Madness

March Madness is upon us, but the real madness lies in the continuing charade that big-time collegiate athletics is anything other than an extension of professional sports, and that most "scholar-athletes" are really getting a university education. UNC whistleblowers Mary Willingham and Jay Smith made their damning case on the Bob Edwards show recently, and promise more details in a forthcoming book. Don't look away, fans.

"The UNC case is important nationally because it demonstrates the connection between the academic camouflage that facilitates athletic success on America’s college campuses and the development of the subtle forms of corruption and self-delusion that inhibit an institution’s ability to self-correct. Through shadow curricula, manifold eligibility tricks, deceptive rhetoric, and warped scheduling priorities, too many athletes are forced to pursue a poor facsimile of a college education. They are handed a cheap knockoff of the academic experience their typical non-athlete classmates can reliably expect to receive. For the sake of college athletes everywhere, the impulse of university leaders to deny reality, cover up ugly truths, and deflect attention from the system must be confronted and defeated. Meaningful national reform can only begin with full disclosure of the mechanics of our currently corrupt system. Although Cheated offers a set of recommendations to ensure improved educational experiences for athletes in the future, perhaps its most important contribution to the national dialogue is its disclosure of a troubling reality in all its nitty-gritty detail."

Smith/Willingham Book | Paper Class Inc