WAS THERE A CROOKED MAN?

WAS THERE A CROOKED MAN?

(USA TODAY, Donna Moore Wesby,  MJ Logan, YAHOO SPORTS, Frazer Chronicle)

 

A man with more stops on his resume then United Airlines now sits as the tsar of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, N.C.A.A. Mark Emmert has…..to say the least, been around the block, several times it would appear. Emmert is…..well, a professional, I’m sure with just a few exceptions his hands have stayed relatively clean, his website states his profession as Academic Administrator, I’m not sure how many people strive to attain that lofty stature, but Mark Emmert has.

 

Look I’m not saying that this guy, Emmert, is a slug on society, or some sort of rip-off-artist, but there seems to have been a trail of disturbing aftermaths that seem to break just after he left his last job. The list seems damning. The list will come later; first I felt we should take a somewhat uneducated look at what the N.C.A.A. is, when it was initiated, and most important, what it stands for today in the 21^st century.

 

Inter-collegiate sports began in 1852 when crews from Harvard and Yale met in a challenge race in the sport of rowing. Sadly there was no television, radio or news cameras, just a few friends of the two rowing crews.

 

Things went along pretty smoothly, with the occasional rowing events until football was introduced to the young college steeds of the 1880’s and 90’s. By 1905 the annual body count from the game of football numbered 19 deaths and 149 injuries. Rules to govern the game were far and few between, and the protective equipment…..not really enough to comment on.

 

It was obvious that something needed to be done, and President Theodore Roosevelt was determined to be a leader of reforming college athletics. He held two White House meetings with college athletic leaders, and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was formed. The name was changed to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, (N.C.A.A.) a year later and the organization has grown to its present size.

 

Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the association has 1,281 schools, conferences or associations including the United States and Canada. All inter-scholastic sports are under the regulatory arm of the N.C.A.A. and with little exception all post season playoff systems are also regulated by the association, and the several hundred full time employees.

 

The N.C.A.A. has many dips, dives and turns during its formative years, moving to a couple different sites in the state of Kansas, and the ultimate move to Indiana had all the action or political movement of a Good Friday night at the movies. In addition to the high drama of which city and state would eventually land the association, several activities lacked any action by the association…..namely black participation and recognizing women’s sports, but that is for another time!

 

WAS THERE A CROOKED MAN

I’ll let you guys be the judge, the importance of your opinion, or mine doesn’t really matter herein, it’s more a conversation piece. Mark Emmert is, if nothing else a study in contrasts, several things cannot be denied, Number one, Emmert is a highly educated man…..I’m not sure how much weight that should carry, but it is an undeniable fact. Born in December 1952, and educated at first, the University of Washington, (B.A.) and Syracuse University, (PhD).

 

 

Before becoming the chief at the Indianapolis N.C.A.A. headquarters Emmert served as the President of the University of Washington, was the chancellor of Louisiana State University, and held faculty and administration positions at the University of Connecticut, Montana State University, and the University of Colorado. However without exception Emmert did not stay at any one place for a very long time.

 

Looking at Mark Emmert’s track record, I noticed the rather unusual short stay at each of his postings, usually a professional stays at a particular institution so that he may institute new programs, or eliminate others. One thing became crystal clear during his time before the N.C.A.A. gig; football played a major role in his professional and private life.

 

SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL FOLLOWS THIS GUY

I do not have an ax to grind, or am I out for anybody, I just call um as I see um, it’s why I’m so popular…..right! For whatever reason, Emmert leaves jobs either just before, or right after investigations are launched or are pending. The luck of this guy must be unreal…..right.

 

The University of Connecticut launched a massive investigation, at the behest of the governor into a construction project worth more than a billion dollars with overruns that ran into the millions and safety and code regulations that weren’t addressed when the Chancellor, Mark Emmert, either didn’t receive notations regarding the overruns, or ignored altogether the problems.

 

Then there was the L.S.U. case and its football program where athletes’ classes and grades came into question. Grades changed, papers typed for football players, and students being paid to take notes for players.

 

Any person, man or women who ascend to the heights of their chosen profession in the professional world of today is good at two things, if nothing else. They number one watch their ass, and number two, have semi trusted people around them…..because in reality, these types of people do not and I repeat, do not trust people.

 

Emmert has made tons of money during his years as a professional…..professional; it’s listed in today’s USA story in the sports section where I got some of my information. The article kind of sounded like sour grapes, tracking his yearly income from stop to stop…..so what, I think most of them are overpaid, most are nothing more than glorified fund raisers, shysters, and people you shouldn’t trust.

 

What I have a problem with is that Mark Emmert has ascended to a position of power and authority over the very situations that he came from…..and his background isn’t squeaky clean. Emmert once said that “Athletics can be a window into the institution.” Wow, if that’s the case, we all need help…..just let the Mark Emmert’s of the world alone, we are the ones that need the help.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!