I have decided to talk about a fresh new topic that hasnÕt been covered much in the media lately: basketball.

IÕve just been wondering over the past couple of weeks why the NCAA Ñ the National Collegiate Athletic Association Ñ even has the ÒC.Ó Because it seems to me that college athletics are becoming less and less about college.

LetÕs take the NCAA tournament (another new topic) for

At the beginning of the tournament the Wildcat sports desk politely asked the NCAA for three press passes to the tournament games. They followed all the rules. They met the deadline, they kissed butts, and they got the press passes.

But there was a catch. To keep those three passes for the entire tournament, we had to send three reporters or photographers to every game of every round in which the Wildcats played.

Being a student newspaper with constraints that larger metropolitan papers donÕt have, we just couldnÕt afford to do it. Our budget has limits and our staff members have school (believe it or not, we do attend classes at times).

So we sent only one reporter to Sacramento for the first round of the tournament. And the big they from the NCAA took our other two passes away for good.

After the next rounds, it became apparent the Wildcats would be traveling to Charlotte. We dipped into our reserves and found the money to fly a reporter and a photographer to the historic event, feeling that as the school paper we had the responsibility to our student readership to go all out in our coverage.

But there was still that darn catch. They would only give us one pass to the Final Four.

IÕm not trying to whine that we poor little Wildcat staff members didnÕt get to go free to the biggest UA sports event of the year.

But the editors of the Duke and the Arkansas newspapers were in the same position. And the Florida school newspaper didnÕt even have one press pass for SaturdayÕs game.

I called the NCAA offices in Kansas and was told, too bad. The woman I spoke with said to call the schoolÕs athletic office, because they are given extra tickets.

By giving the universities passes to the game, the NCAA does not ensure that the student readership is adequately informed about the game. The universities tend to keep the passes to use for promotion or for personal favors. Students are denied access to an event that supposedly exists for

And when I called the athletic office and explained the situation, a woman told me: ÒThis is a national event, itÕs not just those four schools.Ó

Excuse me, but that is why I thought it was called the Final Four.

So the Los Angeles Times, which could afford to send 10 reporters to every round and every practice, can send as many as they like to the Final Four when there isnÕt even a California school in the game.

And the UA can use its tickets to give to supporters and local celebrities.

But the school papers are left out in the cold. And in turn, the students who rely on the school newspaper for coverage are also left out in the cold.

The players are students, but that seems to be the only place where the ÒCÓ in NCAA exists.

As the editor of the Duke University newspaper explained in a letter to the NCAA, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has stressed the importance of Òthe sixth man,Ó the Duke students who cheer and support the team. Maybe more people in the NCAA should please remember Òthe sixth man.Ó

Wildcat Editor in Chief Alexa Haussler is a journalism junior. Her column appears on alternate Tuesdays. Read Next Article