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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2011)
opinion How to Solve the NCAA’s ugly Ethics Problem T he NCAA enforcement problem has festered beneath the surface for decades, and been allowed to grow into a multi-institutional monster. I think its problems are too complex for a single simple solution. There are root causes we still don’t dig down and deal with. Some societal, some economic, some just plain greed or igno- rance. Nor can all the issues be adequately treated in a single post. But there are some issues that seem obvious to me that no one seems to what to address. I have a few suggestions or considerations. One seeks to inspire players to do the right thing. The other is more drastic, borrowing from criminol- ogy and technology. That’s for those who still don’t get it. But I’ll save that for another post. First, we need an enhanced way of inspiring the at-risk teenagers to do the right thing. The reason is because the university setting is not supposed to act like the crimi- nal justice system. We must admit that we are asking for voluntary compliance by players to comply with NCAA rules. The problem with getting at-risk star players to conform to NCAA rules doesn’t start with college. Grown-ups identify and coddle those with superior athletic ability at or T he S chool oF l aW Roger M. Groves before puberty. Then the adoring community that loves to see their schools win, including some teachers, sends the subtle but con- sistent message that for these youngsters, the normal rules do not apply. It should not then sur- prise us that some of these mixed- messaged 10-12 year olds become teenagers who are high risks for rules violations. And then there is often family dysfunction where too often the absent or incarcerat- ed father is replaced by AAU coaches or other sports pimps of sorts. The player becomes more a commodity than the loved one. Yet the essence of fatherhood is irreplaceable. The loving daily presence gives a special standing and entre’ to the kid’s heart and mind. The father can then pene- trate the athletic aura and say, “Oh no. You won’t do that!” Magic Johnson has plenty of stories about how his father made sure certain behaviors were put in check despite his tremendous fame in high school. He was blessed with that loving connec- tion and correction as part of daily living. Many blessed with great talent are not so blessed with the simple parental influences that many of us take for granted or have forgotten. We should remember too that there are plenty of studies about the disparity –in rules and resources - between the urban public schools in large urban areas and the schools most college stu- dents come from. The vast majori- ty of African Americans in public schools are from a dozen urban under-resourced schools with the players, we have little chance of knowing what buttons to push to create changed behavior among those likely to commit NCAA infractions through their own choice. The separate and next issue is what to do about it. One part of the solution is for qualita- tive family circumstances early in life. But the past links us to the present and that tragically will take far longer to fix. So we need to start with inspir- ing teenagers to transform a past Set up a mentorship program featuring pro athletes who played by rules challenges very different from the suburban high per-capita cost per student schools. All those factors among others bring tremendous adjustment issues once these play- ers go to college. And college itself is the first sniff of almost complete freedom that has snared more than just athletes. I am not making excuses for bad behavior, just reasons why it exists. If we don’t understand the problem, we are less likely to find a solution. And unless we under- stand what motivates and inspires “rules don’t apply to me” mentali- ty to the new and very daunting set of rules found in the near-IRS Code level NCAA rule book. Some of us with little appreciation for this transformational issue act shocked as to why such players don’t instantly transform them- selves. But for the star teenagers most at-risk, the motivational threat of “I better not go to the bar because of NCAA Rule 1.2 or whatever...” is not working. I think such a player is more likely influenced by the pro play- ers he already dreams to be like – players that are already in his con- sciousness and subconscious recesses of his mind. And last I checked it is still the mind that controls the decision of whether to go to the strip club after curfew. Several centuries before there was an NCAA or its rules defining players as amateurs there was a respected Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu that said, “To lead people, walk beside them.” The sports translation in my view is, “To lead players away from NCAA violations, enlist the help of those who have walked in their shoes.” Currently, coaches bring in idol- ized pro players for pep talks to inspire their kids just before big games. That’s a good thing. But the occasional occurrence still squanders a bigger opportunity to inspire the wide-eyed teenagers to have behavioral excellence off the field as well. These pro players have already walked in their cleats. They speak a language with the college players I cannot fully comprehend. roger M. groves is Professor of law at the Florida Coastal School of law Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com Are You reAdY? Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, 10 am— 4 pm Highland Christian Churc h 7600 NE Glisan St. Portland, OR 97213 Are You Ready is a community wide event. Help to educate residents on the importance of public health, emergency preparedness, mental health, and youth engagement. Many of our community members have been displaced from inner North and Northeast to East Portland (focus East). Many of these residents formally of NE Portland now live out in the 122nd area and are unfamiliar with these services. This event offers greater outreach to these communities. Our goal is to provide services to adults, children and families from many of these areas. Come out and learn what resources are available— games and prizes, free to the public! A public service of: The Skanner Foundation, Safeway, Multnomah County, Highland Christian Center and Northwestern Mutual For more information 503 285 5555 ext 501 october 12, 2011 The Portland Skanner Page 5
