access to a college education that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them. What’s happened since? Well, the players, generally, don’t care about the diploma. They want a stage to show off their athletic skills to audition for the NFL and NBA. Schools, of course, make it impossible for student-athletes to earn a degree of value. The demands of athletics swallow up time for studying. Florida State University even offers their football players a degree in hospitality management, which includes classes on running a bar or being a barista.
Our universities should be ashamed of themselves. I challenge you to name one scholarly advancement from the University of Alabama, or Georgia, or Ohio State. They’re not known for their contributions to mankind, they’re known for their sports teams. Even at my Syracuse University, I couldn’t tell you what great academic achievement our students and facility are marching towards… but I know the football team is 4-and-1. Go Orange.
Chris Conley
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