Lack of institutional control anyone? I can almost guarantee this will become the theme of the upcoming year of college sports. Although I hope this will not remain the standard as to which the NCAA will be judged this season, I'll leave hope to politics and count on the trend to continue. If something does arise, even a miniscule incident, you can count on the national media to shove it down our throats before we can blink.
Kickbacks, point shaving scandals, consumption of illicit drugs, driving under the influence and every other illegal act that has been a byproduct of those affiliated with collegiate athletics is definitely not a new phenomenon. Incidents such as these have occurred throughout the history of the NCAA, but now the stories that surround these acts of misfortune are hot off the press items covered by the local and national media, and subsequently translated into instant advertising revenue. In addition, everything is thrown into the blogosphere by the millisecond. In no way am I condoning these acts, many of which are atrocious by all standards, however, as an avid sports fan and former athlete, I am truly sick of all the drama. Finger pointing, playing the blame game, or calling one another out in regards to who screwed up more is older than debating whether or not Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in history.
So you can better understand how we've reached this pathetic point in the world of American sport, take this for example. Almost three decades ago, in 1981, Pennsylvania's Beaver Country Times reported that "Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, convicted of his third traffic offense in a year, had his fines suspended by a municipal court referee who said he sees each Buckeye football game but didn't recognize the man before him." If something like this happened today in our world of instant access media this story would have undoubtedly spiraled out of control.
Also, look at the case of the 1983 arrest of two University of Pittsburgh football players. Defensive tackle Dave Puzzuoli and linebacker Dennis Atiyeh were arrested for "aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, resisting arrest" and several other counts after they were involved in a disturbance and refused to leave the area. "One officer, Develma Coleman, 25, was injured when she reportedly was thrown on top of a police car, according to authorities," revealed another Beaver Country Times article. Police tried to arrest the 255-pound Puzzuoli who apparently fought with officers. Eventually, the two players were acquitted of all charges by a jury after they plead not guilty. Thrown on top of a police car? Isn't that the equivalent of the death penalty according to today's standards?
Once again, I absolutely do not condone any of the aforementioned acts of stupidity, however, the level at which incidents such as these are judged today are much different than they were decades ago. We are now under a much greater level of scrutiny, and actions such as these are met with an iron fist from the NCAA and its participating institutions. In other words, it's not like this is a secret. Those who continue to place themselves in situations that may result in a negative portrayal of themselves or their universities are going to lose regardless of how you spin it.
If there is one thing that all of you can count on this year, I give you a 100% guarantee that this will be the one and only time I address any of these senseless acts, or subject anybody to read about anything that concerns off the field hoopla. Let us regain our focus as to why we love the sports we do, and try to ignore much of what contemporary sports media shove in our faces on a daily basis.
Aaron M. Plunkett
Publisher
CollegeLevelAthletes.com
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