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Athletes, not corporate whores

College athletics has lately become big business. The NCAA recently signed a $6 billion dollar contract awarding CBS broadcast rights to the men's basketball tournament, and athletic departments nationwide have sponsorship agreements with corporations like Nike, Pepsi and Value City. Although these contracts may seem justified by the money they bring to universities, the commercialization of college athletics turns what should be pure competition into another cash cow.

Sports has been an important part of college life throughout the twentieth century. From the Knute Rockne-led Notre Dame football teams of the 1920s to Oscar Robertson's Cincinnati Bearcats of the 1950s to Houston's Phi Slama Jama teams in the 1980s, college athletics has been an important part of campus mythologies. Students dream of attending a university that has a chance of fielding a sports dynasty, like the UCLA basketball teams of the 1960s. The sense of community that comes with cheering on a winning team enriches the college experience overall.

Unfortunately, experiential enrichment is quickly losing out to monetary enrichment. We may well never see a dynasty again, and capitalism on college athletics shares a great deal of the blame for this. The influence of money makes maintaining athletic traditions difficult.

The most obvious problem is the migration of top players from college into the pro ranks. Programs recruit stellar athletes, only to see them leave school for lucrative NBA contracts after one or two years. Many high school players bypass the college level altogether. In most cases, these players clearly aren't ready for the pros. Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant may have succeeded, but others haven't. Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender have struggled, and Leon Smith suffered emotional stress trying to make the transition from high school student to NBA superstar. College teams suffer as well, as fans find identifying favorite players troubling as athletes come and go in a few semesters.

As well, monied interests erase symbols of the past through their endowments. As corporations donate money to athletic programs, buildings are renamed in recognition. This has been happening on the pro level for years: Jack Murphy Stadium became Qualcomm Stadium, and the Boston Gardens closed in favor of the Fleet Center.

But the malady has begun to spread to the college level. The Ohio State Buckeyes play basketball at Value City Arena. Can you imagine the Wildcats playing at, say, the Best Buy Center instead of McKale? The UA is already heavily involved with corporate sponsors; losing our traditions and identity to a brand name probably is in the near future.

Instead of fighting a sensible battle against the encroachment of avarice, the NCAA has hypocritically embraced it. They encourage corporate sponsorship of programs, then deny fair remuneration to student athletes. Fans come to see the players, yet the money they pay for tickets and concessions go to the university and sponsors, not the players. The result is a system that makes staying in school not in the student athelets' best interests. The athletes are in effect whores, toiling for the entertainment of others while not receiving due compensation for their efforts.

But while the NCAA takes in big bucks, they punish players if they've been within sniffing distance of money at any point in their lives. No wonder student athletes leave school early: Why should Errick Barkley and JaRon Rush stay in school only to be benched while the filthy rich NCAA investigates them for possibly having had their high school tuition paid?

Even NCAA President Cedric Dempsey realizes the situation needs to change, to focus on supporting student athletes. One way to do this would be to include a fair stipend with athletic scholarships, so student athletes can live comfortably. Another would be to set limits on corporate involvement so a university's athletic traditions can continue.

Professional sports have their place, but so do amateur athletics. The NCAA needs to devise a system that protects student athletes, not sells them out.