By: Janie Parks As an Auburn Alum (Class of 2008), I can attest to the fact that basketball at Auburn has been, in recent years, a let down. Without a doubt, football is the focus of the athletics department. When I was a student, I went to almost every home football game (except for the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: NCAA
Subscribe to NCAA RSS FeedUVA Lacrosse Player Guilty–Defense mistake and a Juror speaks out
Posted in NCAAAs has been widely reported, a University of Virginia lacrosse player, George Huguely V, was found guilty last week of second-degree murder after lengthy deliberation by a jury in Virginia. The conviction is less than prosecutors were seeking which was first-degree murder. The case concerns the slaying of Yeardley Love, Huguely’s ex-girlfriend. The motive for… Continue Reading
College football moves kickoff to 35 yard line, kick returners nervous
Posted in Football, NCAAKickoffs in major college football will move from the 30 to the 35-yard line next season, a change intended to keep players safer. Notwithstanding complaints from explosive special teams units, litigation to prevent the change is unlikely. ”Man, I am going to get me an injunction or mandamus or something to keep those guys from… Continue Reading
College Athletic departments move to monitor athletes’ electronic activities
Posted in NCAAAccording to a recent article that appeared in the Harvard Crimson, athletic programs across the country have taken on a new task: monitoring the electronic behavior of their students. As many programs suffer under the weight of increased media attention, watching over Twitter and Facebook accounts has taken on a special importance. Harvard’s head men’s… Continue Reading
Continued conflict in North Dakota over the “Fighting Sioux”
Posted in Basketball, Hockey, NCAAAccording to a recent article in the Kitsap Sun and a report in the Devils Lake Journal, the University of North Dakota will again use its controversial “Fighting Sioux” nickname despite threats from the NCAA, the school’s president announced this week. In November a state law requiring the university to use its longtime nickname and… Continue Reading
The Problem With the NCAA and Money-Losing Athletic Departments
Posted in NCAAThe NCAA and the major athletic departments under their purview have been the subjects of many recent articles criticizing their outsized influence on campus life and university budget priorities. When the articles mention these athletic programs they focus on the teams that rule their schools and garner tremendous media attention, schools like Alabama, Penn State,… Continue Reading
Bama fan turns down heavy plea for Toomer’s Corner tree poisoning
Posted in Basketball, Football, NCAAHarvey Updyke, 63, is the Alabama fan accused of poisoning the 130 year old Toomer’s Corner trees at Auburn. After Auburn beat Alabama (28-27) in last year’s Iron Bowl, he called into a Paul Finebaum’s radio show and bragged of the crime in Jan. 2011. Yesterday he turned down a plea offer of 13 years… Continue Reading
Salaries in the NCAA
Posted in NCAAThis post is a follow-up to a previous piece found here, and to a post from last week concerning an in-depth article in the New York Times which ripped the NCAA for its treatment of student athletes. Joe Nocera’s article is thorough and insightful and demands several posts to fully flesh out the issues, today’s post deals with… Continue Reading
$2,000 NCAA Stipend Represents Failed Attempt at Change
Posted in NCAAThe NCAA has been on the receiving end recently of some harsh and quite deserved criticism. First, Taylor Branch’s Shame in College Sports, an indictment of the NCAA , in The Atlantic (written about on this blog here); and, now Let’s Start Paying College Athletes , by Joe Nocera in the New York Times excoriates the NCAA for its treatment of… Continue Reading
Penn State Scandal Moves Forward
Posted in Football, NCAA, Sex CrimesA judge in Pennsylvania ruled Friday that two former Penn State officials will stand trial on charges of lying to a grand jury about what they knew and when regarding sexual abuse allegations against former coach Jerry Sandusky. District Judge William Wenner held there was enough evidence against both former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and… Continue Reading
Sandusky Denies Discussion of Plea Deal
Posted in NCAAAccording to reports as varied ideologically as the New York Times to Fox News, moments before he slipped into a waiting SUV, a defiant Jerry Sandusky said that he fully intends “to put together the best possible defense and stay the course for four full quarters.” About an hour later, outside the local courthouse his attorney… Continue Reading
Sandusky lawyer chooses to waive preliminary hearing
Posted in NCAAJoseph Amendola lawyer for Jerry Sandusky waived a preliminary hearing today in a move that is portrayed in media outlets as unusual. The New York Times reports, “On Tuesday, in an hour long exchange with reporters outside the Centre County Courthouse, located 10 miles northeast of the Penn State campus, Amendola described the last-minute decision… Continue Reading
Concussions Lead to Lawsuits against NCAA for College Athletes
Posted in Football, NCAAAccording to a recent article in The New York Times, heavy hitting action in college sports has led to a class action lawsuit against the NCAA. In the suit, three former college football players and one soccer player allege the organization failed to do enough to raise awareness for or treat brain injuries in athletes…. Continue Reading
Lawyers come out of the woodwork in Pennsylvania
Posted in Football, NCAA, Sex CrimesAccording to The Boston Globe, one complicating factor in the sure-to-come civil lawsuits related to the Penn State sexual assault case is the statute of limitations. Until August of 2002, the statute of limitations ran out at age 20. Changes were made that year and the Legislature raised the limit to 30. Prosecutors have thus… Continue Reading
Paying College Athletes
Posted in NCAAThe issue of paying college athletes for their professional services is gaining momentum as this recent WSJ article describes. After the stir created by Taylor Branch’s article in October’s Atlantic, other major publications are joining the debate and many are coming down on the side of paying college athletes for their talents. Those who favor… Continue Reading