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Monday, January, 13,2003
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-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor:
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editor:
Pat Payne
Editorial
Athletes should
be more than
pawns in NCAA
sports machine
Over the summer, a group that represents NCAA stu
dent athletes began calling for the establishment of a “Bill
of Rights” for athletes, as a result of what they see as
gross abuse of them by the NCAA and by coaches.
We agree with this drive to aid student athletes. The
NCAA colleges, most particularly in football, act as a de
facto minor league. Yet unlike any other sports league,
there is almost no protection for the players against the
whims of the administration.
We do admit that we had a twinge of heartburn with
the assertion that there are special privileges and benefits
to being a non-athlete that athletes are unable to possess.
Many student athletes receive free-ride athletic scholar
ships, and often are given the best tutors and free class
materials, special academic tracks, catered buffets and
the like — whereas the rest of us do not.
But that twinge is tempered by our belief that student
athletes are also the closest direct analogue to the old Ro
man gladiators — who, while pampered and the target of
the adulation of the masses, had almost no say over their
lot in life.
The typical student athlete is, sadly, recruited because
of his or her athletic ability, thrown into college with a
full scholarship and then not given the time or the incen
tive to earn good grades. They are subject to dual respon
sibilities: Athletics and academics. Yet to devote them
selves fully to athletics means neglecting their grades,
and conversely, substantive attention to academics risks
their being dropped from the team.
Student athletes also have little opportunity to earn
an outside income, and payment for their services on the
gridiron, court or diamond is forbidden. This too is anal
ogous to the gladiators, who would make a pittance — if
anything at all — for the entertainment of the masses
and the coffers of those who sponsored the fights.
While covered by NCAA insurance for injuries in
curred during formally sanctioned practices and games,
student athletes are not covered during so-called “cap
tain’s practices,” which are informal and supposed to be
optional. Those who appear, however, get to play in the
games. Those who fail to show up can find themselves
benched. Sports injuries, especially in football, can be
devastating physically, emotionally and financially.
The ultimate sanction, which can be wielded by
coaches almost at whim, is dropping a player from the
team. This entails, as well, the immediate loss of all the
privileges associated with athletics, most notably ath
letic scholarships and thus the opportunity to receive
an education, in many cases. There is no opportunity
for recourse or appeal for those who are dropped.
There is, unlike any other league, no players’ union
whose role is to make sure that players “fired” are not
“fired” arbitrarily.
It is for these reasons that we are wholeheartedly in fa
vor of players being able to do what they love, and not be
victimized in doing it. We believe that athletes should be
able to make a living, should be insured for any injuries
incurred from service on the team, no matter when, and
should be allowed to have time to better their minds and
not be dropped for arbitrary reasons. Otherwise, dissolve
the NCAA, detach sports from the University and call it
what it is — a minor league. At least then, the players
could be paid for their troubles.
Editorial policy
This editoriai represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board. Responses can be sent
to letters @dailyemerald.com. Letters to the
editor and guest commentaries are encouraged.
Letters are limited to 250 words and guest
commentaries to 550 words. Authors are limited
to one submission per calendar month.
Submission must include phone number and
address for verification. The Emerald reserves
the right to edit for space, grammar and style.
Overheard, overused:
Get over it
(t
At the end of a year, there are always a
bevy of “best of/worst of’ lists flying
around that try to \
sum up the happen
ings of the year before. Anna Nicole
Smith made Mr. Blackwell’s list of worst
dressed. J.Lo — nom de reality Jennifer |
Lopez — garnered the Gallup poll’s
top honor of most admired woman.
And the American Dialect Society
named the phrase
“weapons of
mass destruc
tion” 2002’s
Word of the Year.
Technically, “weapons
of mass destruction” is
n’t really a word, but a
phrase. And other phrases
such as “axis of evil” and “mate
rial breach” probably gave the
“weapons” phrase a run for its
money.
