Friday, May 14, 2004
Cynics and Exploiters
University presidents are most sanctimonious and hypocritical when it comes to college athletics. It is well known that the big schools/programs raise huge sums while participating in a legally sanctioned cartel (the NCAA) that exploits some very poor people.
In fact, this episode is one that legitimately earns the label "exploitation", a term that is widely used but seldom so applicable.
The new NCAA President, Myles Brand, is a former university president and he explains all of this much better than I can. His words are cited in a piece in today's WSJ by Stefan Fatsis, who notes that Dr. Brand refers to critics as "self-anointed radical reformers and incorrigble cynics." Yup. It's very hard not to be cynical when colleges take in billions but hide behind sweetheart-deal exemptions from anti-trust rules that assure that the workers get almost nothing, rarely even a college education.
The real exploitation occurs when lawmakers regulate this way.
Light blogging while I am traveling. But, you never know.
