One Down - One to Go

[jackobee]

<font size="2"><font face="Georgia"><font size="2"><font face="Georgia">Renardo Sidney has received academic clearance from the NCAA's Eligibility Center and will enroll in school at Mississippi State either this afternoon or Tuesday morning, Sidney attorney Don Jackson said moments ago.

The clearance is for his academic resume only and is independent of his amateurism inquiry. He'll need to be cleared by the Eligibility Center on that concern before he can play for Mississippi State, which opens its season Nov. 13. (So will signing class teammate John Riek, the 7-foot-2 center from the Sudan.)</font></font></font></font>

 

[dawgstudent]

both are just in school.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

[No message]

 

[ckDOG]

I think he meant one down (academic clearance), one to go (amateur status).

 

[dawgstudent]

[No message]

 

[jackobee]

Yes, one clearance down and one to go.

 

[patdog]

We got the very easy one down, and have the damn near impossible one to go. He will never play a minute for us. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[RebelBruiser]

This is off-topic, but hypothetically if the NCAA does not grant Sidney his amateur status, do you think he'll stay in school for the rest of the year or drop out the day it's announced?

We all know the answer to that question. I just wanted to bring it up, because Sidney is just one of many examples of athletes that are only attending college because it's a stepping stone to the pros, with no intention of ever getting a degree.

Just my soapbox, and I wish they'd open the doors and allow the athletes to pursue a pro career without forcing them to pretend they are students.

 

[ckDOG]

Just my soapbox, and I wish they'd open the doors and allow the athletes to pursue a pro career without forcing them to pretend they are students

 

[8dog]

"because Sidney is just one of many examples of athletes that are only attending college because it's a stepping stone to the pros"...I would say Sidney is one of many examples of PEOPLE that are attending college only because its a stepping stone to making money.

 

[RebelBruiser]

"because Sidney is just one of many examples of athletes that are only attending college because it's a stepping stone to the pros"...I would say Sidney is one of many examples of PEOPLE that are attending college only because its a stepping stone to making money.

And that's my point as well. If you don't need a degree to pursue your career of choice, why should you be forced to pass enough classes to be cleared to play in college?

You don't require doctors to meet a minimum 40 time, so why require football and basketball players to pass math and English if they don't really want to pursue a degree? Again, just my soapbox on the subject. I don't know the solution. I just know it's a farce to pretend these players are student-athletes. Some of them are, but a good number of them at the highest level make a mockery of the term student-athlete.

 

[8dog]

you have to limit who can participate.

Otherwise, you might as well hold the NCAA tourney at Rucker Park.

 

[ckDOG]

It shouldn't be a prerequisite to being employed as a professional athlete. BUT, we live in a country full of unreasonable and borderline retarded people. Athletes are by far the most looked up to set of individuals in American culture (or at least WAY up there). They make millions and everyone wants to be like them. So, what would happen when you have a bunch of GED toting athletes making millions while the rest of the country worships the ground they walk on? Kids blow off (or we perceive it that way) the value of an education and hold on to the dream of being a super-rich professional athlete, don't make it, then have nothing to contribute to society. Too many people in this country can't separate the reality for the lucky 0.01% of the population from the reality that applies to the rest of us - which is "get a good education, or face the consequences". Stupid rules like that exist because of stupid people.