The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 29, 1982, Image 6
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U-AlVliHUULi
Founded 1908
Fletcher Johnson, Acting Editor-in
Jerry Brewer, General Manage
Linda S. Haines, Advertising Mat
Jean Hatchell, Business Manag
Mark McEwan, Prodfction Manai
Athlete*
When college basketball first
Vbegan, it was an extracurricular
activity for students. Today, it is
becoming more apparent that
college basketball is no longer an
"extracurricular" activity for
students who are in school to
receive a college education. It is
becoming more and more a
breeding ground for t ie National
Basketball Association. This would
oe good, if the athletes remained
amateurs, and students. However,
in many schools this is allegedly no
longer true.
While college basketball fans all
over the country are focusing on
New Orleans for the NCAA tournament,
Notre Dame Coach Digger
Phelps gave the basketball world
something else to think about.
Phelps charged that some colleges
have been paying athletes as muchi
as $10,000 to play at their schools.
Phelos declined tn namp anu
specific violators, but did state that
he had lost several recruits to other
schools due to illegal payments.
NCAA officials have refused to
comment on Phelps' comments, or
to even acknowledge whether or
not Phelps filed a report.
This comes to no surprise to
many basketball fans. Many have
speculated that college athletes
have been being paid illegally for
quite a while. Many just believe
<ihat there is nothing wrong with it,
and just choose to overlook it.
The fact that many colleges are
violating NCAA rules should not be
overlooked. Phelps should be
commended for his efforts to
rectify the wrongs being done by
the various schools. If he has
enough evidence to back his
allegations, then he was right to
make this information public. A
free four-year education should be
enough for any athlete. If an
athlete wants to make money instead
of receive an education, why
not turn pro immediately after high
school? Let them get paid legally if
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Other coaches should follow
Phelps' lead and turn in any
violators that they know of. College
I Tom Coyne, News Editor |
^ Johnny Boggs, Sports Editor
John Vaughan. Entertainment Editor I
aein zunaria, <Jopyaenk Chic/
Chief Mike Fisher, Graphics Editor
j. Lezlie Wallace, Editorial Page Editor
Patty McCarthy, Asst. News Editor
lager Buddy Horres, Asst. Sports Editor
er Chris Hughes, Intramurals Editor
. ^
Mark Ethridge Jr., Adviser
*er'
s r aia.r
basketball needs to get back on the
college level.
Paying college athletes makes
college basketball seem more like
a professional game. Coaches
continue to allow this to occur.
However, when it comes to a shot
clock in the college game, coaches
overwhelmingly voted against it. r
The reasons that many coaches
gave was mat it would make the
game too much like the pro game. !
It's hard to understand how
establishing a shot clock would
make the college game pro, and
paying the college athletes won't.
College coaches need to get their j
priorities straight. The shot clock,
which would make the game more
interesting for the spectators and
players, and would make the teams
prove that they have the all around
skills that make them better than
the opposing team, would not make
college basketball like professional
basketball. Paying athletes will. j
College athletes need to get their
priorities straight. Is a college
education important to them, or do
they want to get out and start
making money in the professional
world. If money is the answer, then
go pro. If they want sl college
education, then they should be
willing to sacrifice the money until
they graduate.
Phelps has stirred up something
that everyone has been aware of
for quite some time. Hopefully he
can prove what he is saying. His
timing may have made the
situation more "scandalous" since
it was announced in New Orleans
during the NCAA tournament.
Regardless, the situation needs to
be investigated, and illegal
payments need to be halted.
Money has no place in college
sports at all. If this illegal action is
being done in basketball, then it
can be assumed that other sports
are being affected as well. It needs
to be remembered that the athletes
involved are students, and because
of their talents are fnrtunntp
enough to be able to receive a free
college education. That should be
enough.
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JMmiH&fPnK AMD <JI? TUWIKIIICTI
V"" - M|W1I\ VI\W|VIIII WW ||IV| IMUIV/t I
? "Letters To The E(
Time To Ignore Pe
rO THE EDITOR
Something really strange is going on around here. I c?
lawsuits and contested elections and even the removal of
all let me say that many students voted for Mark Platte I
liked the irony in it, some wanted a change and some wei
acting like a group of forty year old professional politici;
just students here. We are learning, growing, preparing o
WP all malrp mictalrpc Nnut in /mllocta ic tha timo fn nni
our mistakes. Should we take ourselves so seriously thj
sidering lawsuits? What are we going to be doing when we
Whatever happened to large student bodies uniting t<
believed to be wrong or unjust in society? Whatever haf
students joining to fight for what they believed in? Was 1
only not understand it, but we refuse to acknowledge th
about long hair, love beads and LSD. I'm talking about
causes ? good causes, trying to make things a little bett
be working with the students and the students with the
place to be. But the students have incorporated the
Student. Government officials act like politicians, they ar
politicians, so you just don't pay any attention. Well I'm
you want to get things done, get involved. And elected off
the real political world and start finding out what the stu
we have developed. That only we can change. Keep in m
and at this point is epidemic.
There are so many major important things that are wrc
issues like El Salvador, ERA, Reaganomics, in our edito
because we are busy making our personal attacks on e<
only have we stopped trying to change the system to
launched ourselves into it 100 percent, and have begun pei
of apathetic, ignorant creatures have we become? We ;
together and do something constructive and instead we
well go to El Salvador.
One more thing, before we start throwing stones at f<
what they are trying to do, Mark Platte and elected offic
could do ? or motivate ourselves to do. Mark Platte ma<
mad enough to get a response. That in itself is somethii
criticism and printed a lot of things that criticized him. i
Lamecock, I saw many things about Platte and the Gar
was really good about it and took it as it was supposed to
Thft T.n momnb u/ac moont i/\ mqlrn n 11 I-.?1- -1 *
?uu ...vu?t w niaivc UO ail lclUgll ell ourseii
laughed.
I really think it's about time that we stop taking all these
can't work together to improve things, at least we can try I
GAMECOCK ?- ?
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S3
MeSMOKtTHQRTDBACCO.
litor' ?
tty Things
an't believe what I read about
the editor of the paper. First of
for a number of reasons. Some
*e tired of Student Government
ans. But come on ? we are all
urselves for the real world and
ite, help each other learn from
it at the age of 21 we are con- *
get to the age of 40?
jgether to fight for things they
>pened to concerned, intelligent
:hat so far away that we cannot
iOf if T
mi it nopi^iicu ; 1 in iiul utiMllg
. students fighting for common
er. Student Government should
m to make this school a better
American notion that because
e politicians and you can't trust
saying if you're not satisfied, if
icials stop acting like you are in
dents want. It is a vicious circle
ind apathy is highly contagious
>ng. There has been no room for
rial columns in our newspaper,
ich other. Wake up people, not
make things better, we have
Meeting their games. What kind
are the future ? we could join
choose to fight ? we might as
jllow students ? let's consider
ers. It's probably more than we
1e us challenge him ? made us
ig. Platte was very good about
Ys one of the contributors to the
necock I didn't like. But Platte
be ? a spoof on the Gamecock.
/es and Platte knew that and he
s petty things so seriously, if we
to get along.
MARY COLEMAN
English Major
i 'f
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's name may be withheld on letter, upon
he circumstances warrant it.
ve the right to edit columns and letters for
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