A moment away from politics.
The Oregon Ducks are number one in college football rankings.
Don't think about the professionalization of college football. Or the big money. Or NIL. Or transfers. Or recruiting. Or in what sense, if any, this is a team of University of Oregon students.
Instead, take ten seconds to watch something spectacular in its athleticism.
The perfectly thrown ball:
Wide receiver Evan Stewart's left-handed catch over his shoulder:
It's just a game, a happy diversion from choosing leaders in a republic. In the great scheme of things, neither the play nor the game matters much. Someone wins. Someone loses. There is another play, another game, another season. This catch was a moment. Moreover, the touchdown didn't even count. A lineman, far away from this action, was downfield, and there was a five yard penalty against Oregon.
The brevity and beauty of the catch -- and its insignificance -- are what makes this so perfect a moment of respite.
Click here: Ten seconds on YouTube. Easy Sunday.
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7 comments:
Back in the 60's, I had a cousin who taught at the University of Tennessee. He was instructed to write the students grade in pencil if they played on the football team. He noticed that if any of those football players were failing, the grade would be upgraded to passing by his superiors. After all, football is more important than education, especially when football brings in lots of money to the University. I wonder it that still goes on.
I love the games (football, baseball, basketball).
But I don't like what the sports have become at any level: a business.
That the US put's such an emphasis on sports is pathetic.
It's just entertainment that encourages tribalism and greed.
I'm confident that it does.
I suppose it still goes on. However, I know a number of people who competed in college sports at the NCAA Division 1 level or lower levels. Most received scholarships to play. Not all were paid. Peter can tell us whether Harvard, a Division 1 school, offers athletic scholarships in the sense that powerhouse universities such as Tennessee and the University of Oregon do. I know a couple of NCAA lower division all-Americans. It would be hard to overstate the sacrifice required of an athlete who competes for a university at the NCAA or NAIA level. With practice and travel, you miss class, you listen to lectures with a computer, you study away from professors and other students, you are often tired; but if you can succeed academically with all of this to contend with, you probably deserve recognition beyond what ordinary students should get in competing for positions in, say, medical school, or employment in jobs that call for maturity and leadership.
Education vs Sports
My son attended a service academy that did have some recruited athletes at the school. All students including recruited athletes attending the school were on scholarship; all graduates that graduated and were commissioned would pay that back with a service commitment of 4-5 years.
To remain on the team would require a minimum, sustained 2.0 GPA or higher in order to remain on the team. No faking of grades at the service academies. Even better, none of those service academies permit students (cadets) to obtain sponsors.
My son had roommates on sports teams, and he tutored them with their studies to make sure they met the grade requirements. He himself was a recruited athlete, but he declined getting in that way. His appointment was earned thru academics, achievement, and public service. He was nominated by his Congressman in Oregon.
Those with a GPA below a 2.0 were suspended from the teams until they got their GPA up.
Some that he tutored decided to leave their teams and focus on their studies and worked hard to graduate and get commissioned.
When it comes to colleges and universities outside the service academies today, yes, there is big money for the schools and for some of the athletes. Fortunately, there are academic all-Americans who are recognized for their achievements.
If the professional teams want a minor league to recruit from, it's too bad that the some of the colleges and universities ignore why they are there. It's to provide an education, not to service the professional sports teams.
I don't think that college athletes should be sponsors for businesses.
PS How many of the college athletes actually graduate? Not all of them get recruited by the big leagues.
Yeah, but how about them Ducks!
Finally a topic that won’t turn into a political football… 😀
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