The Jim Tressel innocent act is over. For years we've watched as player after player gets indicted for improper benefits without The Ohio St. University or coach Tressel ever being implicated in the scandal or punished for the findings. It is only right that after a decade of wrongdoing the powers that be are held accountable. The Ohio St. University has had numerous violations uncovered ( some of them serious), but the NCAA has been reluctant to enforce any sanctions against them. Who is to blame for this hypocrisy?
College athletics has become big time business and the bottom line is some programs are more profitable than others and some programs are more important in the grand scheme of things. There is a don't ask don't tell policy with some of the major universities (Notre Dame, Ohio St, Penn St., Texas) because of the financial implications involved and the fan base. It would cost the schools, the conferences, the television networks, and the merchandisers millions of dollars if those schools were banned from playing on TV or going to bowl games. In addition, these violations continue because the fan base is indifferent to them so long as the programs keep winning. It's a results oriented business and wins and losses affect accountability. In a system where the players don't get paid and fans have unrealistic expectations there is bound to be some shady activity.
In the end these programs have to do whatever it takes to remain on top. There are a handful of schools that the NCAA typically looks the other way when it comes to violations because there is too much at stake. In the modern era technology has become the great equalizer however and exposure to the media helps to level the playing field. We'll see how this affects the status quo going forward.
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