What's wrong with college sports?

Now and again people ask me, what is wrong with college sports. The answer can be summed up in the phrase, "If you're a winner in football, you'll be a winner in life." The hidden message, if you are a loser in football, you'll be a loser in life...

But to be more specific, the problem with college sports is that they are built on a series of lies, and those lies haunt the endeavor.

Lie number one: College sports bring in money to the university. Only about 30 programs nation wide actually operate in the black. The rest draw money from the general revenues to support their sports programs. That means money that would have gone for chemistry labs goes for basketballs.

Lie number two: College sports provide educational opportunities for students who would not otherwise have a chance to go to college. This is just absurd. First, most of the serious college athletes (football and basketball) who have a real chance of going pro don't graduate. Just check the graduation rates for most of the Division I-AA schools. But what about the lesser sports and Division II and Division II schools? Well, those student athletes may not have been at the particular school they are attending because of sports, but most would be enrolled somewhere without the incentive of sports. Furthermore, the argument is unjust if true. The idea that bad students ought to be allowed to attend good schools because they are fast, or can tackle well, rather than giving those spots to brighter, more academically eager students is immoral. That would be like awarding the National Championship in College football to the team with the best Math GRE Scores.

Lie number three: College sports are a healthy diversion for college students. Apart from the semi-pro college teams that are simply opperating non-profit minor league teams, the majority of college athletes play simply for the fun of it. But here is the rub. Even though they play for fun, the schools hire expensive coaches (which takes money from academic programs) who themselves have hopes of reaching Division I-AA schools themselves. So they push their teams with practices similar to those endured by the "football" schools. But, whereas in those "football" schools, the student/athletes have the possibility of a professional career, the athletes in the lesser schools are being pushed hard just for fun. This hard pushing can often include 5-6 hours of training a day. This takes time away from studies, but more importantly, it takes a toll on the student's bodies. Scores of students at Division II and Division III schools suffer serious injuries in training and during athletic events. Tore ACLs, ICL, bad backs, etc. And all for the fun of the game. By the time these students are 40, they will be showing their committment to their school with bad knees and a bent back.

While sports are perfectly good exercise, too much training greatly increases the chance of serious injury. If these college sports were really just for fun, they would be administered the way intermural sports, student players, student coaches, and built around student schedules.

LSU National Champs

OK, probably not. But if they get the QB situation settled, teach the receivers how to catch, find three guys who can play linebacker, and remind the offensive line to block on first down, then they have as good a chance as anyone out there.

The media loves Auburn to win the SEC, and the SEC West Champion will probably be the winner of the LSU/Auburn game in that third week of the season. It doesn't hurt Auburn's chances that the game is in Auburn this year. That series generally favors the home team (unlike the LSU/Alabama series).

West Virginia will be in the BCS if for no other reason than the Big East is still soft but has an automatic bid. The BCS Championship formula awards good teams in weak conferences. So expect the national title game to host teams from the Big East, Pac 10 or Big 12. The ACC, SEC and Big 10 are too tough to make it likely that any of its participants will finish the season undefeated.