I find I don't like watching it that much. I like following bracketology - the game itself bores me. That it is the collegiate sport that makes most mockery out of the phrase "student athlete" probably doesn't help me in this.
That it is the collegiate sport that makes most mockery out of the phrase "student athlete" probably doesn't help me in this.
When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a cousin who was a second stringer on his college BB team. The second stringer got a degree in English and went on to get a MSW. He was truly a student athlete: a student who also happened to be a basketball player.
That was also a fairly accurate description of the first stringers on that particular college BB team of that era, which had winning records. They didn't become basketball pros, but they went on to successful careers. College BB influenced their career successes: they learned to prioritize, to make decisions, to operate as a team, and to present themselves well in public.
Big time college athletics do not permit the existence of such studenht athletes on their teams. The time requirements for big time college athletics preclude such student athletes.
There are occasional stories of the big time college athlete who is also an engineering or pre-med student. How they can cram all that into a day is beyond the capbilities of most mortals, myself included.
I think W&M was legit in its treatment of athletes when I was there, and still is. Which is why it cracks the top 100 for DI basketball only about once a decade.
That it is the collegiate sport that makes most mockery out of the phrase "student athlete" probably doesn't help me in this.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, a friend of mine had a cousin who was a second stringer on his college BB team. The second stringer got a degree in English and went on to get a MSW. He was truly a student athlete: a student who also happened to be a basketball player.
That was also a fairly accurate description of the first stringers on that particular college BB team of that era, which had winning records. They didn't become basketball pros, but they went on to successful careers. College BB influenced their career successes: they learned to prioritize, to make decisions, to operate as a team, and to present themselves well in public.
Big time college athletics do not permit the existence of such studenht athletes on their teams. The time requirements for big time college athletics preclude such student athletes.
There are occasional stories of the big time college athlete who is also an engineering or pre-med student. How they can cram all that into a day is beyond the capbilities of most mortals, myself included.
I think W&M was legit in its treatment of athletes when I was there, and still is. Which is why it cracks the top 100 for DI basketball only about once a decade.
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