The commercialization of college athletics is one of my favorite topics of discussion.  

Football and basketball programs are essentially semi-pro leagues.  Coaches and staff are paid in the 7 figures. Elite athletes are paid under the table.  And the atletes are, all too often and perhaps usually, most certainly NOT student-athletes.  This despite the fact that the vast majority of them will never graduate to the professional leagues, and far too many of them will never graduate from college.

How did we get in such a mess?  As with any arms race, we may blame no one and everyone.  The escalation necessary to "win" never stops.  And in the end, everyone loses.  The system, the rules of the game, are to blame.  People acting rationally and honorably within the system have brought us to this point (the cheaters have only pushed us ahead at a faster pace) and will take us further towards commercialization and professionalization.

When you think student-athlete, do you think of Maurice Clarett? Reggie Bush? Matt Leinart?  Certainly there are qualified student athletes playing Division 1 atletics, and I do not mean to demean them. They are, however, very much the exception.  How many of them, for example, would you like to see representing your university as an exemplar of the institutions commitment to higher education?  

I don't know how we can climb down from this commercialized abomination.  I certainly don't advocate unilateral disarmament.  

But I don't like it that my Georgia Bulldogs recruit lineman from JUCOs in Kansas.  In my ideal world, the coach would travel to exotic locations on campus -- say Connor Hall -- where the big boys from places like Tifton and Cairo spend their time.  They might even travel to Tifton and Cairo on an occasional recruiting trip, but probably not.  

And I while I am glad that UGA spends a great deal of money supporting its atletetes with tutoring and academic support programs, I don't like it that such programs are necessary to raise grades and graduation rates to a respectable level.

Students lacking the preperation to be successful in college should not be admitted. Athletes whose first commitment is the pursuit of fame and fortune as a professional athlete should play in the professional minor leagues.  College ball should be reserved for those qualified students who continue to play the game for love of the game.

I'm just saying.... Now back to reality.