So in the spirit of meaningless
end-of-year lists, I have composed
my own set of top phrases heard
on or around the University in
2002, in no particular order:
• “Fife, you suck!” Was
everybody saying it, or
was I always standing by
the same belligerent fraternity
guy in Autzen Stadium all sea
son? Either way, “Fife, you
suck” became a mantra that
stuck with poor Jason Fife
all the way through
the Seattle Bowl
(and I know be
cause my die-hard
Husky relatives
were chanting it
non-stop, among
other insults). Sigh.
I’m no sports
writer, but a 42-14
loss to Washington
is hard to take, es
pecially when inun
dated in Seattle
Julie
Lauderbaugh
Judge Julie
with Duck jokes (my favorite is this:
What do the Ducks and Billy Graham
have in common? Both cafi make 60,000
people stand up and yell, “Jesus
Christ!”). But honestly, we can’t blame a
single football player for the shortcom
ings of an entire team, can we?
Then again, “Ducks, you suck” doesn’t
have the same ring to it.
• “Sorry Timmy, I can’t play ball
tonight. I have to go to my 1,654,798th
Programs Finance Committee budget re
call hearing.” Okay, I may be exaggerat
20 OZ
A YEAR IN REVIEW
Peter Utsey Emerald
ing a bit with the number of hearings. But
after a $536,000 “accounting error” at
the ASUO office last year, it seemed
every incidental-fee funded student
group was forced to attend an armload of
budget re-approval hearings by a group of
students who could barely balance their
check books.
Even the good ol’ boys at the Oregon
Commentator postponed their Magic:
The Gathering game and got their bow
els in an uproar over the verbiage of their
mission statement. Ill will swelled all
around, but with any luck, the budget al
locations for next year with a new crew
will be more organized.
• “Is that my phone?” Cell phones have
infiltrated every comer of campus. Phones
are ringing while people are riding their
bikes, walking down the street, in the mid
dle of class, during lunch, driving and yes,
last week I heard a woman on her cell
phone while in the bathroom stall.
A trend has occurred where the phone
must ring at least three times (I’ve heard
Michael Jackson, Beethoven and “Super
Mario Bros.” jingles) before the owner is
able to dig into the bottom of the bag to
retrieve it and sheepishly turn it off.
Dear professors: If a phone rings in
your classroom, make a policy that you
will answer it. Embarrassment will en
sue, and the problem will be solved.
• “And in Eugene tonight, there were
more riots... .” According to the rest of
the free world, every person at the Uni
versity is an angry rioter. Even CNN
thinks so. There were a few out-of-con
trol riots in Eugene last year, a pittance
compared to the 360-plus days when
there was peace. Not much can be done,
however, to dissuade intoxicated block
partiers from burning couches in round
abouts and blaming it all on the police.
Honorable mentions include: “dry
frats,” the great “Wind Storm of 2002”
(as it was proclaimed by local television
stations) and “shock jocks.”
Contact the columnist
atjulielauderbaugh@dailyemerald.com.
Her views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Letter to the editor
Forgiveness won’t
end terror
I laughed after reading Randolph Sill’s
letter explaining that to win the war on
terrorism, we just have to forgive the ter
rorists (“Forgiveness may prove more
successful than war,” ODE, Jan.
8). There you have it, folks; all we must
say is, “We forgive you,” and all the fanat
ics will give it a rest. I’m curious if Sill has
shared his theory with any religious or
political leaders from those countries
that preach hate and murder against the
United States on a daily basis. I think
that Sill doesn’t have an inkling about
what forgiveness really entails.
If forgiveness is to be taken seriously,
those forgiven must express remorse for
their actions and change their behavior.
In this case, terrorists groups have not
expressed remorse and are currently
planning their next attack. Terrorists
don’t need our forgiveness, don’t want
our forgiveness and haven’t asked for our
forgiveness. They couldn’t care less
about Sill and his forgiveness. In their
eyes, you have two options, Sill: Die, or
convert to Islam.
Granting forgiveness to terrorists
who haven’t asked for it and don’t want
it is not an act of moral courage. Far
from it: It is the act of a coward who
does not respect himself and who does
not care for his fellow citizens. I doubt
that Sill will understand my point, but
I hope others who read this letter will
understand that unwarranted forgive
ness will not stop terrorists from want
ing to kill Americans.
Brian Stubbs
second-year graduate
physics