Ralph Nader is nuts. The consumer advocate wants to end athletic scholarships. Stop the sham of “student-athletes.” Give everyone need-based scholarships.
Nader should return to ensuring the safety of our cars and water. He does a great job at that. But like every public figure who somehow thinks he can fix sports, he’s overextending himself here.
Yes, college sports is pure hypocrisy. The term “student-athlete” makes me cringe. The NCAA could care less about the education of basketball players. Think about it: Those in Saturday’s Final Four have barely seen a classroom in weeks, yet raised millions of dollars for their schools.
But ending sports scholarships would be devastating to tens of thousands of young men and women who otherwise couldn’t afford college. Having just finished paying for two daughters to attend college allows me to say the middle class is increasingly strained and the poor have no chance to do so without help.
College athletics is the carrot that keeps so many teenagers out of trouble in hopes of advancing their lives. Although the NCAA says only 2 percent of high school players earn college scholarships, we’re talking countless lives that are enriched. Forget the 1 percent who later play pro ball, but remember the others who now have a chance at a decent job and life because they earned degrees.
You really want to take that away, Ralph? You’re supposed to represent the working class. Losing college scholarships would be a dagger to it.
Nader’s right about a cottage industry preying on high school athletes and their parents. It’s disgusting how some AAU coaches essentially sell their players to college programs. Retired college coach Tom Penders recently described how one AAU coach wanted an assistant’s job in exchange for a player attending Houston. Maryland coach Gary Williams has openly warred with these sycophants. How Nader proposes to fix this mess is unknown. Good luck with that.
Nader leads the “League of Fans.” Is that something like the Super Friends? He’ll need superpowers to swap athletic scholarships for financially based ones. Nader’s essentially calling for another government agency, and we know how that usually works.
Maybe Mayor Vincent Gray can dole out scholarships? Hopefully his “nephews” can run the 40 in 4.3 and bench 300 pounds.
Nader’s counterparts say college players should be paid considering how much revenue they generate. That’s more extremist stupidity. Four years of education, room and board are plenty. Besides, at most only a few athletes per campus truly generate money.
The current system has big problems, but ending college athletic scholarships only will weaken our youth. Maybe in Utopia, where people like Nader don’t drive cars, there’s a place for scholarships based on academics and financial need, but my planet doesn’t work that way.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
