Football News
PHOTOS
March. 31, 2008 - Promoter cancels spring football concerts
The Gridiron Bash, a series of concerts tied in to spring (i.e., exhibition) football games at some of the country’s largest universities, has been cancelled by its promoters after the NCAA pointed out that having athletes participate and giving them free tickets would be violations of its rules. The concerts had been scheduled to take place in April at Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, and the Universities of Alabama and Colorado, among others. Spring football games, long a low-key scrimmage opportunity for coaches and dedicated fans, have become major events in recent years. Alabama reportedly drew over 90,000 fans to its 2007 game, for example.
A columnist for the Birmingham News had this reaction:
“It’s OK for current student-athletes to appear in commercials to promote Pontiac, which is really what the popular campaign known as the ‘Pontiac Game-Changing Moment’ is ultimately designed to do.
“It’s all right for video of current student-athletes to be used to promote CBS’ programming and the products that advertise on CBS, which is part of why a television network pays $6 billion to televise the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
“It’s even acceptable for entire college football teams to become attractions to promote entire cities and be part of advertising campaigns that promote entertainment districts, restaurants and theme parks while on postseason bowl trips.
“But when it comes to having current ‘student-athletes’ take part in a pep rally on the eve of a spring football game before a concert as part of an event that promotes college football and guarantees hundreds of thousands of dollars to general scholarship funds, well, the sanctimonious NCAA says that violates its precious spirit of amateurism.”
September. 21, 2006 - What does a 12th game mean to the athletes?
Football coaches have always been ambivalent about adding a 12th game to Division I-A schedules. Joe Paterno, head coach at Pennsylvania State University, has publicly stated his displeasure of a 12th game because of the impact on athletes’ study schedules. Joe Paterno commented on his weekly teleconference that “the only thing a 12th game does is make money and (the NCAA) ought to admit it.” As reported by the Daily Local News (link here), Paterno complained that the added game wiped out a midseason break for his players to get healthy and get caught up academically.
September. 21, 2006 - Duke faculty propose faculty-coach pairing to improve understanding
According to the Raleigh News & Observer (link here), the Academic Council at Duke University will consider a proposal to allow faculty to mentor sports teams in an attempt to improve communication and understanding between faculty and athletics. The article states that faculty leaders would assign a faculty volunteer to a sport. The professor could attend practices and travel with the sport team. The intent would not be for faculty to report on the team, but rather to get to know athletes and coaches.
September. 13, 2006 - Clemson cornerback awarded waiver to care for brother
The NCAA recently granted a waiver to Ray Ray McElrathbey, a cornerback on the University of Clemson football team, which will allow Clemson to help him raise his 11-year-old brother. According to the Charleston Post and Courier (link here), McElrathbey has received temporary custody of Fahmarr McElrathbey because their mother, who lives in Atlanta, has struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine for more than a decade. Their father, who lives in Las Vegas, has had problems with gambling. McElrathbey and his brother live in a town home about five miles from campus, with a scooter as the only method of transportation. He has depended mostly on friends and teammates to give him and Fahmarr rides to school.
September. 01, 2006 - Sixth year of eligibility for paternity leave denied by NCAA
The NCAA recently denied a sixth year of eligibility to former Kansas defensive lineman Eric Butler, who requested a a sixth season of eligibility based on the pregnancy waiver. According to USA Today (link here), Butler argued that the NCAA’s pregnancy waiver, which allows female athletes a one-year extension of eligibility for “reasons of pregnancy,” should apply to males in helping to care for their newborns.
August. 27, 2006 - Does a scholarship equate to market worth?
The San Jose Mercury News (link here) recently set out to learn if the cost of a college scholarship for a high-profile college football player was fair compensation. The paper created an economic model to determine what junior Marshawn Lynch, a tailback for the University of California, would be worth this season if college football were subject to the open market, similar to the National Football League. After examining Cal’s finances and interviewing economists familiar with college athletics, the Mercury News calculated Lynch’s worth to be $800,000. Yet, according to the paper, Lynch will instead receive a scholarship worth $16,800, plus the cost of books.
February. 07, 2006 - Big football players
The Sports Economist has a summary of a scary story: life expectancy of NFL players.
January. 22, 2006 - Race and college sports
One in every four scholarship athletes in Division I were African-American, according to figures just released by the NCAA. Yet only 12 percent of coaches and just under 11 percent of athletics administrators in the division are black.January. 22, 2006 - Recruiting and the media
The Birmingham News has a story on how the Internet and newspaper have changed recruiting. Here in Atlanta, the local newspaper runs a daily column on football recruiting (here’s one) from late December through national signing day, on February 5th.
January. 11, 2006 - Promised Land for the Cowboys
Oilman T. Boone Pickens has given Oklahoma State U. $165 million for an “athletic village.”
January. 07, 2006 - A cheap shot or more than that?
Virginia Tech kicked Marcus Vick, the Hokies’ star quarterback, off the football team on January 6 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the Gator Bowl.
January. 05, 2006 - Bowl-game goodies are pretty good
A couple of weeks ago I was running down River Road in Athens, which connects the football stadium with the East Village dorms at the University of Georgia. I started hearing whooping and hollering behind me, and then 10 or 12 guys in football warmups came zooming past me on mountain bikes.
- Read more about this issue
Players get similar treats from their schools for bowl games and for conference championship guides, so if I were a UGa football player I’d be hooked up nicely by now. But is this legit? Is there a point--a certain number of dollars, or an amount of stuff--where the goodie bags stop being a nice little treat and start looking more like prize money?
January. 04, 2006 - Knight Commission poll find Americans are concerned about college sports
(WASHINGTON, JAN. 30)-- Americans are deeply concerned about the professionalization of college sports, according to a new poll conducted for the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. Concerns about how the increasing pressure to win and generate revenue impacts the athletes’ recruitment and subsequent experience prompted the commission to sponsor the first-ever Summit on the Collegiate Athlete Experience today at The George Washington University.
