My Two Cents:
Do the Firebirds have enough real athletes?
Richard Silverman
Issue date: 10/23/06 Section: Sports
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Well, it's only been two weeks, and my enthusiasm for the Firebirds' season has plummeted and hit rock-bottom. And, I guess it's fitting that it bottomed out as the clock struck midnight. That's when my hopes for Cinderella seasons turned into skepticism and despair. That's the moment I learned that so many men and women basketball players had just been suspended from playing in Midnight Madness that there weren't enough players for the women to scrimmage against each other and the men to scrimmage each other. That's the moment I left the CRAF Center in disgust.
Why the suspensions? I don't know the details, but apparently it was the result of an off-campus party that got out of hand. And surprise, surprise,
alcohol and possibly other substances were allegedly involved. So, the saga of Firebird players partying with alcohol continues.
Now before you call me an old-fashioned prude, or a hypocrite, or something much worse, let me admit that I participated in somewhat similar indiscretions when I was an undergrad. The only difference was that I was more discrete when I indulged in indiscretions, and I wasn't an athlete on scholarship. Does this make what I did okay? Absolutely not! Does it make what the players did okay? Again, absolutely not!
But, why make such a fuss about adolescent behavior that will probably continue for eternity on most of the campuses in this country? Well, as I mentioned, it's because many of these players are receiving tuition scholarships; so in a sense, they're getting paid for their athletic performance. And don't get me wrong; I think that's alright. It's just that, if you're being paid as an athlete, then be an athlete, or hand in your uniform and start paying tuition.
What does it mean to be an inter-collegiate athlete? Well first of all, it means that, like it or not, you have to stay eligible by passing at least 12 credit hours a semester. And if you don't, or can't, then you can't call yourself a college athlete. So, first and foremost, an athlete must fulfill her/his academic responsibilities.
Why the suspensions? I don't know the details, but apparently it was the result of an off-campus party that got out of hand. And surprise, surprise,
alcohol and possibly other substances were allegedly involved. So, the saga of Firebird players partying with alcohol continues.
Now before you call me an old-fashioned prude, or a hypocrite, or something much worse, let me admit that I participated in somewhat similar indiscretions when I was an undergrad. The only difference was that I was more discrete when I indulged in indiscretions, and I wasn't an athlete on scholarship. Does this make what I did okay? Absolutely not! Does it make what the players did okay? Again, absolutely not!
But, why make such a fuss about adolescent behavior that will probably continue for eternity on most of the campuses in this country? Well, as I mentioned, it's because many of these players are receiving tuition scholarships; so in a sense, they're getting paid for their athletic performance. And don't get me wrong; I think that's alright. It's just that, if you're being paid as an athlete, then be an athlete, or hand in your uniform and start paying tuition.
What does it mean to be an inter-collegiate athlete? Well first of all, it means that, like it or not, you have to stay eligible by passing at least 12 credit hours a semester. And if you don't, or can't, then you can't call yourself a college athlete. So, first and foremost, an athlete must fulfill her/his academic responsibilities.
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