I am Simon Ostrach responding to Bill Applegate's editorial about NCAA Hypocrisy.
Big-time football has no place in a university. Universities educate young people and prepare them for a meaningful life and should not serve as a training ground for professional sports.
No one at a university is paid nearly as much as a big-time football coach and winning is the only criterion on which he is ultimately judged. That is why rules are bent.
The athletes do obtain compensation, namely, an education worth about $35,000 a year -- plus a showcase for their talents. Unfortunately, they value the education as little as their awards.
Athletics is a means for students to have fun, to learn teamwork and leadership skills.
Football players at Case Western Reserve University and those in the Ivy League and Divisions II and III have no more perks than other students receive. They attend regular classes and have no special tutors.
The football they play has great traditions and is at least, as enjoyable as it's "big-time" counterparts.
Thank you.
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