WGBH News: Sports

The NCAA And Its Treatment Of Student Athletes

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:00:00 GMT

In One Night, Two Pitchers Hit Baseball Milestones

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 GMT

The NCAA And The So-Called 'Student-Athlete'

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:01:00 GMT

Sports fans love to designate certain games as "the greatest ever," the "match of the century" and so forth. Well, I would like to state that a piece in the October issue of The Atlantic Monthly, which was released online Tuesday, may well be the most important article ever written about college sports.

The author is Taylor Branch, who is best known for winning the Pulitzer Prize for his work on civil rights. Essentially, in eviscerating the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Mr. Branch provides ample evidence that our so-called "student-athletes" are themselves lacking in their rights as American citizens. They are, he says, the "heir[s] to Dred Scott."

The author calls the NCAA itself "a classic cartel." He writes that the contrived concept of amateurism is a "cynical hoax," and that the fact that college athletes make fortunes for their millionaire coaches and conscienceless universities is simply: "tragedy."

He points out, for instance, that the term student-athlete, which is thrown around so wantonly by the NCAA and its journalistic enablers, was essentially created for no educational reasons — but only as a smokescreen to keep players from being able to sue for worker's compensation if they are injured playing for dear old alma mater.

It was crucial, for legal reasons, not to let athletes enjoy the status of other university employees; hence they must be "students," without the common rights of laborers.

Mr. Branch found evidence that the NCAA, which is allegedly a nonprofit, spent a million dollars chartering jets. At the same time, it appears to have spent less than 1 percent of its revenue trying to enforce its rulebook.

Not surprisingly, the real culprits –– the big schools and their coaches –– are virtually never severely punished. Instead, says the author, the NCAA goes after "powerless scapegoats," like the impoverished athletes themselves, or honest professors who dare to volunteer how athletic departments cheat to keep their athletes academically eligible.

In fact, Mr. Branch points out, the NCAA wouldn't dare punish big-time offenders harshly for fear that the major conferences will leave the NCAA and start their own basketball tournament. Only the television money paid by CBS to broadcast March Madness keeps the NCAA in clover.

At the end of the day, the whole point of the NCAA –– despite its sanctimonious educational claptrap –– is to protect the unjust concept of amateurism, so that its client athletic departments get free labor.

As Mr. Branch explains at length — as I have mentioned often before — all this may come crashing down, as lawsuits against the NCAA are finally approaching judgment. In the meantime, I commend to you this exceptional article entitled simply, "The Shame of College Sports" — which begins with the disgrace of the NCAA. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]

Whatever Happened to Sportsmanship?

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:25:00 GMT

In 2009, Serena Williams threatened to shove a racket down a referee's throat during a semifinal. Two years later, she's calmer, but still shouting at umpires, most recently at the U.S. Open on Sept. 11. With higher salaries and more on the line, it's not surprising that more and more athletes are making headlines for unsportsmanlike conduct.

After losing the final game 6-2, 6-3 to Australian Samantha Stosur on Sunday, Williams told reporters that she didn't remember what she said.

"It was just so intense out there," Williams said. "It's the final for me, and I was just ... I guess I'll see it on YouTube."

The United States Tennis Association announced Monday that Serena Williams would be fined $2,000 for verbally abusing chair umpire Eva Asderaki during Sunday's match. An angry Williams yelled "C'mon!" during the match, earning her a code violation from Asderaki, who awarded a point to Stosur. Williams later went on a tirade against Asderaki.

"I promise you, if you ever see me walking down the hallway, look the other way, 'cause you're out of control," Williams said. "You're out of control. Totally out of control, you're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside."

Jim Evans, owner of The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, one of two schools aspiring umpires must attend to get a job in professional baseball, said he has noticed "more frequent explosions" from players.

"I think there's so much pressure on players today," Evans said. "The average player makes close to three million — they're making so much money that they have a lot self-imposed pressure and they need a scapegoat. Sometimes that becomes the umpire."

John Sparks, a professor at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism, said that higher salaries and incentive clauses in many contracts have placed more pressure on players (and managers trying to protect them from being ejected), who are more likely to get angry at umpires for specific calls.

"In baseball, you have to get so many hits," Sparks said. "When you have money attached to things like that I do think there's more at stake."

Williams earned $1.4 million at the U.S. Open — $900,000 for finishing as the runner-up and a $500,000 bonus. The USTA could have declared Sunday night's violation as a major offense, leading to a larger fine than $2,000 and suspension from a Grand Slam tournament because she was on probation since her behavior at the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals.

Evans, the former president of the Major League Umpires' Association, said he has had to deal with many "argumentative personalities" like the late Billy Martin of the New York Yankees during his nearly 30 years umpiring for Major League Baseball. He said there are hundreds of situations that can arise, making it necessary for the school to devote an entire course to dealing with difficult players and managers.

Jack Kyriakos, an assignor with the Metropolitan Washington Soccer Referees Association in Montgomery County, Md., said he regrets how he behaved toward referees as a varsity soccer player in high school.

"It's pretty bad with refereeing and soccer," Kyriakos, a referee for local soccer matches, said. "You got a lot of people who think they know the game better than you do, but they don't. A referee is trying to do his best and is closer to the play."

Kyriakos said his biggest obstacles are spectators and coaches, prompting the creation of team sportsmanship liaisons on several soccer leagues in the East Coast. Each team provides a liasion, usually a parent, at the beginning of each game. They go out to the middle of the field and are responsible for keeping the game under control and taming angry coaches and parents.

Sparks said enforcing sportsmanship, aside from issuing more penalties, is difficult.

"When I see Venus and Serena Williams getting upset, it just reminds me of [tennis legend] John McEnroe," Sparks said. "I think there are some players who get so intense they get upset easier." [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]

Djokovic Wins 1st U.S. Open Title, Beats Nadal

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:59:00 GMT

Russian Hockey Player Dies; Was Only Member Of Team To Survive Crash

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:35:00 GMT

"The only member of a top Russian hockey team to survive a plane crash that killed 44 people died Monday of his injuries in a Moscow hospital," The Canadian Press and The Hockey News report.

Alexander Galimov, 26, "died of the severe burns that covered about 90 percent of his body," the news outlets add. He played the forward position.

The team's plane crashed last Wednesday (Sept. 7, 2011), shortly after takeoff from the city of Yaroslavl. Other members of Lokomotiv, an elite professional hockey team, included NHL veterans Pavol Demitra of Slovakia, Ruslan Salei of Belarus and Josef Vasicek of the Czech Republic. The coach, Canadian Brad McCrimmon, was also killed.

One person who was on the flight is still alive. "Flight crew member Alexander Sizov, remained in intensive care at Moscow's Sklifosovsky hospital," The Canadian Press and Hockey News add. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]

Djokovic, Nadal To Meet In U.S. Open Men's Final

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:39:00 GMT

Arthur Ashe: A Civil Right Activist Off The Court

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Sports: U.S. Open, NFL

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:00 GMT

NHL Weathers Dark Off-Season

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:00 GMT